Search - Jeff Midkiff :: Partners in Time

If you appreciate exceptional acoustic instrumental music, y

J. Ross | Roseburg, OR USA | 11/24/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

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Eclectic mandolinist and fiddler Jeff Midkiff's touring schedule includes performances with string ensembles, symphonic orchestras (often playing clarinet), and light opera companies. His splendid solo debut, "Partners In Time" offers influences from Midkiff's bluegrass, classical, swing and jazz background. The ten tracks include six original compositions, two from George and Ira Gershwin ("Summertime" and "Oh, Lady Be Good"), one from Bill Monroe ("Monroe's Hornpipe"), and one newly-arranged traditional piece ("Goodbye Liza Jane"). With exceptional songwriting, Midkiff creates various musical atmospheres from the Dawg-like, bouncy "Alhambra" to the slower, more reflective "A Visit from the Muse." The high-stepping title cut, "Partners in Time" is lively, spirited and breezy. More standard rhythmic and traditional sensibilities abound in "Grey Hawk," a tune inspired by the Winterhawk Bluegrass Festival and its name change to Grey Fox. "Funk Tango" undergoes a genesis from an engaging little melody to a tastefully-rendered improvisational showcase and back again. Perhaps Midkiff's most technically-impressive number is "Etheria," which is rendered solely and flawlessly on mandolin.



Midkiff is a superior instrumentalist who pushes the envelope. He plays with dynamics and intensity that make for a powerful listen. While impressively virtuosic as a soloist and songwriter, Midkiff has also managed to find three sidemen who perfectly complement his style. They include Curtis Jones on guitars, Robbie Link on bass, and Bill Ray on percussion. This all-star acoustic quartet lay their engaging music down right, and seven of the album's ten tracks span five minutes or more to allow each musician to showcase their own impressive talent.



Over the years, Jeff cut his teeth on bluegrass with the New Grass Revue, McPeak Brothers, Lonesome River Band, Bluegrass Express, and The Schankman Twins. He holds music degrees from Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University. An educator, Midkiff now lives in Chicago where he balances teaching, performing, songwriting, recording, and touring. When the creative calling told him that it was time to record "Partners in Time," his friend Tim Austin helped engineer the project at Doobie Shea Studios. Any person who appreciates exceptional acoustic instrumental music will take to this album like a bear does to a honey tree. (Joe Ross, staff writer for Bluegrass Now, Roseburg, Oregon)

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