David Grisman & Tony Rice - Tone Poems (1994)

Sample the sounds of some of the great vintage guitars and mandolins of the 20th century on Tone Poems, a collection of 17 memorable duets, played on 34 classic acoustic instruments, by two acknowledged masters of the idiom - mandolinist David Grisman and guitarist Tony Rice. From "I am a Pilgrim" and "Swing 42" to some brand new Dawg tunes, Tone Poems (their first recording in over a decade) reignites the power-picking that earned Grisman and Rice their nickname, the "Gasoline Brothers" - and started a revolution in acoustic instrumental music some 20 years ago.
The co-stars of this project are the instruments themselves - what Grisman calls the "vintage voices" - including a 1939 Martin D-45 guitar (valued at $100,000) paired with a priceless, one-of-a-kind 1923 Lloyd Loar Gibson A-5 mandolin. An impressive 40-page full-color booklet accompanies the music; for each duet there is a corresponding photo essay that tells the story of that particular pair of instruments. A study in tonal quality and a mini-reference work on some of the finest hand-crafted acoustic instruments ever built, Tone Poems is a must see and hear for music lovers, collectors, musicians, and anyone else interested in the purity of acoustic sound.