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January 17, 2008 @ The 5 Spot — Casey Driessen Casey Driessen and the Colorfools Deliver Bluegrass that Swings Nashville is a city where one can find at least seven different fantastic bands playing on any given night. Because of this, Nashvillians are slightly spoiled, as we are able to view our favorite internationally acclaimed musicians in intimate venues amid sparse crowds. This was the case last Thursday night, January 17, at The 5 Spot in East Nashville, where the young Grammy nominated fiddle phenom Casey Driessen took the stage with his band the Colorfools—Tom Giampietro (drums) and Matt Mangano (bass). Giampietro is one of the best jazz drummers in the world, and he's most often seen on skins for the jazz group Jeff Coffin Mu'tet when he's not teaching students at his day-job as a faculty member at Vanderbilt University's Blair School of Music. Mangano is an A-list bass player—a multi-instrumentalist and producer who has performed on the records of many nationally recognized artists. Driessen is one of those Nashville rarities who has taken a traditional bluegrass instrument and pushed it well-beyond the limits of what has come to be expected within the genre "Bluegrass." Not unlike Edgar Meyer, Bela Fleck, and Chris Thile, who have all shown us the genre-bending and blending potential of traditional bluegrass instruments, Driessen weaves experimental free-style jazz with a dark Irishy mountain music vibe, and tosses in a bit of Cajun swamp for good measure. Already a grammy nominated artist, Driessen and the Colorfools are a bill that can (and do) fill large music halls in other cities throughout the world. But this night it was a $5 cover in a small indie music club in East Nashville surrounded by a sparse crowd of some of Nashville's top musicians. And Driessen and company did not disappoint. Introducing himself to the audience by stating, "We're gonna play some music, or something like it," Driessen showcased his signature rhythmic chop style throughout the night, while singing lead on several Cajun-swampy numbers that, according to Driessen, were inspired by "listening to a guy named Doc." Giampietro is a drummer with a great ear and a superb touch. He played to the room beautifully while he and Driessen worked off each other throughout the entire set. The only drummer in Nashville who comes close to matching Giampietro is Jano Rix of The Gabe Dixon Band, so it made sense that Rix's experimental jazz duo Rix Glassmeyer was the opening band. Casey Driessen is part of the new generation of genre-bending and blending bluegrass players that are following in the footsteps of such Nashville-based pioneers such as Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer, and Sam Bush. Look for Driessen in a town near you in 2008 and do not miss the chance to catch him live. —Vincent Wynne |
