Bluegrass Unlimited: Peter Rowan & Tony Rice Quartet
June 2007


You have only to listen to the first few measures of "Dust Bowl Children", the soulful Peter Rowan original that opens "Quartet", to realize this is one super-charged bluegrass/acoustic ensemble that clicks on all cylinders and then some.

Most listeners are already familiar with Rowan's soulful tenor voice and Rice's dazzling, fluid, and dexterous flattop guitar virtuosity. But, Rice and Rowan meet their match with acoustic base player Bryn Davies. Click here to read entire article.

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Krauss & Rice
A Bluegrass Star and Her Hero
May 11, 2007
By Richard Harrington

The first time Washingtonians got to see Alison Krauss and the extraordinary guitarist Tony Rice play together was Oct. 7, 1988, when the then-17-year-old fiddle player sat in with the Tony Rice Unit at the Birchmere. After a breathless version of "Nine Pound Hammer," Rice asked the audience, "That's some fiddle playing, isn't it?"

At DAR Constitution Hall on Wednesday, Krauss, who has since won more Grammys than any other female artist (20), will essentially be asking the audience, "That's some guitar playing, isn't it?"

That's because the concert, featuring Krauss, her band, Union Station, and Rice, will draw exclusively from a remarkable legacy of recordings going back three decades, in which time Rice redefined acoustic guitar and acoustic music, whether playing traditional straight-ahead bluegrass or more progressive jazz and experimental "spacegrass." With his tone, articulation, blinding speed, improvisational agility and rare blend of power and soul, Rice freed the fingers and imaginations of future generations of string musicians.

Including a young Krauss. Click here to read entire article

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The News & Observer
Raleigh, NC
Bluegrass Masters Together
May 11, 2007
By Jack Bernhardt

The first time Jerry Douglas and Tony Rice recorded an album together, Douglas knew he was hearing the future of bluegrass guitar. It was 1973.

"He asked me to play on his second album, 'California Autumn,' " says Douglas, who has performed with Alison Krauss and Union Station since 1998. "There were Doc Watson, Clarence White, a lot of other people who played lead acoustic guitar, but nothing like this guy," says Douglas, a 12-time Grammy-winning Dobroist.

"He had the speed and the creativity. Tony would rip a solo just like a fiddle player or mandolin player. And it was interesting, it was cohesive. It wasn't just a bunch of licks. He played the melody. That seems to be the hardest thing for anyone to do, especially at the breakneck pace that bluegrass music can reach. It was just mind-blowing to see this guy do something that no one else had tried. People didn't think that flat-picking guitar was meant for that kind of stuff."

In Saturday, Rice will share the stage at Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary with Krauss and Union Station. Krauss, who has won 20 Grammys, and her band will pay tribute to Rice by performing songs Rice has recorded and sung throughout his career. One of the most influential guitarists of the past 40 years, Rice was also an excellent vocalist until vocal cord problems forced him to quit singing in the 1990s. His picking and interpretations of songs by Gordon Lightfoot and others have influenced a generation of acoustic musicians, including Krauss.

Click here to read entire article.

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Knoxville News Sentinel
Alison Krauss Can’t Believe She’s Touring with Tony Rice
Shock & Awe
May 11, 2007
By Wayne Bledsoe

It's been a long time since Alison Krauss hopped the fence from prodigy to adult star, but the emotional connection she has to the music she fell in love with as a child has never been stronger.

"It's worse," says Krauss. "I feel like when I get out the records that I listened to as a younger person I go, 'Oh my gosh!' Before, you just like it and you don't know why. Now I just can't even deal with it!"

Krauss says that's why she's having a tough time coming to terms with going on tour with acoustic music star Tony Rice. The tour will celebrate Rice's career in music, with Rice and Alison Krauss & Union Station performing together. Click here to read entire article.

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Tony Rice
Acoustic Guitar Magazine
June 2007  

Tony Rice is, inarguably, the most influential and imitated guitarist in the short history of bluegrass. Ever since the early ‘70s, when Rice’s first recordings were released to the delight and astonishment of acoustic guitarists everywhere, his tone, power, and fluidity have set the standard by which all other bluegrass guitarists are judged. But Rice has never been just a virtuosic bluegrass shredder. His smooth, soulful singing voice and driving rhythm-guitar style have as much to do with his pervasive influence as his oft-parroted bluesy lead licks or his “new acoustic” excursions with progressive pickers like David Grisman, Bela Fleck, and Jerry Douglas. Among acoustic flat pickers, there is no more complete musician.  

