Traversata: Italian Music in America
With each recent release, mandolin maestro David Grisman explores a  hidden corner of the music world's dusty attic. OnTraversata, he  showcases the seldom-heard music of early 20th-century Italian immigrants in  America. It's an eclectic mix of jazz tunes, folk ballads, opera aria  transcriptions, serenades, and dance tunes. With fellow mandolin player Carlo  Aonzo and bluegrass guitaristBeppe Gambetta(here  playing a custom-made 14-string harp guitar), Grisman displays typically  faultless technique as he performs instrumentals from forgotten Italian  composers Pasquale Taraffo, Attilio Margutti, and Raffaele Calace, along with  more familiar tunes from jazz pioneersNick LucasandEddie Lang.Nino Rota's "The  Godfather Waltz" earns its best performance yet, and two compositions byRudy Cipolla, the late  San Francisco-based music pioneer who Grisman has long championed, are included.  The Italian influence varies from cut to cut, but these tunes are all intensely  lyrical and full of gorgeous melodies and great playing; it's easily one of  Grisman's most poignant projects to date. This Dawg may continue to wander the  globe for new tunes, but he's certainly not lost.--Jason Verlinde