The Tony Rice Unit Manzanita (LP)

(Real Gone Music) 12 tracks, colored vinyl – root beer pressing

Guitarist and singer Tony Rice has been at the center of some of the most famous albums in modern bluegrass, and this 1979 release with his rotating band “The Tony Rice Unit” (here featuring Ricky Skaggs, Jerry Douglas, Todd Phillips, and Sam Bush, as well as guest appearances by Dave Grisman) is clearly among the very best. The title track is an instant classic, but Rice’s consistently impeccable taste in cover versions (such as Merle Travis’s “Nine Pound Hammer” and another great Gordon Lightfoot song, “Home from the Forest”), all of which are played with deep respect for tradition but incorporate jazz and folk influences, make “Manzanita” an absolute delight.