Bluegrass Jam Along

In this bonus episode we're celebrating Tony Rice's best loved albums....as voted for by you!
I put out a poll over my social channels as well as some popular Facebook groups and subreddits and collated all the responses.
The rules were simple - just pick one album each for these 3 categories:
1. Tony Rice/Tony Rice Unit album
2. Album where Tony’s named as one of the artists (e.g. Blake & Rice/ Skaggs & Rice/Tone Poems)
3. Any album Tony plays on but isn’t named as an artist (e.g. DGQ, Bluegrass Album Band, JD’s 0044….or anything else)
I had over 400 votes in total. In this short episode I reveal what won in each category, what the most popular album was overall and also what pickers like Chris Thile and Trey Hensley chose as their favourites!
Check out the full list 
You'll find links to previous podcast episodes celebrating Tony Rice on bluegrassjamalong.com

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Thanks to Bryan Sutton for his wonderful theme tune to Bluegrass Jam Along (and to Justin Moses for playing the fiddle!)

Bluegrass Jam Along is proud to be sponsored by Collings Guitars and Mandolins

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- Free fiddle tune chord sheets

- Here's a list of all the Bluegrass Jam Along interviews

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My guest this week is Thomm Jutz.
We're talking about Thomm's fascinating new project Ring-a-Bellin', an 18 track album and, for those wanting to dive even deeper into the process behind this new release, a beautiful, hardback Ring-A-Bellin’ companion book, which includes the stories and inspiration behind each song.
 Thomm talks about the idea behind the record; his unique approach to music, creativity, and life; how imagery, psychology, and tradition inform his work and the importance of process, authenticity, and staying true to your artistic journey.

In this episode
Thomm explains:
 The concept behind his album, and the companion book of artwork and essays
The influence of analytical psychology, alchemy, and symbolism on his songwriting
His love of of organic, live recording techniques versus layered, processed music
His thoughts on the role of tradition in American and Irish folk music, and the importance of maintaining a connection to old instruments and styles
Why he sees song creation as an alchemical journey from chaos to clarity
His views on technology, AI, and their impact on the authenticity of music
How time and place influence his songwriting
The parallels between craft, process, and the deeper spiritual aspects of musical creation
About Thomm

Thomm Jutz is a Nashville-based singer-songwriter, producer, guitarist, and media composer and veteran of the American Roots Music scene, with over 25 years' of experience in the industry. His latest project, Ring-a-Bellin' combines an 18-song album with a beautifully illustrated companion book, providing a multi-dimensional experience that captures the essence of his artistic process and journey.
Recent work includes Nothing But Green Willow: The Songs of Mary Sands and Jane Gentry (2023, with Martin Simpson), a transatlantic exploration of the women who contributed to Cecil Sharp’s folk song collection, featuring Sierra Hull, Odessa Settles, Angeline Morrison, and Tim O’Brien.

Resources & Links

Thomm's Website
Instagram
Facebook

Thomm Jutz and Martin Simpson discuss Nothing But Green Willow on Bluegrass Jam Along

Support the show
===

Thanks to Bryan Sutton for his wonderful theme tune to Bluegrass Jam Along (and to Justin Moses for playing the fiddle!)

Bluegrass Jam Along is proud to be sponsored by Collings Guitars and Mandolins

- Sign up to get updates on new episodes

- Free fiddle tune chord sheets

- Here's a list of all the Bluegrass Jam Along interviews

- Follow Bluegrass Jam Along for regular updates:
Instagram
Facebook
- Review us on Apple Podcasts

My guest this week is Alex Graf and we're talking all things Manzanita.
Alex made the shift from a more jazz based background to flatpicking a few years ago and Tony Rice's Manzanita became one of the absolute cornerstone records for him on that journey. We talk about why it became so important, what Alex learned from Tony's playing on the record and why he still finds something new in it every time he listens.
You'll hear about:
How Tony's jazz influences shaped his approach to guitar
The importance of musical conversation between band members on Manzanita
The myths and legends that surround Tony's albums
How Tony Rice's approach to chord voicings was inspired by jazz piano legend Bill Evans
How reinterpreting melody, rather than just blowing through the changes, keeps music fresh
and much more.
To find out more about Alex, including his great teaching resource Alex's Acoustic Club, head to alexgrafmusic.com
For news, updates and great free content on improving your playing, check out Alex's Instagram and YouTube
Support the show
===

Thanks to Bryan Sutton for his wonderful theme tune to Bluegrass Jam Along (and to Justin Moses for playing the fiddle!)

