Shifting Sands of Time
These days, everyone wants to be eclectic and the mastermind of some  hyphenated style, but very few fusioneers are as fearless as this new all-star  acoustic ensemble led by violinistMatt Glaserand featuringAndy Statman(clarinet,  mandolin), John McGann (guitar, mandolin),Tony Trischka(banjo),Bruce Barth(piano), Jim  Whitney (bass), andJennifer Kimball(vocals). The recording also includes cameos fromLucy Kaplansky,Tim O'Brien, and others.  Hang onto your Stetson as "Man of Constant Sorrow," kicked off by Trischka's  banjo and the craggy voice ofRalph Stanleyhimself,  wanders into interludes of rolling jazz piano. Elsewhere, klezmer clarinet  melodies rise out of the Appalachian mist, Emily Dickinson poetry soars to  late-night jazz, and bluegrass classics are boldly yet gently reharmonized--a series  of transformations and explorations with strong spiritual overtones. The  Strangers are definitely on a quest, and listeners who suspend their  expectations will be rewarded with music that's beautifully played and uniquely  transporting.--Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers