What If

With its searingly fast tempo and hard-swinging arrangement, ‘Cavebop’ sets the bar high for What If, which is perhaps the most musically adventurous and superbly realised album yet by Jerry Douglas, the world's greatest, most prolific dobro and lap steel guitarist. Long-known for his ability to deftly meld elements of multiple and varied genres into his playing, here Douglas addresses an implied question by creating a 21st-century fusion of bluegrass, bebop, country, blues, funk and contemporary chamber-ensemble music. Uncannily, the results are easily accessible to anyone with reasonably open ears. Douglas' septet includes Mike Seal (electric guitar), Jamel Mitchell (saxophone), Vance Thompson (trumpet), Daniel Kimbro (bass) and Doug Belote (drums). Standout tracks are a funky cover of Tom Waits' ‘2:19’; ‘What If’, an elegant chamber ensemble arrangement with a contemplative, introspective air; and ‘Hey Joe’, made immortal by Jimi Hendrix and rendered here as a rollicking, rolling wonder of a bluegrass instrumental showcase. The last song, ‘Hot Country 84.5’, hearkens back to Douglas' roots, appropriately enough, and the days when he was discovered by and invited to join the progressive bluegrass outfit, The Country Gentlemen.