Leavin' Tennessee

A Butch Baldassari does not come along every day. Having achieved conversational level with his instrument, able to express himself extemporaneously in any context, Butch thus got beyond playing the mandolin to playing the music. He was also the kind of true master of his realm, in that he was able to step away from the light and provide a strong and supportive backing to other virtuosos, allowing them to shine in turn. This collection of tunes, mostly by Van Manakas, wide and deep as it is, presents an appropriate overview- though welcome as it is, it doesn’t cover or heal the breach that was left when we lost Butch so soon, so unfairly. Yet as it provides so many moments of his musical gifts, it helps. ~Pat Flynn If Van Manakas isn’t well known among bluegrass fans, that’s a problem for which Leavin’ Tennessee is part of the solution—and it’s likely that this was one of the goals Butch had in mind when he and Van set about making the album. Bluegrassers can, alas, be a clannish bunch at times, and no matter how great an artist is, he or she can pay a price for devoting time and energy and talent to other styles-and a stroll through Van’s discography shows just how widely he and rewardingly he’s roamed. But what this album shows, among other things, is the depth of Van’s grasp of ‘grassy flatpicking and the profundity of his approach, always informed by tradition but never chained down by it. Anyone who ever saw Butch and Van performing together knows how deep was the musical bond that they shared, and everyone who never had the chance to see it can—right now, right here—hear it for themselves. ~Jon Weisberger