No Minors Allowed

• Artist: Ron Mesing
• Rating:
• Genre: Folk

Review

Dobro player Ron Mesing never really developed the following, and certainly not anywhere near the discography, of some of his more famous buddies-in-the-resonator as Jerry Douglas, who is one of a number of well-known bluegrass pickers who turn up on this late-'70s session. Much of what happens here is typical of what bluegrass players were into during this era, directions that maintained a hold on progressive players in this genre for decades to come. A prominent aspect is the introduction of material that is not traditionally seen as bluegrass, but played bluegrass style. Like the jazz bebop style with which bluegrass has many similarities, it is all just a matter of playing over the chord changes of whatever songs are chosen, which here include the Beatles' "Hey Jude" and the flamenco warhorse "Malaguena" -- and if those choices aren't strange enough for pickers, consider the fact that the two songs are even woven together for a finale that will no doubt thrill some listeners while sending bluegrass purists up into the hills for a bottle of moonshine to help them calm down. A New Orleans jazz standard that is so famous even small children know it is also introduced here as bluegrass, with a vocal by Red Allen that really comes off quite well. A sense of schizophrenia is the eventual result of this mingling of the traditional and unexpected but, despite that, this album didn't make much of a ripple when first released, and has been largely forgotten in the years that followed. It is worth checking out to hear the dobro sparring between the leader and Douglas, as well as the playing of several fine players who are not all that well-known, such as banjoist Billy Bryant. ~ Eugene Chadbourne, Rovi

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