Haas Kowert Tice, “Grandpa’s Cheesebarn”

The trio of Brittany Haas, Paul Kowert, and Jordan Tice released their first recording (You Got This) in the spring of 2014. The music draws from the bluegrass, Celtic, Swedish, old-time, and avant string band music that the individual members are known for (Haas played with Crooked Still, Kowert is a Punch Brother, and Tice is a go-to guitarist in the fertile Northeast genre-crossing string band community), but like all the best trios, the whole is far greater than the sum of the parts. In fact, this is some of the best music any of these musicians has made, and that’s saying a lot. The memorable compositions (two from Kowert, two from Haas, and five from Tice, including the tune in this video) suit their individual styles perfectly and the interplay between the musicians is intuitive, natural, and bracing. The best comparison that comes to mind is the Swedish trio Vasen, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Here’s to at least that many years for this new trio. (haaskowerttice.com)

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