Retrograss, David Grisman's 1999 release, is a playful and imaginative project that reimagines popular songs of earlier eras through the acoustic string-band lens Grisman had been refining for decades. Where much of Grisman's catalog either pursues jazz fusion or honors the bluegrass tradition directly, Retrograss stakes out a middle ground that is exploratory without being academic. The Dawg sound, with its emphasis on mandolin lead, nimble ensemble interaction, and genre-fluid repertoire, is well suited to the album's concept. Grisman's collaborators on the project share his appetite for irreverence within craft, and the result is one of his more lighthearted records without being a lesser one. The album rewards listeners familiar with both his earlier work and the source material he chose to reinterpret.
Tracklist
- 1 My Walking Shoes alt version 2:43
- 2 Hound Dawg 2:37
- 3 Maggie’s Farm alt version 2:45
- 4 Memphis 2:46
- 5 Flint Hill Special alt version 2:45
- 6 The Old Home Place alt version 3:03
- 7 Uncle Pen alt version 2:43
- 8 Airmail Special alt version 2:12
- 9 Rocky Top alt version 3:16
- 10 Room at the Top of the Stairs alt version 2:11
- 11 Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay 2:40
- 12 Jerusalem Ridge alt version 6:38
- 13 Windy Mountain alt version 3:06
- 14 Maybelline 2:36
- 15 Blue Ridge Cabin Home alt version 3:15
- 16 Rocky Road Blues alt version 3:39
- 17 When I'm Sixty-four 3:16
