Alison Brown brings bluegrass roots to Luther

Starting off the Center Stage Series for the spring semester, the Alison Brown Quartet featuring Joe Craven performed in the Center for Faith and Life on Feb. 7. The bluegrass quartet, comprised of Brown on banjo and guitar, John R. Burr on piano, Brown’s husband, Garry West, on bass and Larry Atamanuik on drums, has toured internationally. The group features Craven, who was on fiddle and mandolin in this concert and provided some intermittent vocalizations.

The group’s warm and relaxed interaction with the audience shaped the mood of the concert. Like a group of friends getting together in a backyard to jam, there was no pretension on stage, as illustrated by Craven’s comedic turn as an old man. Craven continued to be an energetic and exciting force throughout the show and frequently brought the audience to cheers with his athletic coaxing of both the fiddle and mandolin. The connection between the performers was highlighted again when Craven drummed on Brown’s banjo while she played.

The group began the show with “The Sound of Summer,” an easy and effortless piece recalling the end of summer and transition into fall. This was a great selection to get the audience in the mood to enjoy the laid-back atmosphere of the show, as well as showcase the group members’ skills on their various instruments. As if the audience were lying in the soft grass of a backyard and watching clouds shift on the bright blue sky, Brown’s gentle plucking of her banjo sang gently over the other instruments while Burr sped by on some brief piano features, notes glistening like a car’s hubcaps on a summer drive. The performers proceeded to rollick through a variety of exciting, upbeat songs, including one inspired by the Irish monk St. Brendan.

During “The Wonderful Sea Voyage (of Holy St. Brendan),” the musicians created an entrancing vision of the traveling monk with their instruments, prefaced by comic storytelling between Brown and Craven. Though the quartet is billed as bluegrass music, the influence of this concert extended across many genres and performers.

Audience member Kate Trigger (‘11) found herself enjoying the concert despite it not being her usual kind of music. “I found myself impressed by their skill,” said Trigger. “I’m enjoying it, especially the jazzy parts.”

The musicians admitted many influences during their talk in between numbers, including major bluegrass musician Doc Watson, the “gypsy jazz” of Django Reinhardt, Celtic music, and even, for Burr, the Beatles.

Joy Waughtal (‘09) agreed that this music was not merely bluegrass. “I was expecting just bluegrass,” she said, “but it really was a fusion of a lot of types of music.”

Despite their wide array of influences and comedic leanings, the Alison Brown Quartet cemented their image as a classical bluegrass family band when, in the second half of the show, Brown and West’s six-year-old daughter and “road manager,” Hannah, appeared onstage. She regaled the audience with two songs, including one dedicated to her younger brother, who also appeared onstage. Throughout the rest of the show, the young girl danced in front of the band or sat on the side of the stage.

For an encore, Brown and Craven unplugged — because, according to Craven, “this is folk music” — to weave their way through the audience with a dancing Hannah as their guide.

Combined with the artists’ mastery of their instruments, this comfortable, “at-home” approach to performance made the concert a truly enjoyable experience.