Abigail Washburn, Curtis Counce, Oistrach: Playlist for The Open Window for July 20 and 26, 2009

The Open Window airs at 6:30 am Mondays and 10 am Sundays at www.cjly.net (Kootenay Cooperative Radio) in Nelson, B.C.

Abigail Washburn and the Sparrow Quartet: Great Big Wall, Overture, Fuller Wine, The Journay, Oh Me Oh My from The Sparrow Quartet (Nettwerk)

Abigail Washburn banjo and guitar; Bela Fleck, banjo; Casey Driessen, fiddle; Ben Sollee, cello. This music is a mix of Appalachian and Chinese influences because Abigail Washburn had lived in China and could speak some Chinese before she started her career as a bluegrass musician. She's a beautiful singer, and, if you care to go to her website you will find her to be a charming and intelligent talker about music. Also on the net you will find a couple of fascinating videos of the group travelling in China and jamming with Chinese musicians. This band's music is lovely and original.

Bach: Concerto for Two Violins; Igor and David Oistrach with the London Philharmonic directed by Eugene Goosens, from Bach Violin Concertos (Deutsche Grammophon)

For a touch of the sublime, the slow movement of this one can't be beat.






Curtis Counce: Sarah, from Landslide (Contemporary)

This is plain-spoken, unadorned, simple-but-sophisticated, honest, late-night west coast blues from 1957. The bassist Curtis Counce was the leader, with Jack Sheldon (trumpet), Harold Land (tenor saxophone), Frank Butler (drums) and the sweet piano of Carl Perkins (no, not that one).