Click here for the entire article.

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ATTENTION:VENUE CHANGE

Due to circumstances beyond control, the performance of Tony Rice with Alison Krauss & Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas scheduled for Friday, May 11, 2007 at the Capitol Music Hall in Wheeling, WV is being moved to the Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh, PA.  Showtime will remain at 8:00 P.M. Doors will open at 6:30 PM.  All tickets purchased for the Wheeling show WILL BE HONORED at the Pittsburgh show.  Safety issues of 23 fire code violations with the Capitol Music Hall precipitated the move; the Mellon Arena is approximately 60 miles from Wheeling, and it is the only venue of suitable capacity and technical abilities to accommodate the show.

For those who cannot make it to Pittsburgh, refunds are available through Ticketmaster starting on Wednesday May 2 at 10:00 AM EST. If you bought tickets on-line or by phone, please call (800) 624-5456. If you bought tickets at a Ticketmaster outlet, you will need to return your tickets to the original point of purchase. If you would like to attend the Pittsburgh show, it will go on-sale Thursday, May 3 at 10:00 AM EST at all Ticketmaster locations and at www.ticketmaster.com. For more information on Mellon Arena, visit www.mellonarena.com.

We hope you decide to join us in Pittsburgh, and we apologize for any inconvenience.

Sincerely,

Tony Rice, Alison Krauss and Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas, Outback Concerts and AC Entertainment

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Tony Rice, Peter Rowan coming to LCHS Saturday

Lincoln County may be one of the most rural counties in all of West Virginia, but that hasn't stopped some of the legends of the music world from visiting. In the last few months the Lincoln County Friends of the Arts Concert Series has brought in great performers such as Dr. Ralph Stanley, Blue Highway, Kathy Mattea, and Loretta Lynn.

This Saturday night, two more music legends will appear in concert in Hamlin when the Peter Rowan - Tony Rice Quartet takes the stage. The concert will be at the Lincoln County High School auditorium, and the show will start at 8 p.m. For more information on tickets, call 304-756-2585.

The Peter Rowan - Tony Rice Quartet have a new CD out on Rounder Records simply called Quartet. Rounding out the band is mandolin player Sharon Gilchrist, and in the last few weeks the band has been auditioning new bass players to take the place of Bryn Davies, who is now touring with Patty Griffin. Click here to read more of the article.

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Goings On About Town
Night Life
March 19, 2007 The New Yorker

ROCK AND POP

Musicians and night-club proprietors live complicated lives; it’s advisable to call ahead to confirm engagements.

B. B. KING BLUES CLUB & GRILL

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NO DEPRESSION
January/February 2007

Peter Rowan & Tony Rice Quartet (Rounder)

Acoustic guitar god Tony Rice and bluegrass vocal stylist Peter Rowan teamed with mandolinist Sharon Gilchrist and bassist Bryn Davies - Rowan's longtime touring partner- to create an album that sounds at once ancient and timeless.

Contemporary material from Patti Smith ("Trespasses") and Townes Van Zandt ("To Live is To Fly") blends seemlessly with standards such as "Shady Grove", "Sunny Side of The Mountain" and "Cold Rain And Snow".  The group also explores several classic Rowan originals, including "Walls of Time", "Moonlight Midnight" and "Let The Harvest Go to Seed".  "Perfection", a newer, uptempo gospel number, exemplifies a spiritual quality that runs throughout the record.

Each member of the quartet makes a unique contribution to the fabric of this project.  Rice's fluid playing is the perfect complement to Rowan's earnest falsetto.  But it's the brilliant harmonies and understated instrumental flourishes of Gilchrist and Davies that make this a truly cohesive work. - David Baxter.

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Guitar: Tony Rice
March, 2007

One could call Tony Rice the Jimi Hendrix of bluegrass.

Like the rock iconoclast, Rice is also a guitar maverick who's broken barriers in a genre that keeps a firm grip on tradition.  With stylistic innovation - he single handedly introduced improvisational jazz guitar into bluegrass - Rice's three decade career has been as varied as his playing.

