Published September - October 2001

By Art Howard

Before discussing Vassar Clements' new album, Full Circle, we should first consider the larger picture of where Clements is at in his career. This is a 73 year old man who has a new CD being reviewed in a rock magazine. This probably makes Clements our eldest "rock star." Now add to this that Full Circle is actually good. No one will say, "Well, you should have heard him a few years ago when he really had it."

Relix readers probably know Vassar Clements best for his collaboration with Jerry Garcia in Old & In the Way. When asked if he thinks there's any genre of music he hasn't covered in his 52 year career, the famous fiddler says, "Not unless it's Indonesian music. I've played salsa and jazz and swing and pop and with symphonies." True, it is Vassar Clements who showed fiddlers like David Blackmon (Widespread Panic) and Iratowns' Dan Campbell that the violin could exist alongside rock guitars. Full Circle, however, is Clements' return to his bluegrass roots.

Wisely, someone has recognized that not everyone who will buy this CD is a dyed-in-blue bluegrass fanatic. Bluegrass versions of classic rock songs like Cream's "White Room" and The Beatles' "Yesterday" give younger fans something to relate to and ease them into appreciating the old-time tunes. By the time the new listener gets to "When the Golden Leaves Begin to Fall" with Peter Rowan, rendered in a very traditional bluegrass ballad style, their rock and pop-trained ears are ready for it.

The standout track is the fiddle instrumental "Tall Timber." If I have one criticism about this CD it's that it would be nice to hear more instrumentals like this one that put Vassar's fast and furious fiddle chops front and center. Maybe "less is more" was the philosophy here.

Other artists who've bent the boundaries of acoustic music like Bela Fleck, John Cowan, Sam Bush, Ricky Skaggs and also original bluegrassers like Jim and Jesse McReynolds help flesh out the 13 tunes.

The CD also contains a nifty little Quick Time video documentary on Clements with commentary from folks like Tony Rice and Bela Fleck; the audio and video quality are great. The liner notes give a great thumbnail sketch of Vassar Clements' career.

If you're looking for a palatable introduction to bluegrass and Vassar Clements, don't go all over the record store, just go Full Circle.

© 2001 Art Howard