Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn – Echo in the Valley (Rounder, 2017)
Echo in the Valley is the second album by husband and wife duo Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn. Both musicians are banjo innovators and Echo in the Valley is a real treat for banjo music fans.
Most of the material on Echo in the Valley is new, innovative material composed by the duo along with a handful of arrangements of traditional songs and material from other composers.
This is definitely not traditional bluegrass, but instead exquisitely-designed new acoustic music, rooted in American traditions, from bluegrass to folk and jazz.
Throughout Echo in the Valley, Fleck and Washburn use a wide-range of banjos (seven in total) that are plucked and bowed, along with Abigail’s mesmerizing and expressive vocals, and percussive dance on one song.
The physical CD version is beautifully packaged with a cut out shape of the two musicians and includes lyrics and credits.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
