Fans of The Carolina Chocolate Drops have been hankering for a reunion of the much loved and legendary African-American old-time string band since their last record over 12 years ago.
Well, if you couldn't get tickets to the actual CCD reunion at the recent Biscuits & Banjos Festival, you can hear two-thirds of the group — banjo player Rhiannon Giddens and fiddler Justin Robinson — reunite on What Did the Blackbird Say to the Crow.
The album is a live recording showcasing the vibrancy of the Black music tradition in North Carolina. In the words of Justin Robinson, "We are part of this ancient tradition; we are just the modern day purveyors."
Two figures of North Carolina music have heavy influence on What Did the Blackbird Say to the Crow: Joe Thompson, a fiddler, Black string band revivalist and mentor to CCD, and Etta Baker, a Piedmont blues guitarist whose tune "Marching Jaybird" is covered by the duo.
The record was recorded live in the front yards of both Thompson and Baker's former residences, guaranteeing their heroes were always close by. Robinson even played his old mentor's fiddles on the album. At the same time recording took place, two cicada broods hatched simultaneously for the first time since 1803, creating a once-in-a-lifetime soundscape.
Most of the tunes on What Did the Blackbird Say to the Crow were written before the Civil War, but Giddens and Robinson give them new life, progressing the Black string band just as much as archiving it.
The album is a mix of instrumentals and songs with vocals, primarily sung by Robinson. Several tracks feature Justin "Demeanor" Harrington rattling them bones. Harrington has also appeared on recordings by Jake Blount.
The album crackles with life from the fresh take of "John Henry" to the bouncy fiddle and vocals of "Rain Crow." Robinson and Giddens are masters of their craft and their passion for mixing tradition with modernity, all the while highlighting the Black string band tradition of North Carolina, is a pure gift to all music fans.
Must Listens
- "Rain Crow"
- "Brown's Dream"
- "Hook and Line"
- "Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss"
- "John Henry"
