John Frazier is one of those musicians who can rack up a solid set of accomplishments — playing in John Cowan’s band, co-writing with Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers and co-fronting the underappreciated Hit & Run Bluegrass, for starters — while somehow remaining relatively unkown. That should change with the release of the self-titled Frazier Band album, on which he’s joined by the likes of brilliant fiddler Shad Cobb, Sam Bush Band banjo player Scott Vestal, percussionist Bryon Larrance and more. Frazier’s compositions, which account for most of the album’s material, are nicely executed blends of jazz, string band music and more, and both the picking and the singing are top-shelf. The group is shooting a video, so they’ll be putting on a lively show, and they might even supply a free beverage or two to put you in the right mood.
— Jon Weisberger