Pat Webb's friendship with fellow long-time Indianapolis resident Yank Rachell probably went a long way toward making this recording as extraordinary as it is.

Yank's Brownsville Tennessee jug band blues require real finesse from his accompanists. You got to be light on your feet to romp, but you gotta have steely nerves to let those mandolin blasts roll out across the bars knowing Yank will tie it all up at the end of the phrase. Pat Webb and Allen Stratyner have all that.

Between the three they've managed something almost impossible in the modern age, presenting Yank's delicate genius without oversimplifying or overplaying.

John Sebastian