Street roots,
Dec. 21, 2012
American
classic
Bluegrass artist David Grisman
reflects on a half century in the
music scene, still truckin’ into 2013
The David
Grisman
Bluegrass
Experience will be
performing on New
Year’s Eve at the
Alberta Rose
Theater.
BY SUE ZALOKAR
S T A F F W R IT E R
avid Grisman is iconic in the world of
bluegrass, having played with a who’s
who of artists, including Doc Watson,
truly American art forms in that they both
Bela Fleck and Bonnie Raitt, to name a few.
developed here and are rooted in many
He is a mandolin player, composer and
European and African traditions. Bill
producer. While still just a pup (Jerry Garcia
Monroe’s biggest musical influence was a
of The Grateful Dead gave him the
black guitarist named Arnold Schultz, and
nickname, “Dawg”), Grisman was gleaning
his music is steeped in blues, which is also a
insight into the world of music from some of
major foundation of jazz. They are both
the greatest players in the “old time” music
“virtuosic” musics that require a great deal
scene.
of instrumental and vocal technique, and
Grisman has spent 50 years celebrating,
they both involve a great deal of
studying and playing the old-time music of
improvisation, although bluegrass is much
rural people and places and bringing that
m ore grounded in traditional melody. But I
m u sica l otylo -to a moinotFcoTH a u d ie n c e . He
guess for me, they are both extremely
has cultivated the respect of other
challenging and very enjoyable, as well as
musicians and a loyal fan base that spans
allowing for a great deal of individual
generations.
expression. I also love many other styles of
The David Grisman Bluegrass
music and they all have influenced my
Experience will play two New Year’s Eve
playing, arranging and composing.
shows in Portland at the Alberta Rose
Theatre. Grisman spoke with Street Roots
S.Z.: Fo r you, what is the allure o f
to share his thoughts about music, its
m ountain m usic?
heritage and its future.
D
Sue Zalokar: You currently have fo u r
active groups: a quintet, a sextet, Bluegrass
Experience band an d Folk Jazz Trio — it
boggles the m ind, bluegrass an d jazz are
seemingly very different kinds o f m usic. In
yo u r experience, how are bluegrass an d jazz
alike?
David Grisman: Well, I keep going back
to what Duke Ellington said: “There are
only two kinds of music — good and bad!”
Actually there are many similarities for me
between bluegrass and jazz. They are both
D.G.: Well it’s not so much mountain
music as folk music or music that originated
in rural environments. I listened to a lot of
“old-time” and ethnically derived music that
was more or less unaffected by the popular
culture of the day and reflected earlier
times when music was developed for purer
reasons than having a hit record or
appealing to huge audiences in the mass
marketplace. The influence of
commercialism really has nothing to do with
aesthetic values, and I find those values
largely missing in most contemporary music
of all styles.
PH O TO CO URTESY OF
D A V ID G R IS M A N
S.Z.: Often, the themes o f bluegrass speak to
the simple life o f ordinary people - people who
have experienced poverty on some level. Are
there any social, political or personal
connections fo r you to themes o f poverty or
homelessness?
D.G.: I’m definitely sympathetic to the
huge numbers of people all over the world
living in sub-standard conditions. I even
devoted a recording project to songs of
hum an suffering arid tragedy, “Life of
Sorrow,” but my interests have always been
rooted in the music, not the lyrics. I
certainly can appreciate the great
collaborations in songwriting between
composers and lyricists. Yet my ear is
usually attracted to the melodies, grooves
and other musical elements. I’m not a big
fan of mixing music with politics either,
although I’m passionate about political
issues. That could change, perhaps!
S.Z.: You credit much o f you m usical
aesthetic development to R alph Rinsler. (B ill
M onroe’s m anager an d director o f the Folklife
Institute at the Sm ithsonian). You have said
that he did more to preserve Am erican folk
culture in the 20th century than anyone else.
Please elaborate on Mr. R in sle r’s contributions
to both the m usical com m unity an d to yo u r
own personal m usical journey.
D.G.: Ralph was an incredible human
See GRISMAN, page 11
T o g eth er
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