Reso-guitar mega-monster Rob Ickes has a new CD, focusing on his musical life outside of bluegrass and Blue Highway.

Road Song is a collaboration with jazz pianist Michael Alvey on a set of piano/dobro duets, with Robinella providing vocals on three tracks. Rob says that the music is largely improvised, recorded live in the studio for the most part. Even the vocal parts were cut live without overdubs.

The sound is open and airy, with interplay between the two featured instruments (and the singer) being the focus. Several tracks are new compositions, with a number of familiar jazz standards getting the reso/piano treatment as well. Two Duke Ellington pieces (Caravan and Take The A Train) are included, plus a brilliant vocal performance of The Nearness Of You, recalling some of the marvelous recordings Ella Fitzgerald did for Pablo Records in the 1970s.

This is the debut release on Rob’s own label, ResoRevolution, and though it isn’t officially out until July 21, pre-release copies are available now from Rob’s web site.

We’ll have much more to say about this CD as the release date nears. Great stuff!

Our friend Laura Leder from Cool Mandolin Company emailed recently to ask us to remind students of bluegrass and old time music – both here in the US, and in the UK and Europe – about Sore Fingers Week 2008.

The annual event will be held March 24-28 in Oxfordshire (UK), with classes offered in a residential setting over five days for fiddle, guitar, mandolin, banjo, resophonic guitar, bass, singing and autoharp. The faculty is drawn from top performers from both sides of the Atlantic.

A full instructor listing can be found on the Sore Fingers web site.