It's hard to believe it's almost 10 years since John Hartford passed away. He had many, many friends and inspired a lot of people with his enthusiasm as well as his music. His love of steamboats on the Mississippi River was just one example of how much he loved old things and the old days (he actually became a licensed steamboat pilot). This new tribute album --very nicely produced by Toshio Watanabe and Chris Sharp --is a warm, thoroughly successful project that Hartford himself would probably be very happy with. It features 15 songs & tunes by a group of good musicians who knew John well, including several who made up the core of his traveling band in its later years: Bob Carlin (banjo), Chris Sharp (guitar), Mike Compton (mandolin) and Mark Schatz (bass), along with Matt Combs, who does an excellent job on fiddle. Eleven of the tracks are by "The Stringband", and these include neat old timey versions of THREE FORKS OF SANDY, LORENA, HALF PAST FOUR, THE GIRL I LEFT BEHIND ME, and two lovely waltzes: DELTA QUEEN WALTZ and ROYAL BOX WALTZ. Other guests featured include Tim O'Brien (a very nice vocal on LORENA), Alison Brown, Alan O'Bryant and Bela Fleck. A couple of previously unheard Hartford songs by John himself make a welcome addition too.
