Mark O'Connor, Tony Rice, Bela Fleck, Sam Bush - "Freeborn Man"
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- Опубліковано 1 лют 2010
- Mark O'Connor violin, Tony Rice guitar, Jerry Douglas dobro, Sam Bush mandolin, Mark Schatz bass and Bela Fleck banjo. Merlefest early 1990's.
“Have you heard any of the stuff that was done by the group of myself and Sam, and Bela and Flux, and Mark O’Connor? Have you heard any of that stuff? It was back at MerleFest, there’s quite a bit of footage of us playing live. There’s tunes like Freeborn Man and Nine Pound Hammer, were - you talk about an ensemble. And uh - I don’t know - Mark O’Connor playing that bluegrass fiddle like that was just absolutely mind-blowing. I’ll go and get on my computer and listen to that stuff and listen to him paying the solos in Freeborn Man and Nine Pound Hammer - listen to Jerry Douglas’s solos and I think Jesus, this is just amazing shit.” -Tony Rice (taken from “A Conversation with Tony Rice directed by Jan Johansson, in 2019)
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The amazing thing about Tony Rice is that he is playing all that amazing stuff, but he just looks like he's reading the newspaper while the coffee is brewing. No big deeal.
It's hard to see Tony Rice's stage presence and not think Nick Offerman didn't lift a little of it for Ron Swanson
@@TypingHazard damn you’re right about ron swanson , Tony could’ve been his father on the show
RIP to the big man
I have been abusing guitars with my gorilla hands for 33 years now. I love the new stuff and all, like you are always gonna have a good time with Billy Strings, but time after time I think nobody has got nothing on Mr. Rice. All these guys are great in their own right but he’s just coaxing this stuff out of them. Everybody pushing everybody to go one step higher and everybody has got the chops to do it.
Tony literally played and sang so damn hard, that he couldnt anymore. Helluva dedication to his craft, probably something we're unlikely to see again. Rockstar...
I don't remember how long I've been watching this video, but it's been years. Doesn't get any better than this.
Yesssum.
RIP Tony this is the only version that matters of this song
#TRUTH
Jimmy Martin wants to speak with you
@@peterkelmartin1620 I’d love to speak with Jimmy Martin
@@joshuahymer15 yeah its great!
Here, Here!
I have been watching this video for 8 years. That this is the best expression of Bluegrass doesn’t do justice to the musicians. What’s happening on this stage is perhaps the best expression of American musical creativity ever witnessed. Five masters who came together for one song, clearly didn’t rehearse, and put out something truly spectacular. The stars really aligned for this one and I consider myself truly grateful for having been alive to witness and enjoy it.
I swear I have been watching it for about that long as well.
Well said man
Junior Brown does a great version also ....but Tony Rice was special ...
I completely agree with the op
Agree- that performance is musical perfection- just mind blowing
If anyone else notices that Douglas looks at bela like wtf when he really starts his solo (after Douglas just did something awesome on HIS solo) you actually recognize how special this song is.
Anyone else just randomly come across this song and had their mind blown on how good it is?
This song is literally the reason that my music interest completely changed from hip hop to bluegrass and country. And im a guy from a big city. I never dreamed of waking up and getting coffee and listening to country music
Yeah me…today whilst deep diving bluegrass after discovering Billy Strings last week 😂 Unbelievable talent..has blown my head off
I love this song. When I was homeless for a short while and was living in my van I sang this song to myself to life my spirits. I was trying to emphsize the freedom I was enjoying instead of the deprivation.
Sam Bush is just rocking it. Gotta love his enthusiasm. It's like an audience member with an instrument.
Iconic.
Yes!!!! He’s like a kid in a candy shop
Yes that is a great way to put it!
That's Sam
I think that positivity has kept him young. 30 years later and he looks like he’s barely aged at all.
Sam Bush , as great as he is , always looks so excited . It's like he can't ever quite believe he get's to play with the cognescenti of blugrass .
Check the look he gives Tony when Rice rips off an especially "jazzy " lick .
