By DAN AQUILANTE
Posted: 1:32 am
October 11, 2008
THE distance between Nashville and the Blue Note just got a lot shorter, thanks to a dobro player named Jerry Douglas.
At the opening of his eight-show residency at the famed Village club on Thursday, Douglas illustrated why his nickname is "Flux." The fluidity, speed and precision he demonstrated on that specialized slide guitar were nothing short of astounding.
That's just the technical part of getting his fingers to do the right thing. Sure, his mostly instrumental music had velocity and virtuosity, but it also had heart - whether he was working an original tune that paid tribute to jazz great Charlie Parker, or offering a new song from his just-released solo record "Glide."
Douglas, 52, has earned 12 Grammys and has appeared on more 1,600 records. He's the acknowledged dobro master. At this show, he was able make the instrument - best known for its use in country arrangements - sound right in every style.
Douglas fronted a crackerjack four-piece band (fiddle/drums/bass/guitar) and he allowed everyone plenty of room to strut on their stuff. But even then, Douglas remained the center of the music's orbit. He's also an affable guy and he made it all sound easy, even though it's not.
JERRY DOUGLAS
Continuing at the Blue Note today and tomorrow; sets at 8 and 10:30 p.m.
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