Bluegrass Jam Along is proud to be sponsored by Collings Guitars and Mandolins

- Sign up to get updates on new episodes

- Free fiddle tune chord sheets

- Here's a list of all the Bluegrass Jam Along interviews

- Follow Bluegrass Jam Along for regular updates:
Instagram
Facebook
- Review us on Apple Podcasts

Welcome to this month’s Bluegrass Briefing, a monthly series of episodes taking a look at what’s going on in the world of bluegrass.
Here are the links to stuff mentioned in this episode.

Podcast news

Brad Kolodner interview
Bill Nowlin interview

Releases (The Grass is New)

Del McCoury Band with Peter Rowan & David Grisman 
Michael Daves & Jacob Jolliff
Tony Trischka Earl Jam 2
Blue Highway - Live at ETSU! A 30-Year Retrospective (preorder)
Jesse Apppelman

Other bits

Thomm Jutz/Martin Simpson interview
Full list of interviews
Collings Guitars

Happy picking.
Matt

Support the show
===

Thanks to Bryan Sutton for his wonderful theme tune to Bluegrass Jam Along (and to Justin Moses for playing the fiddle!)

Bluegrass Jam Along is proud to be sponsored by Collings Guitars and Mandolins

- Sign up to get updates on new episodes

- Free fiddle tune chord sheets

- Here's a list of all the Bluegrass Jam Along interviews

- Follow Bluegrass Jam Along for regular updates:
Instagram
Facebook
- Review us on Apple Podcasts

My guest this week is Bill Nowlin, co-founder of Rounder Records.
Bill joins me to talk about Rounder's extraordinary 50 year legacy as one of the most important, influential and best loved independent labels in American roots music.
We chat about how Rounder started, after Bill was randomly assigned  Ken Irwin as his college roommate, and how, along with Marian Leighton Levy, they grew Rounder from a small enterprise releasing a couple of records a year into a successful label, responsible for the career of one of the most awarded artists in the history of the Grammys. 
Bill shares how they discovered Alison Krauss, via a demo tape she wasn't even the lead vocalist on, and subsequently signed her when she was just a teenager. We talk about how Alison's success, along with that of other artists like George Thorogood, helped Rounder establish themselves and how Rounder managed to position themselves at the forefront of industry developments, including releasing the first ever bluegrass CD.
We also chat about some of the iconic records Rounder put out over the years, from artists like JD Crowe, Norman Blake, Tony Rice, Tony Trischka and Alison Krauss, and how the founders eventually decided to sell Rounder. That led to a new label, Down the Road Records which, in a lovely full circle moment, put out Alison Krauss and Union Station's return to bluegrass 'Arcadia' in 2025.
This was a fascinating conversation about a fascinating legacy.
If you want to hear more about Rounder's history, I can highly recommend Bill's book Vinyl Ventures: My Fifty Years at Rounder Records and David Menconi's Oh, Didn't They Ramble: Rounder Records and the Transformation of American Roots Music

Support the show
===

Thanks to Bryan Sutton for his wonderful theme tune to Bluegrass Jam Along (and to Justin Moses for playing the fiddle!)

Bluegrass Jam Along is proud to be sponsored by Collings Guitars and Mandolins

- Sign up to get updates on new episodes

- Free fiddle tune chord sheets

- Here's a list of all the Bluegrass Jam Along interviews

- Follow Bluegrass Jam Along for regular updates:
Instagram
Facebook
- Review us on Apple Podcasts