Grammy Award-winning musician John Reischman has been a foundational mandolinist, composer, bandleader, and musical educator in bluegrass and North American roots and folk music since emerging from the vibrant “new acoustic” music scene of the Bay Area in the 1980s. A founding member of the groundbreaking Tony Rice Unit, Reischman’s mastery of bluegrass, old-time, swing, and multiple Latin American musical styles, coupled with an Old Masters sense of tone, taste and musicality, has brought him a global reputation as one of the finest mandolinists of his era.
His latest CD, New Time and Old Acoustic on Corvus Records, blends a lifetime of musical influences into an engaging recording with some of today’s top acoustic players including flatpicking guitarists Molly Tuttle and Chris Eldridge, fiddler Alex Hargreaves, and bassist Todd Phillips. The 14-track album includes 12 new Reischman originals and a reinterpretation of his classic tune Salt Spring. New Time and Old Acoustic is the most mature, accomplished solo recording of Reischman’s storied career.
In addition to his solo career, as leader of John Reischman and the Jaybirds, John and his talented U.S. and Canadian bandmates – Nick Hornbuckle, Trisha Gagnon, Patrick Sauber and Greg Spatz – have toured extensively throughout North America and abroad for two decades, bringing a uniquely Pacific Northwest sound to their brand of bluegrass and melodic fiddle tunes. They’ve earned two coveted Juno Award nominations for the best performances in the Canadian organization’s “Roots and Traditional” category, and have released seven albums during their 20-year tenure.