That has got to be the finest fiddle playing i’ve ever heard.
That’s because it is Mark O’Conner playing it!
@@richarddavidow9710No doubt!
Mark O Connor is the real deal
In this moment, bluegrass perfection was achieved.
Tony Rice is to Bluegrass what Jimi Hendrix is to rock guitar, Wes Montgomery to Jazz, Andres Segovia to classical guitar, and Django Reinhardt to gypsy jazz. We're not just talking about a phenomenal guitarist with an impressive skill set in his arsenal, but Tony Rice was innovative and elevated Bluegrass guitar to the world stage....R.I.P.
I feel the same. Every genre had its innovators who brought the guitar from the back of the stand to centre stage: Segovia, Wes, Charlie Christian, Hendrix, Beck......Tony Rice.
Mark's solo is probably the best solo I've ever heard. It's just sick.
He play so much with the time, incredible. He push and pull time, so incredible
Agree!
I'm happy to see someone else enjoy his solo, I honestly have never heard a better break by any musician on any instrument, it's absolutely perfect
@@alexwhite6133 he defines "playing the changes" in this song for sure.
Ye, he is good, but I know that younger Stuart Duncan is the better.
Guitar Intro - Tony Rice - 0:02
Banjo break - Bela Fleck - 0:53
Guitar break - Tony Rice - 1:36
Mandolin break - Sam Bush - 2:18
Fiddle break - Mark O'Connor - 2:55
Guitar break - Tony Rice - 3:35
Dobro break - Jerry Douglas - 4:12
Banjo break - Bela Fleck - 4:49
and...Mark Schatz on the bass.
Tony Rice redefined bluegrass guitar. In this video Tony’s third solo (3:53) is pure genius. In front of a live audience, he goes on a journey and decides to take some unfamiliar turns to see if he can find his way back to the melody...which he of course does. The look he gives Mr. Douglas says it all, “You see that son?” RIP Mr. Rice.
Man his first solo at 1:35 is also just beyond ridiculous. I am yet to see any bluegrass solo as awesome as that and believe me I have looked lol.
@@andrewkeen3129 That solo is the one that introduced me to how incredible Mr. Rice is/was. I was hooked from that moment forward.
Mr. Rice saying to Bela tell those jazzers I can do that too...😂
That diminished run ascending run he does that cracks up Sam Bush is just amazing. Then, Jerry Douglas and Bela Fleck both respond with solos that have neoclassical pedal point riffs in them, while Rice decides to embrace Joe Pass chord comping.
We all love Bill Monroe, but he was the reason bluegrass didn't progress for the longest time. As a musician, this sort of cross pollination is exactly what I listen for. Throw the rule book out the window and go for it!
Greatest improvised fiddle solo of all time.
That little look at 4:07 like "Check this shit out" and then that killer repeat pull-off into the Jimmy Martin run!
And Sam's freaking out, too!
This is the lineup of my dreams.
Every time I hear anyone else perform this song, I think about this version. Not to determine if it is "better" or "worse" than this version but because this one is just so memorable and so very excellent. You will look long and wide before you see this much pure talent on one stage again.
I'm British, but I absolutely love Bluegrass. Can music get any better than this.
Ladies and Gentlemen some of the greatest Bluegrass musicians of all time.
859MotherTruckers yes I agree premier in their field !! Made me love Bluegrass all the more to hear it played with such skill !!!!!
Along with Flatt and Scruggs, Doc Watson, and Ricky Skaggs, this group really got me into Bluegrass.
Agreed
@SavageArfad i don't know, I seen some kids pickin on grass and doing exceptionally well, glad to see this music alive..still, just went to a gathering and saw teenagers pickin and a grinnin, :)
Don't get no better than this, hainna?
I'm 29 years old and have watched and studied this video since I was around 15. Tony's voice and rhythm/lead playing still blows me away. RIP hero. I feel like I've lost a family member
You didn’t lose a family member. It’s a guy you didn’t even know
@@TascamTascam you are correct sir just like I stated in my comment.
