Doug Cox: CDs and Merch
Without Words - CD
Without Words, is available now and is a CD featuring Dobro Instrumental tracks. Tracks include;
Wrapped Around Your Finger (with Al Hume)
Louise (with Todd Butler)
Rain On (with Tony Trischka and others)
The Circle Game
Easy Place To Be (with Tony McManus, April Verch and Cody Walters
Birdland (with Sam Hurrie)
Red Haired Raga
Fish Pond Holler (with Strung)
Caravan (with Tony Trischka, John Reischman, Slavek Hanzlik)
Getting Ready
Letter Home (with Salil Bhatt and Ramkumar Mishra)
While My Guitar Gently Weeps (with Clive Gregson)
Closing Credits
Just click on the buy it now button below to get your copy!
- Doug Cox approaches the Dobro as an undiscovered instrument and explores its potential as if he had just been given the very first prototype. Unafraid to fuse Classical elements with both Eastern and Western influences, bluegrass, pop, jazz and what you might possibly expect to hear on Mars, Cox handles each investigation with a sensitive touch and precise execution. Like most of us, Doug Cox first heard Jerry Douglas over twenty years ago and was instantly aware of the potential of using the Dobro as much more than an instrumental fill-in, but as a bone-fide lead instrument in its own right.
On WITHOUT WORDS, Cox hand picks some of his previously recorded work and presents the thirteen pieces as a compact package of instrumental gems, some self-written, some by others, but each in this context very much his own. While My Guitar Gently Weeps borrows from the original acoustic demo of the song George subsequently chose to rock-up with Clapton for the glorious WHITE ALBUM. It sounds pretty much like Union Station emoting sublimely in between takes, whilst Alison gives her tonsils a break. A gorgeous version of one of the Fab's most underrated tunes.
Tackling Duke Ellington on a modified guitar and metal slide would in other hands possibly be reduced to novelty value only, but with the dexterous handling of Caravan as a bluegrass number challenging the old jazz guard in a sort of feuding banjos manner, is nothing short of inspired. The strangled cornet solo, courtesy of Daniel Lapp, comes across as a duel of sorts between Western music of two distinctly original styles. Joe Zawinul's Birdland again boasts a valid relationship between jazz and bluegrass, with some delightful musical syncopation between Doug's Rayco Resophonic and Sam Hurrie's guitar.
The Indian Classical music influenced Letter Home shows the remarkable relationship between the Dobro, a typically Western instrument and the Indian version of the slide guitar, the Satvik Veena, played here by its creator and leading exponent Salil Bhatt. As a meditative piece of resonant music, complete with tabla, we find Cox comfortably engaging in a musical experience a world away from bluegrass, but strangely fitting in with it dove-tail like.
The Circle Game reminds us once again what a beautiful melody Joni Mitchell's song has, even without the words. Try though as I will, I cannot help singing along to it. It's strange to have an entirely instrumental album with so many fine words.
For newcomers to Doug Cox's music, Without Words offers a fine introduction to the instrumental side of his recorded output, covering his collaborations with Todd Butler, Sam Hurrie, Salil Bhatt and on the George Harrison song, one other local hero, Clive Gregson.
Allan Wilkinson
Northern Sky
Click here for Doug's other CDs, DVDs & Books
Slide To Freedom II - Make A Better World
STRUNG CD - CD
It's misleading to call Strung a supergroup, as the term normally applies in pop music.
While each of its four members are highly accomplished musicians — and much respected within
their musical constituency — none has a large enough profile to transcend his or her musical
specialty.
This in no way diminishes the artistry of world renown Celtic guitarist Tony McManus, fiddle
virtuoso and vocalist April Verch, dobro ace Doug Cox or bassist Cody Walters.
Billing themselves as a Celtic Power Quartet is certainly warranted, with the caveat that their
repertoire extends beyond the borders of Celtic music.
As important as pan-Celtic music is, the group's material spans the acoustic roots spectrum
encompassing contemporary folk, country, blues, Americana, Hawaiian, world music and vintage
swing jazz, not to mention a dizzying array of fiddle traditions.
The acoustic quartet made its debut Wednesday at One Night Only: Live at the Registry, which is
celebrating its 5th anniversary season.
McManus, who lives in Elora, performed solo at the Registry previously.The four musicians parked
their performance egos at the door and played as a tight ensemble, taking turns introducing
songs and tunes, switching off lead vocals between Cox and Verch and sharing lead parts.
There was lots of good natured banter between songs and tunes. While egalitarian in approach,
McManus' slick and efficient, finger- style guitar prowess — he also played mandolin on one song
— couldn't be denied. Consequently, he acted as the group's anchor. Cox handled dobro and
weissenborn guitar (a dobro with a hollow neck) in addition to flat top.
He also wore the main vocalist hat with a voice as tattered and threadbare as a thick, wool
sweater — this is meant as a complement.
His songs included a couple of great covers by Canadian songwriters Bob Carpenter (Band of
Gypsies, the lovely, poignant title track of Strung's debut release) and Diamond Joe White's Maybe
in the Morning, in addition to Muddy Waters' Can't Be Satisfied, the heartfelt, selfpenned
It Takes a Few Years and Sin City, by Gram Parsons and Chris Hillman.
Cox's An Easy Place to Be, which brought to mind the kind of tunes Stephane Grappelli or Joe
Venuti would write, was accurately described by McManus as a 'Scottish tango.'
Verch offered some terrific fiddle, including A Riverboat's Gone, a tribute to the late John
Hartford. Her Independence, VA was a slow, mountain air as lovely as a warm summer breeze. She
ended both sets with some high-spirited step-dancing.
McManus drew tunes from Brittany, Greece, Ireland, Quebec, Eastern Canada and Scotland.
For his part, Walters, who plays standup, electric bass, held down the rhythm section with subtle
elan.
Strung generated a wonderfully rich and full sound that filled the intimate Registry Theatre to the
rafters with music that spanned the globe.
