Alex Hargreaves
Prelude
Adventure Music Records
www.adventure-music.com
By George W. Harris

Violinist Alex Hargreaves has put out an alarmingly gorgeous recording
that mixes the gentle gypsy swing similar to Dave Grisman’s “Dawg”
music to plaintive Appalachian folk music. With a regular cast of Paul
Kowert/b and Grant Gordy/g and guest banjoists Bela Fleck or Noam
Pikelny, Hargreaves coaxes lush but lithe sounds out of originals like
“Shasta” and “Lost In Lunel.” Spacious sounds provided by the strings
create an atmosphere that can range from down home fiddling to
rhapsodic interludes. The band can go from Cumberland to 52nd Street on
a snap, as they run through a rip roaring take of Wes Montgomery’s
“Road Song” as well as an intriguing medley of the standard “There Will
Never Be Another You” with John Scofield’s “Not You Again.” This guy’s
got a Grappelli-warm touch and vibrato to match. You’ll love this one
on a plethora of levels.