Rice entered the bluegrass world in the late '60s with the Bluegrass Alliance ensemble before teaming with J.D. Crowe and the New South.  But it was his lengthy stint with mandolinist David Grisman that impacted his style-yielding a string of albums that fused bluegrass with stylings akin to John Coltrane or Miles Davis.  Click here for more of the article.

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Rounder Records
MARCH 6, 2007

THE PETER ROWAN AND TONY RICE QUARTET ANNOUNCES NEW TOUR DATES AS QUARTET GAINS MOMENTUM ON BLUEGRASS AND AMERICANA RADIO CHARTS

Burlington, MA – On March 14, the Peter Rowan and Tony Rice Quartet will kick off a string of tour dates in support of their critically-acclaimed new studio album, Quartet.  Released in January, Quartet showcases music from these two acoustic music legends, supported by Sharon Gilchrist (mandolin, vocals) and Bryn Davies (bass, vocals).   The album is gaining momentum on national radio charts, ranking #3 on Billboard’s Bluegrass chart and #8 on R&R’s Americana chart.  No Depression calls Quartet “a truly cohesive work…brilliant harmonies and understated instrumental flourishes…”  Guitar maverick Tony Rice was recently featured in Performing Songwriter (January/February issue) and will soon be the subject of a cover story in Acoustic Guitar (June issue). Click here to read the rest of the article.

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A Very Special Performance by
Tony Rice and Alison Krauss & Union Station
Featuring Jerry Douglas
An Evening of Material from Tony's 35 Year Career

A Very Special Performance
In spring of 2007, Alison Krauss and Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas will be joined by acoustic music's most influential modern master - Tony Rice for a limited number of dates in which they will exclusively perform music drawn from Rice's remarkable recorded legacy. "It's hard to find words to say what an influence Tony Rice has been on people of our generation who grew up in bluegrass," says Union Station bassist Barry Bales.

In a career that has now spanned over three decades, Rice has used bluegrass as the foundation for a series of acoustic explorations that have ranged from sophisticated jazz-informed instrumentals to haunting, heartbreaking song-based work. Alison Krauss and Union Station have long professed the great musical debt they owe to Rice, citing the profound impact albums such as Cold on the Shoulder, Native American, Manzanita, and Me and My Guitar have had on their concept of acoustic music and their individual development as musicians.

This special series of engagements gives Union Station an opportunity to bring a wide-ranging selection of Tony Rice's music to a new audience and to perform it with their unmatched blend of passion and precision. Drawing from both Rice's vocal and instrumental catalog, the performances will feature Rice's still evolving and dazzling guitar work augmented by the vocals and fiddle of Krauss; Dan Tyminski on guitar, mandolin, and vocals; Ron Block on guitar, banjo, and vocals; the supple bass of Barry Bales; longtime Rice associate Jerry Douglas on Dobro; and drummer Larry Atamanuik. As Bales remarked on the eve of the tour's first rehearsals, "The hardest thing is not picking which songs to do – it's deciding which songs not to do…"

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HONEST AMERICANA: BROMBERG, ROWAN & RICE
Words by: John Waldman
JamBase
David Bromberg with Peter Rowan & Tony Rice
01.11.07 :: Palace of Fine Arts :: San Francisco, CA  

After a short break it was time for Peter Rowan & Tony Rice with sexy Bryn Davies (formerly Bryn Bright) on standup bass and sultry Sharon Gilchrist on mandolin. They were "on" from the start, with a "Panama Red" opener followed by a fan favorite, "Hobo Song." Rowan was having fun, playing off everyone and directing solos. Gilchrist was intense and Davies was all over the place. But, it's Tony Rice who cuts the most dashing figure on stage. With his trademark ponytail, tailored suit, and taciturn expression, he has to be one of the smoothest guitarists of all time. After a particularly nice guitar solo from Rowan, Rice took over and just played rings around everyone - always in control, never flailing or exaggerating, just smooth as silk with a fleeting hint of a smile. They played a couple of instrumental jams that gave everyone room to step out, and a few songs from their new album Quartet, including the haunting "Dust Bowl Children." The only downside to the set was that it was too short, but with an 11:00 p.m. curfew, things needed to move along so that Bromberg had enough time.   Click here for more of the article

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ROUNDER RECORDS TO RELEASE QUARTET, THE NEW ALBUM FROM ACOUSTIC MUSIC LEGENDS PETER ROWAN & TONY RICE, JANUARY 23
NOVEMBER 2, 2006

“…a musical marriage made in heaven.” – Relix  

Cambridge, MA – On January 23, Rounder Records will proudly release Quartet – the new studio album from Grammy–award winners Peter Rowan and Tony Rice. The highly anticipated follow-up to 2004’s critically-acclaimed You Were There For Me, Quartet marks the recording debut of the road-tested Peter Rowan and Tony Rice Quartet, which finds “two ground-breaking and genre-defying musicians” (Nashville Tennessean) supported by Sharon Gilchrist (mandolin, vocals) and Bryn Davies (bass, vocals). Click here for more.

