River In Time

Bruce Greene has been faithful in his life and art to an ideal of old-time music and an older way of life that is an inspiration to us all. These are songs and tunes he has collected and taken into himself over a forty-year period. His is as fine old-time fiddling as one can hear today. He is a fiddler's fiddler. The playing is exceptional in technique yet perfectly modest; there is no showing off and it never calls attention to itself. This exceptional album, with songs and fiddle tunes, shows exactly why Bruce makes music that flows like a river in time that has staying power; and to which one can always return either to listen, or to learn, or both.

I first heard Bruce Greene's fiddling in 1987. I wasn’t even playing fiddle then, but I was hooked immediately. I was a newbie, and it seemed much different from the fiddling I'd heard from other players. Bruce was giving an honest representation of the music he’d learned from the many old folks he’d known in his travels around Kentucky, and it stood out from what I was hearing at all the festivals. River In Time continues in the same vein as his other recordings. There are squirrelly fiddle tunes, haunting ballads, and the absolute best Froggie Went A-Courtin’ I’ve heard yet. Many of the sources are familiar from his earlier tapes & CDs. But reading his eloquent liner notes as I listened, it struck me that this recording is different: now, it seems like Bruce has become one of the old people he was speaking for in earlier years. His way of life and his view of the role of music in that way of life are like - well, like going back up that river. If you care about the DNA of this music, this disc belongs in your library.

Excellent album, recommend picking this one up.

I loved the old-time music and songs on this CD. I’m a big fan of the Foxfire books, and the music resonated along those lines. The production is first-rate, and the accompanying booklet is fun to read, for background on each piece. Received in two days after ordering from Compassion Books.

Nearly all the cuts are new to me. It opens a door to another world. Full of spirit and vernacular authenticity. Not stilted, heart felt and driving. I could listen to this all day.

Bruce Green captures the soul of the Toe River Valley. His immense talent singing, playing banjo and fiddle, is humbly applied to keeping these old tunes alive.

A wonderful collection from the wealth of local traditional musics Bruce has lived among for most of his life. It is all beautifully handed on to fellow listeners, players and singers that they may in their turn keep it alive and be kept alive by it.

A long-overdue solo album from Bruce! I'm fondest of the fiddling, but Bruce's banjo and vocal performances are also stellar.

Really nice to hear a solo recording of Bruce Greene! His delivery of these old songs and tunes rings true.