Tony Rice Unit
Unit of Measure (Rounder)
Because he has recorded so frequently, both as leader and as part of several high-octane collectives, it is surprising to realize that it has been nearly 20 years since guitar virtuoso Tony Rice made an LP with his working band. That 1982 album, “Backwaters,” featured a different “Unit” than that which Rice leads in 2001 (and in 1996, when these sessions took place): mandolin veteran Jimmy Gaudreau, fiddler Rickie Simpkins and bassist Ronnie Simpkins, plus the other sole holdover, guitarist and brother Wyatt Rice. The earlier unit could play bluegrass beautifully, even if their sympathies were more aligned with string jazz, which is precisely the reverse of the current ensemble. This changeup is reflected in the material — on “Backwaters,” it was Rice’s jazzy “Spacegrass” tunes mixed with jazz standards. This time we find only one Rice tune (a new rendition of “Manzanita”), a touch of jazz (“Swing 42”), and a heavy emphasis on bluegrass standards. The program is disappointing for its lack of originality, but the music explodes with drive and lightening-quick ideas. Even if Bill Monroe’s “Jerusalem Ridge” and the ultimate jam session war-horse, “Sally Goodin” have been done nearly to death, Rice and company inject them with a double dose of musical Viagra.