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Tony Rice jams with David Bromberg Quartet at Merle Fest 2006

Merlefest 2006 was held in Wilkesboro, North Carolina from April 27-30. Well known for musical sets featuring eclectic combinations of legendary performers in Americana, Bluegrass and Folk music, this year's festival did not disappoint. KCA artists shown L-R: Tony Rice sitting in with the David Bromberg Quartet.

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Peter Rowan and Tony Rice on 06/01/06

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Rowan & Rice to Appear During IBMA Fanfest
10/25/05

On Saturday, October 29, 2005, Peter Rowan and Tony Rice will perform at Nashville Convention Center in Nashville, TN. Grammy-award winning musicians Rowan and Rice recently recorded their first full-fledged collaborative album You Were There For Me featuring Rowan's sublime vocals on ten of his original compositions. Acoustic guitar virtuoso, Rice provides remarkable instrumental work, which evokes, frames and enhances the emotions of each song. Click here for more.

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April 25, 2005
PETER ROWAN & TONY RICE QUARTET
ADD SHARON GILCHRIST TO TOURING LINEUP

—Legendary musical icons tour in support of their Rounder Records release, You Were There For Me, with new member Sharon Gilchrist on mandolin—

NASHVILLE, TN, April, 2005 — Two of the most influential musicians in American music recently released their first full-fledged album together on Rounder Records. You Were There For Me is the result of two gifted masters of their craft, Peter Rowan and Tony Rice.  A true duet collection in every sense of the word, it features Rowan’s sublime vocals on ten original compositions, and guitar virtuoso Rice’s characteristically elegant and remarkable instrumental work. Click here for more.

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From the Tony Rice Unit, An Enjoyably Fret-Full Set
Washington Post
Saturday, January 29, 2005; Page C03
The Birchmere promised -- and delivered -- the Tony Rice Unit Thursday night, but there was still considerable mystery as to just who would join the master guitarist and what sounds they would go after.

Even after Rice's guitarist brother Wyatt, mandolinist/fiddler Rickie Simpkins and bassist Bryn Bright appeared, it was unclear whether the set would be filled with hard-core bluegrass, jazzy, odd-time-signature improv, free-flight solo excursions or just Tony Rice channeling the flat-picking genius of Clarence White. Both newcomers and longtime Rice fans should have been satisfied that Thursday's version of the Unit touched on all of the above, offering a whirlwind of instrumental exchanges that ranged from thrilling to meditative.

Even though Tony rarely sings onstage these days -- the only vocals came from the crowd, chiming in on a stroll through Gershwin's "Summertime" -- his acoustic guitar sang sweetly throughout bluegrass ravers like "Dusty Miller" and Bill Monroe's "Stoney Lonesome."

But the real Rice flavor came through when Tony stretched out on things like his own "Devlin," feathering a mix of California space-grass, jazz theory and hit-and-run country licks. But at 53, Rice (with ponytail still nearly reaching his waist) seems most comfortable and inspired occupying meditative grounds. Thus "Shenandoah," which began with a long, fluid guitar intro, blossomed into the hour-and-a-half set's highlight, a slowly churning duet with Simpkins's fiddle. That song alone would have been enough to confirm that Tony Rice isn't about to lose his position as one of the most original players to ever strap on an acoustic.

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No Depression
Nov/Dec Issue

Peter Rowan & Tony Rice
You Were There For Me

Like Bill Monroe, in whose band Rowan served some 40 years ago, Rowan is both powerful and idiosyncratic; he has built a career around a unique combination of deep roots and sometimes fanciful eclecticism. Tony Rice’s approach is more studied and deliberate, yet he too has ranged widely, from traditional bluegrass through (the unfortunately named) “spacegrass” and “new acoustic” music, with a crowd of acolytes and imitators trailing behind.  Click here for more.

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