Description

We are proud to present the solo Paul Brown CD & DVD Set!  Paul’s 2-finger, 3-finger and clawhammer banjo wizardry and several solo fiddle pieces make this one of his most unique releases to date. The sound and video were recorded and filmed by old-time musician David Bragger who perfectly captures the intimacy and immediacy of Paul’s playing.

Paul Brown practices an art of deceptive understatement. He’s never in a hurry, because he’s already there. He has spent his entire life steeped in what is usually called old-time music, and none of it was lost on him. This set gives you something rare and precious – Paul by himself, serving it up, straight, no chaser. There are no frills, no light shows, no sales pitches, stated or implied. The fireworks are all inside the music. His fiddle playing is an anthology of sly, constantly shifting sleights of hand and mind. His banjo playing – both finger style and clawhammer (he switches back and forth in “Round-Town Gals,” here) – is more understated and, if anything, even more deceptively compelling. Sophisticated, precise, and elegant, it is also intensely rhythmic and propulsive. This set is a close-up magic show. If it were a card game he would have all your money by the end of it. Instead, you will leave richer than when you entered. Sit down and tune in; the more you listen, the more you’ll hear. It’s the understatement of the year.   — Tom Piazza