I’m studying as well man so much to learn from these masters
Definitely pioneers
Tony is a badass! Take care Tony, I’ll play your stuff forever
> Hands down, the most complicated, the most musical, and the most lyrical solo ever played on a fiddle
I always thought that about Mark's solo on "Paddy on the Turnpike" at the 1986 Telluride Bluegrass Festival. Not only amazing in all those ways, but it was a seamless transition from the solo leading into it - expanding on those ideas on the fly and at full speed. Improvisation at it's finest!
How many is here on Christmas morning after hearing of this legends passing
Rest In Peace, Tony Rice. Damn, son.....one HELL of a guitar master.
I’ve been watching this for 11 years and it gets better every damn time. SON!!
I've been watching it for 3 days and I can't get enough. Watched it at least ten times by now!
Man I’d be jumping, dancing, and swinging all over that place. That was the most heavenly song I’ve ever heard in my life. Absolute perfection.
As good as it gets. Everyone a legend, a master of their instruments. Could die a happy man in that audience.❤
Jazz is the great American music and so is bluegrass. This is IT at its best. RIP Tony Rice, you were the greatest guy to play a Martin guitar...
Can we comment on the quality camera work for a sec here? Top notch.
Benjamin Billings absolutely! Camera captured great moments like Sam’s expression when Tony played that crazy atonal arpeggio
clean g runs up there, Tony, thanks for everything.
This is master class bluegrass right here. I had an opportunity to go to this show and sadly missed it.
Mark O'Connor is probably one of greatest all time fiddler
I have to revisit this periodically...just some of the best...everybody in the band just smokin!!!
This is what happens when you get a bunch of thoroughbreds on the same stage. Excellence!!
Linda Field
This is incredible. This is one of the heaviest things I've ever seen. Rocks harder than the heaviest rock.
How in God’s name can you surpass the brilliance of the late Tony Rice and his friends? They didn’t rehearse the actual situation but it was unexpected. Tony looking across at Bela was unbelievable, and from there they went into bluegrass meltdown. There’s no way you can beat that. R I P Mr Tony Rice 🇮🇪
Impossible
You can't.
This is a bluegrass masterclass. You hear other bluegrass players on each instrument and realize “they’re good but they’re not [insert any of these guys’ names]”. I especially feel that way about Tony Rice in particular, but I’m biased 🎸
A masterfull musician and an absolute flatpicking wizard; will raise my parting glass this evening . . . #RIPTonyRice
got to be one of the best flatpicking performances I have ever seen/heard - the cross rhythms that Bela Fleck gets going are mind boggling
As far as versions of this song go, it simply doesn’t get any better than this one. Bluegrass of the very highest order. And oh, that fiddle playing
It doesn't get better than this. This is the definition of a bluegrass super-group.
That dobro slide at 0:59 never fails to give me chills. Wish I was alive to witness this in person
It’s incredible. Tony starts to move it, Schatz follows suit, and then Flux punctuates it. Perfection.
I might be 1000 of the 1.48 million views. What a crew and thank you to Tony for the great music and inspiration to the modern bluegrass players. Rest in peace brother.What a sad day.
I just found this video, and I've got to say that these fellows are fantastic.
Tony Rice, best bluegrass guitarist known to man!
A zillion stars. How good is Tony Rice??? Holy Cr@p that rhythmic concept of his is so damn tasty...Every person in this band plays their ass off. This band is THE BLUEGRASS band for my books.
@robby6511 Got that right. The all-stars of the all-stars.
I agree
Mark O'Conner could play the guitar and mandolin parts as well as he could play the fiddle break. That guy is an unbelievable musician.
He was grand champion on guitar as well as fiddle.
Amazing work by the greatest musicians….Great Jamming session……!Tony Rice was my favorite guitar player…..
If this won't light your fire, your wood is wet - the fact that there are 261 "dislikes" is proof that folks have ZERO taste or appreciation of GREATNESS.
