Eliot Grasso & Dave Cory: North by Northwest

ELIOT GRASSO & DAVE CORY: NORTH BY NORTHWEST

Eliot Grasso: uilleann pipes, flute

Dave Cory: tenor banjo, guitar, bouzouki

Since releasing his excellent solo CD "Standing Room Only," young Baltimore piper Eliot Grasso has moved to the Pacific Northwest where he joined forces with tenor banjo and guitar player Dave Cory, originally from San Francisco, and previously heard on the CD recorded in Boston by The Magic Square. Now, uilleann pipes and tenor banjo is not necessarily the happiest of instrumental marriages, but the two musicians make it work here because of their respective talents and their ability to find a common groove. Grasso, who has already proven on several recordings that he is an agile piper and inventive musician, has recently added flute playing to his many talents and shows here he has progressed quite rapidly on that instrument. Cory is a solid technician on the banjo, which he plays with great restraint, an equal to Grasso in his subtle manipulation of melody, and a sensitive, understated accompanist. Altogether, this makes for enjoyable listening, on a selection of material combining familiar and lesser heard tunes, as well, as some new compositions, several by Grasso himself.

Rating: *** 1/2

Price: $16.99