Young Annapolis native Jordan Tice picks the daylights
out of his flattop guitar. He possesses the
rock solid sense of time and aggressive attack of a seasoned bluegrass
player. And yet what really distinguishes him as a musician is the broad
range of musical styles that have nurtured his own unique approach to
playing traditional music. With seminal albums like Drive (1987) and Strength
and Numbers: The Telluride Sessions (1989), banjo player Bela Fleck, guitarist
Tony Rice and mandolin virtuoso, Sam Bush pioneered a new slant on
bluegrass known as “New Acoustic Music,” by fusing the instrumentation
rooted in Appalachian folk music with the harmonic language associated
with modern jazz.
Jordan cites each of these works along with the many others recorded by sidemen on the dates (e.g. Jerry Douglas Skip, Hop, Wobble, Edgar Meyer Short Trip Home) as primary influences on his music. Jordan’s tastes stretch still further into the realm of contemporary jazz. Pat Metheny, Keith Jarret and Bill Frisell have all influenced his unique brand of luegrass. In fact, Jordan’s mentors, Tom Lagana and Rob Levit, are jazz guitarists. Though his ringing steel string solos and driving rhythm playing immediately betray their bluegrass pedigree, Jordan creates his solos against the backdrop of jazz influenced harmony.The exciting sum of these influences, here wonderfully captured in Jordan’s first release for Patuxent Music, is marked by excellence in both execution and omposition.
Jordan Tice - guitar
Ron Stewart - fiddle
Akira Otsuka - mandolin
Mike Munford - banjo
Mark Schatz -
bass, clawhammer banjo on Cuckoo’s Nest and Wicker Basket
Sue Raines Tice -
fiddle on Jean's Reel /The Girls at Martinsfield
No Place Better
LAST SUMMER mp3
DONEGAL BAY
WHATEVER MAKES YOU HAPPY
CELIA'S REEL
THINGS LEFT UNSAID
CUCKOO'S NEST
INDIAN SUMMER
BANJO BIT ME IN THE MORNING
WICKER BASKET
JEAN'S REEL/THE GIRLS AT MARTINSFIELD
NO PLACE BETTER