This has become my top favorite bluegrass performance jesus chrissstttt they are all so good
This video gives me chills up and down the spine every single time I watch it! Rest Easy!
If you can watch this without getting cold chills then you’re dead inside!
This is one of the most amazing things I've ever seen.
Nobody ever got more sound with less motion than Tony Rice. RIP
What? Mark O Connor is a fiddle God...everyone on that stage is a master of their instrument.
+Thomas Locke Yeah, they are all amazing!
Greatest collection of musicians nobody has ever heard of.
Fuzzy?! ?! Do explain
And at the peak of their game...this music is furiously sweet.
Mark can play guitar too!
There's smoke coming out of my computer, so I'm gonna play it again!
Tony Rice is something else. Playing out-there herbie/wayne harmonies with a country/BG feel
Ho Lee shit! This is unbelievable!
Smoke coming out of my ears as well!
Probably watch it 4 ot 5 times every month since it was posted. Wish I was there. What musicial geniuses and amazing characters every single one of them. Rip Tony didnt know he had passed.
You'll never see another combination of the best of bluegrass here. Tony Rice, Sam Bush, Mark O'Connor, Bela Fleck, Jerry Douglas. The best of the best right there. Wow!
Don't forget Mark Shatz on Bass. It wouldn't be the same without him...
Find the albums they made with cellist Yo Yo Ma, wonderful Appalachian music.
R.I.P. good sir. You will be missed.
I play guitar and 5 string banjo, and have followed bluegrass for over 40 years. I have to say that I've never seen or heard a performance any where that approaches this one!
Hope you have discovered Billy Strings!
I say hell yeah
Yup, that's a gitter! Probably, ole fuckers like you and me lived it AND played it.
@@brycelarson9423 Yep. Damn good.
@@brycelarson9423 Josh Williams miles ahead of Billy......
Besides the magic of Tony's Martin guitar I am always impressed with Bela Fleck's banjo caz it doesn't overpower the bluegrass sound of the band like many banjo players do, then the awesome fiddling of Mark O'Connor, the never better mandolin pickin of Mr. Sam Bush , Jerry's dobro, and Mark Schatz's bass. When Tony says " play it man " you know your doin it right. Tony is such an intense perfectionist. Hello this is bluegrass at its finest. Thanks for sharin this monumental awesome expression of musical excellence,Mark.
Nailed it!!
FOR SURE!
It doesn't hurt that most, if not all of them, have played on albums together. Whether it's Tony's or Bela's, it's always first class. Tony and Jerry played together with JD Crowe and New South, Jerry was 19,Tony about 24, so they have a long history together.
It's funny I remember watching this video years ago, thought it was great then, studied music, I come back and it's just even more unbelievable. Almost like a great book that means something new to you each time through.
Thanks for all the great music, Tony. You'll certainly be missed.
I was working Merlefest that year, I saw the cripple walk that day, and clog!!! Holy cow , nothing like Tony Rice and this crew!!!
I’m 21. This is music.
Magnificent jams! Six masters of their musical craft, doing their thing like no one else can. Thank you, Mark O. for putting up this clip.
I come back to this video every once in awhile just to stay humbled and inspired. Incredible.
If I could play that opening guitar run once, I could die in peace.
Tony was disturbingly great.
I mean everyone of course but O'Conner's solo is extremely tasty.
Especially his second run through the progression. He has that thing where he can lay back a little and then catch up, and it works every time. A wonderful soloist, as is every guy on that stage (yes, I've seen Mark Schatz solo on clogs, and that was awesome, too!)
O’Connor
One of my all time favorite videos on UA-cam. When Tony starts playing “outside”, Sam’s face is priceless.
This song and this group of musicians just NEVER get old
The best
May the angels and the big spirit bless Tony forever.
The mad shit that Tony is doing behind Bela's break blows me away everytime, who would even think to play that backup to that part? Insane.
You really do gotta watch this to the end. The first round of instrumentals are just mind mind-blowingly-good but they stay within the bounds of orthodoxy. After the violin solo however the final 3 solos by Tony, Jerry and then Bela take bluegrass to another level that simply makes ones eyes water.
