v/a: Art of Field Recordings, Volume 1

Label: Dust to Digital

This four-CD set carries the subtitle “Fifty Years of Traditional American Music Documented by Art Rosenbaum”; the period covered is 1956-2007. Artists range from the familiar (Scrapper Blackwell, Yank Rachel, Rev. Howard Finster, Buell Kazee, Neal Patman) to names known only to the best-informed aficionados. There are 110 performances here, split up among four programs: “Survey,” “Religious,” “Blues,” and “Instrumental and Dance.” Even the most recent recordings are dedicated to revealing vanishing worlds of local and communal music-making, and there’s great individuality to the performances. Detailed context is provided in the magnificent 96-page oversized booklet. (Steve)