Music From Rancho Deville
Charles Sawtelle is best known for playing guitar in the  bluegrass bandHot Rize, where his  idiosyncratic picking earned him the nickname of "the Bluegrass  Mystery."Music from Rancho de Villeis a solo album Sawtelle  began working on after he was diagnosed with leukemia in 1994. When  word got out about the project a steady stream of picking  luminaries--includingDavid Grisman,Peter Rowan,Vassar Clements,Jerry Douglas,Norman Blake,Michael Doucet, andLaurie Lewis, who  coproduced the CD--visited Sawtelle's home studio to record with him.  The 16 tracks include original instrumentals such as "The Butcher's  Dog," Cajun tunes like "Chez Seychelles," country songs likeLefty Frizzell's  "Mom and Dad's Waltz," folk songs likeSi Kahn's "Aragon  Mill," and bluegrass standards likeRalph Stanley's  "Gonna Paint the Town." Sawtelle passed away in 1999 before the album  was finished, but Lewis completed the project based on the notes he  left. Although these tracks were recorded under tragic circumstances,  Sawtelle's strong performances and the obvious pleasure he and his  fellow musicians take in the music, make this a joyful rather than a  sorrowful collection.--Michael Simmons