On his second album, New York native and longtime Milwaukeean Jerry Wicentowski pays tribute to bluegrass pioneer Mac Wiseman. In his recordings for Dot Records in the 1950s and ’60s, Wiseman shone through with an amiable persona with distinct phrasing and diction harkening back to early 20th-century popular music.
Whether accompanied or singing solo, Wicentowski at times eerily approximates the tone of his musical hero. As most of the selections here run a bit longer than Wiseman’s original recordings, there’s more to hear of the interplay of the bandleader's rhythm guitar with five-string banjo, upright bass, mandolin and fiddle. Insightful essays by Wicentowski and Madison-based roots-music historian Bill Malone, who mentions Wicentowski’s sadly unreleased experiments in adapting traditional Jewish music to bluegrass, complement an already winning salute to a somewhat neglected trailblazer and his innovative singing.
Jerry Wicentowski performs CD release concert at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 5 at Anshe Sfard Kehillat Torah synagogue, 6717 N. Green Bay Road. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door.
