At a concert, I bought a copy of Frank Wakefield’s new CD “Ownself Blues”. I almost didn’t do that, but my wife liked one of the cuts so much (“The Old Cat Sneezed”) from his live performance that, feeling generous, I opened my wallet. Folks, this is a bluegrass album that is decidedly different.

I have listened to this CD three times now and on the first round it became my favorite of the many compilations that Frank has put out over the years.  I didn’t expect that, not at all. It is an all-instrumental recording. You need to know that to avoid a surprise. But, heck, who buys Frank Wakefield recordings for his singing - you buy them for his amazing ability on the mandolin. And here it is featured, front and center. The final cut is only mandolin, no backup, and another has only guitar.

The backup musicians deserve some praise for a job very well done, specifically Michael Cleveland on fiddle, Mike Munford on banjo,  and Jordan Tice on lead guitar. There are others  as well, but those are the ones who have particularly shining solos.

Oddly, the title cut, “Ownself Blues”, did not set me on fire. But others did. I especially like “Saratoga Ride”, “This is for Bill”, and “Sabbatical”. Better yet were the classical pieces: Beethoven’s Theme and Variations in D (well done, well done!), Bach’s Bouree (the only classical piece I have attempted on guitar - the one where I learned just how hard classical guitar is to play, the one with simultaneous runs going up on the bass strings and down in the high register, the piece that caused me to give  up on classical guitar), and Frank’s a cappella solo, “Mandolin Solo #2”. I don’t think he has ever recorded these before, though he plays them live in a regular rotation. It is about time that a wider audience can fully appreciate the depth and complexity of Frank’s music. A simple man in many ways, but his music is not simple and goes way beyond the dazzling fast runs that wow audiences.

Other than the classical pieces, my other big favorites from the CD are “The Old Cat Sneezed” (of course), “The Runaway Train” (well-named), and “Rockville Special”. Maybe I like that last one so much because it reminds me of my own compositions, with its strong melodic line. Frank knows how to do this well and I think his early music featured melody over ornamentation, vice versa for his more recent creations.

There are two other things that I need to mention. Since we are on the subject of the cuts featured here, let me say that, once again, “New Camptown Races” has been recorded by Frank. Easily his best-known composition, it makes about half of his albums and all of his shows. Maybe it’s his favorite? The other thing to mention is quite different: the liner notes. I am that rare person who reads these things and I really enjoyed it this time. Most of Frank’s recordings have very little in the way of liner notes. Here, it is different, we have a short biography, which filled in some gaps in my knowledge of his life. For those that do not know his music, you will find it helpful reading to fully understand what it is that you are hearing.

All in all,  the recording “Ownself Blues” is still down to earth bluegrass instrumental music, with blazing and complex virtuosic solos. How does a 75 year old man manage to sound so good? The answer comes from tens of thousands of hours of practice, coupled with unusual ability, and a fresh and innovative musical approach. Look deeper and you will find unusual but appropriate juxtaposition of chords, his signature rhythmic breaks, harmony playing on the mandolin, and complex theme development. Frank Wakefield’s music is like an onion, you can peel off tasty layer after tasty layer and there is always another layer underneath. It’s music you can listen to and get more from the more you listen. “Ownself Blues” is a long-overdue album, the kind of music you have heard for years in concert, but never in your home or car.