Search - The Light Crust Doughboys, Nokie Edwards :: Adventure In Country Swing

Harken Back To The Glorious Days of CLASSIC, Instrumentals

10/19/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you think the days of finding newly-created and produced gems like Santo and Johnny's "Sleep Walk", Chet Atkins' "Trambone" and Floyd Cramer's "Last Date" are over---think no more! Friends, this is a "killer" country instrumental album: brave in its simplicity, bold in its style and tone....Like Johnny Cash's American Recordings of late, this pairing of Ventures' legendary guitarist Nokie Edwards and the equally-legendary Texas music pioneers, The Light Crust Doughboys creates the essence of country and folk music utilizing, in some cases, just a few instruments....Folks, it's not how many notes you can play (although Nokie and The 'Boys rip it up in a few instances), it's what you play and how you play it! I just can't get enough of this Nokie guitar tone and the "just right" rhythm folk accompaniment of these cowboy jazz men!....And Tom Brumley's haunting, liquid steel adds just the right seasoning...The only thing better than listening to these masters on this high-fidelity CD would be to sit at their feet and watch 'em as they perform. Let's all hope Nokie/Light Crust Doughboys concerts aren't in the distant future! It's such a pleasure to hear a guitar that sounds like a guitar...Just maybe, there'll be a series of these musical album gems, sorta like the PLAY GUITAR WITH THE VENTURES series in the 1960s. This fine CD could easily be the ultimate PLAY COUNTRY AND SWING GUITAR. Another great thing about this is it's non-import, all-American price. Producers/arrangers Nokie and The Light Crust Doughboys have given listeners an audio gift that will last a lifetime. Are there more gems like this to come from these kings of the strings??"

THE BEST OF GUITAR AND STRING COMBO

Ann Smith | Houston, Texas | 07/31/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Having just read a glowing review of this awesome musical collaboration in the Sept. 2001 issue of VINTAGE GUITAR magazine, I felt prompted to add a few thoughts, since independent CD productions as terrific as this deserve all the mentions they can get! We'd be "up a creek without a paddle" if we didn't have music like this to feed our souls and offer an alternative to radio formula music! The VINTAGE GUITAR reviewer writes eloquently of Nokie's gorgeous playing, the musicians' inventiveness, the incredible guitar double-stops and harmonics, and The Doughboys super backings and solos. This is a wonderful collection of melodies and music-as-art. You'll see and hear in this playing what has made America great and what the world so admires about American musicians and guitarists when you get and listen to this CD. And while you're at it, pick up these guys' A SURF N SWING/FRET N STRING CHRISTMAS.Support some of the greatest instrumental country guitar music you'll ever hear! Nokie Edwards of The Ventures and The Light Crust Doughboys--together--a genius, "who would ever have dreamed it" pairing...One of those delightful, just perfect, yet highly-original pairings that make one say, "Why didn't I think of that!""

The Best of Country Instrumental-The Best of Country Guitar

Robert Bow | Norman, Oklahoma | 01/12/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This fantastic album is the ultimate country guitar showcase; if you don't like instrumentals with a strong melody line and clarity of tone, then stick to jazz or contemporary western jazz, because this album has classic Patsy Cline/Jim Reeves/Elvis/Hank Williams appeal! This is roots-Americana at its best! And as far as being authentic, players on this album defined the term "country music"! Players like Smokey Montgomery and Bill Simmons of The Light Crust Doughboys are the fathers of country music and Grammy-winning instrumentalists. Even Ventures' great Nokie Edwards, the featured soloist here, has a pedigree in country that's tops: lead guitarist for Buck Owens, Lefty Frizzell, David Frizzell and Shelly West, and many more. Again, don't expect the free-form, progressive jazz of Pat Martino here; this is guitar music with space and tone, Texas meets Nashville! But what this album is...is the best country instro album of the year in the classic country-easy listening vein."