Tony Furtado & Dirk Powell

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About Tony Furtado & Dirk Powell

Amazon.com Tony Furtado and Dirk Powell wonderfully combine bluegrass, Cajun, old-time, and Celtic sounds to forge a melodic, eclectic, and vibrant album. A two-time Grand National Banjo Champion, Furtado also picks up the guitar on more than half of the dozen songs, with Powell accompanying him on either fiddle, piano, accordion, or banjo. The duo covers a lot of ground musically with a blend of moods and styles that results in an innovative yet lyrical pastiche. Listen for Primus percussionist Brain on the spoons for an example of such originality. The album benefits from the unique pairings of traditional tunes such as "Angeline the Baker/John Henry," "Roustabout/Jack Wilson," and the Irish medley "The Roscommon Reel/O'Rourkes'/The Famous Ballymote." However, it's at its best when Furtado plays slide guitar on a couple of swampy originals that make your mouth water for Cajun crawfish. --Andrew Scales Product Description Tony Furtado and Dirk Powell are two of the most powerful forces in American acoustic music today. Tony is renowned for the new musical branches he discovers on three-finger banjo and slide guitar. Dirk, on the other hand, digs into and finds new life in the roots of the music with such instruments as old-time banjo and Cajun accordion. This project finds the two at much the same place after these separate musical paths; together they enter on a new, collective journey which takes them from lush waltzes to Delta Blues, from Irish reels to bayou two-steps. Tony and Dirk are the newest generation of masters, having grown up fluent in the music of American tradition, and in their hands it is as limitless and alive as ever. "Tag team tour guides of the roots music world, Tony Furtado and Dirk Powell take you to some familiar places as well as to little known corners of acoustic paradise. Separately, each is a major instrumental force. Together, they'll take you to places where both tradition and innovation are obvious and essential. When these two meet, past and future link at a vivid and vibrant present. Oh yeah, it sounds good too." --Tim O'Brien