The Rodeo Eroded

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Imagine a cowboy lament being caressed out of the violin and guitar and accordion of a dust-covered trio incongruously appearing in a fin-de-siècle Viennese cafe. This is the Tin Hat Trio, an absolutely unique constellation whose third album, 'The Rodeo Eroded', has been released on DJ Logic's Rope-a-Dope label.

Mark Orton (guitar, dobro, banjo), Carla Kihlstedt (violin), and Rob Burger (accordion, piano and toy piano, field organ, celeste and harmonicas) range all over the map in this most accomplished CD. After the introductory invitation to waltz (named "Bill" in honour of Bill Frisell), their quiet canter along the Western trail takes some odd detours - an angular, almost Schoenbergian interlude, a conga line wending its way between the tiny cafe tables, a cartoon hoedown. The dominant mood, however, is of somber, but not lachrymous, interplay between musicians in full command of their tools, of quiet, back porch, Appalachian storytelling in melody.

All the tunes are self-penned, with Orton being the dominant writer, except for the beguiling cover version of the old Tin Pan Alley tune "Willow Weep for Me", a magical moment occuring when Willie Nelson drops by to jerk out a few tears and the band expands to include clarinetist Ben Goldberg and harpist Zeena Parkins, among others.

A handful of other players feature on the various cuts, including percussionists Billy Martin (MMW) and Jonathan Fishman (Phish) and Bryan Smith on tuba, brilliantly bottoming things out on several tunes. But it is still the range and imagination of the Trio itself that delights and amazes throughout. A terrific record for fans of the Masada String projects, The Dirty Three, Dave Douglas' Charms of the Night Sky and many more.