Soo soo many legends on that stage, each one a master at his instrument. Truly AMAZING!!!!!
Thanks again Tony. Happy pickin in the sky. Tell Prine we say hello (in there)
A freight train of Bluegrass Musicians! absolutely flawless performance.
Tony Rice singin' & playin' at Merlefest will give ya chill bumps everytime...
Surprised they didn't set the stage on fire!
I've watched this video almost daily for years never gets old. These musicians are all GOATs
Holy crap these guys can play off of one another. The changes underneath Bela's solo just took my breath away.
It really just doesn't get much better than this. Some of the best pickers of all time on one stage just killing it.
This has gotta be one of the great performances of all time. I keep coming back to it.
I've seen these guys multiple time. I've had the good fortune to play with a few of them. NOBODY has more fun than Sam Bush. ;-)
Tony rice played overdrive mandolin on the guitar.
And he was the master of it
I just want to say for the record, Music is a God given gift in which I will be forever grateful! These guys are, and were among the very best to ever play their respective instruments that we have ever heard. At the time is was called "The allstar jam" for obvious reasons. I would loved to have been able to be there live but it just wasn't in the cards for me at the time, but I thank God for UA-cam and video cameras. Mark O'connor is one of the most talented guys on the planet! It blows my mind that these guys could play something like this then get bored with it and play an entirely different style of music like Jazz, Blues, and Classical just because! Thank you for posting this video and reminding us all how amazing all these musicians are and allowing us to share it with a younger generation that needs to see it and appreciate it for the treasure that it is to this day!
I sure agree with you Tony. When you have the best of the best together in one group, its pure heaven.
A gift yes, combined with persistence, support, practice, desire, ambition, luck and good old hard work.
A legendary performance. My mind is utterly blown.
The superstar of all superstar lineups of the day. While Tony is gone, I've head the pleasure of seeing Mark, Jerry, Sam and Bela within the last year. So lucky my time on this earth overlapped with theirs.
I've been listening to Bluegrass since I was born and it just has never gotten any better than this. I have had to play it at least once a month for years.
What an amazing performance, everyone up there just killed it...I think Mark steals the show with that fiddle solo though, just wow! Thanks for uploading this!
By far the best musical performance regardless of genre I’ve ever witnessed, this is a video worth rewatching as long as it exists. Tony messing around with some Jazz scales suddenly and I swear I heard some Bach from Douglas there as well, this performance is crazy
Pure gold. Never get tired of watching this performance. Bluegrass perfection.
I have been lucky enough to see all of these uniquely talented individuals perform at bluegrass festivals such as the KFC in Louisville and saw the Tony Rice Unit in Toronto. The sheer reverence the audience held for this man speaks volumes of the greatness of his genius muscianship
I have to come back to this every 6-13 months to remind me just how good it gets. Gotta have my hit!!!
This whole performance is pure 🔥🔥. Mr. Rice was beyond brilliant. Only wish mark o'connor's solo had been a little longer, but maybe his violin was smokin'. I know so many are missing mr. Rice this week.
Back before they raised the stage at MerleFest. We had to bring short chairs that they could not roll a ball under. Or just use a blanket. Those were the days.
Tony Rice is a National Treasure along with all those in stage picking and playing with him 🇺🇸
Oh, good grief: Change the headline ! Sam Bush, on mandolin, is playing out his mind. Jerry Douglas has smoke coming out of his ears. They deserve equal billing.
How did that mandolin not combust 😄
This is a song that will never ever get old and I can turn up and make the neighbors hear too!
Michael Eigenbauer,
Is that you I'm hearing three blocks away?
None of them are on Mark's level, imo, mando guy was just ok
@@craigdines7604 Lol craig ok
This is just absolutely amazing music.. It really doesn't get much better than this..
These five stand astride the peaks and pinnacles of American music, regardless of genre.
As good as it gets. Period. 🔥