THOUGH HARRY REID THINKS THE ALBUM SHOULD HAVE A WARNING LABEL:

Covers and Classical Moves From a Bluegrass Virtuoso (STEPHEN HOLDEN, 2/22/08, NY Times)

To call the 27-year-old mandolin virtuoso Chris Thile the Les Paul of his instrument describes only one aspect of a musician who could just as rightly be compared to a great classical guitarist. Although Mr. Thile, an alumnus of Nickel Creek, can toss off witty, jazz-flavored bluegrass solos with breathtaking velocity, his technique is merely the starting point for serious experiments in genre bending that incorporate music ranging from Bach to Radiohead.

On Wednesday evening at the Allen Room, where he appeared as part of Lincoln Center’s American Songbook series, Mr. Thile and his newest band, Punch Brothers, performed Radiohead’s “Morning Bell,” the Beatles’ “Baby’s in Black” and the Strokes’ “Heart in a Cage.”

But the evening’s centerpiece, in which Mr. Thile demonstrated his sensitivity as a composer, ensemble player and singer, was his four-movement, 40-minute suite “The Blind Leaving the Blind,” from the group’s forthcoming album, “Punch” (Nonesuch).

Posted by Orrin Judd at February 22, 2008 2:40 PM