The Rosenthals
Fly Away
American Melody

www.americanmelody.com
 

As The Rosenthals, father and son Phil and Daniel Rosenthal cover a lot of musical ground. While Phil’s roots are in bluegrass, American folk balladry, and mountain music, his son is a New England Conservatory of Music-educated trumpet player/composer/producer who possesses a tone that could come no other way than through years of dedicated training. (Daniel usually plays with the Either/Orchestra and his own Daniel Rosenthal Quintet.)

For their first duo album, Fly Away, Phil and Daniel compromise to create a 14-tune collection of songs and instrumentals that both pays tribute to musical roots and celebrates continued evolution and exploration. With the senior Rosenthal’s baritone vocals supported by harmonies from the son (with daughter/sister Naomi and wife/mother Beth Sommers on some tunes), the album radiates with a gentleness and purity. Guilford, Connecticut-born (and still based), Rosenthal sings in a crystalline baritone devoid of any twang or drawl.

As he did with the Seldom Scene, from 1977 until 1986, and has continued to do for the past quarter of century, Phil invokes mountain streams and southern winds with his songs. That said, he’s consistently proven to be aware that folk music is not something stagnant, but rather a music continuing to evolve and grow. While the duo includes four songs from the traditional folk canon (“Pretty Polly,” “Little Birdie,” “Single Again,” and “Over the Mountain”) and Albert E. Brumley’s 1928 gospel classic, “I’ll Fly Away,” alongside ten originals, The Rosenthals voice both those classics and the new material in ways that are unique and inventive.

Phil alternates between acoustic guitar, banjo, and mandolin, giving each tune just the right amount of spice. Although he mostly accents his father’s lead with melodic counterpoint, Daniel steps out on several tunes, including the Dixieland-flavored “Single Again,” which features spirited with alto saxophonist Rick Stone, and his original instrumental, “Relaxed,” with guitarist Will Graefe, which rides on a groove that lives up to its’ name.

— Craig Harris