The John Hartford Stringband – Memories of John – (Compass)

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Larry Groce, host of NPR’s Mountain Stage once said  of John Hartford, “he was one of the rarest of musical birds. He had one foot deeply rooted in the past and the other always at least a few steps into the future- and both were dancing.” This CD was recorded to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Hartford’s passing.

The John Hartford Stringband play in homage to Hartford, but the performances are original and fun. The record moves at a pace that will be familiar to old Hartford fans, from hot old-time fiddling, to well-written ballads, humorous tunes and waltzes. All but a few of the songs are original Hartford material, even including a few unreleased demo cuts from the’ 60s of Hartford picking, singing and whistling.

In addition to cameos by Hartford himself, Bela Fleck, Alison Brown, Tim O’Brien, and others appear on the record, singing and playing tribute to their mentor and friend. Hartford fans will appreciate the humorous, tender, and sometimes whimsical and unpolished singing style of the band on songs like “Lorena”, “Bring Your Clothes Back Home”, and “Love Grown Cold”.

The CD ends with a previously unreleased snippet (“Fade Out”) featuring Hartford alone with his guitar. It’s a touching end to this tribute to a man whose memory will never fade away.

John Hartford performed at The Main Point on nine occaisions before heading West to help Glen Campbell on his weekly variety show. His live performances while on stage at The Main Point are still remembered fondly to this day!