Jerry Douglas and Bryan Sutton: “Patrick Meets the Brickbats”

Jerry Douglas Band – Merlefest 2002

I’m not such a big fan of drums mixed in with acoustic instruments

especially since the instruments that Bill Monroe picked do such a fabulous job at covering all sides of the rhythm. So with this instance, take away the drums, add a mandolin and you got your rhythm.

Now this is not to say that this drummer is not right in there… Yes for certain, as there’s no way that Jerry’s settling for anything less than the best people playing with him.

But adding the drums does have it’s advantages… less rhythm stress on the musicians, and most importantly, it’s making it possible for Jerry to appeal to a larger audience than just the bluegrass community. Hey, Jerry knows what he’s doing… last I heard, he is indeed appealing to a much larger audience these days. But it is nice to hear however that the bluegrassers at the Merlefest did indeed enjoy this performance.