Bye Bye Blues

The recordings on this CD are among the last made by Jethro Burns prior to his death. Don Stiernberg, who studied with Burns, plays rhythm guitar accompanying his teacher's brilliant mandolin as they sail effortlessly through a mixture of standards ("Bye Bye Blues," "Idaho," and "I Can't Give You Anything but Love, Baby") and forgotten chestnuts ("Tuck Me to Sleep [In My Old 'Tucky Home]" and "Jeanine, I Dream of Lilac Time"), delving into jazz as well with a tantalizing take of Duke Ellington's "Mood Indigo." Burns, who is best remembered as a member of the musical comedy duo Homer & Jethro, is recognized by mandolin players as one of the greats; as he explains in an interview with Stiernberg (which is excerpted in the liner notes), he actually changed his approach to his instrument from single string to chord melody style following Homer's death. Burns' consistently inventive improvisations and Stiernberg's solid accompaniment make this swinging CD one that fans of string jazz (à la guitarist Django Reinhardt) will want to pick up; it is available directly from the label at www.dawgnet.com.