As we have seen time and time again, bluegrass has gained a loyal following in many countries such as Japan, Russia, and Italy, among others. The newest of these international bands is the Seven Hill Pickers, an instrumental trio hailing from the city of the seven hills in Lisbon, Portugal. The group’s debut self-titled release is a collection of ten standards, each of which is played with their unique sensibilities.
The Frank Wakefield classic New Camptown Races opens up the project. Right out of the gate we see the talent that each of these three gentlemen possess. Mandolinist Bernardo Fazenda strikes a fine balance between staying true to Wakefield’s composition, and also inflecting his own ornaments onto the tune.
Cheyenne is one of several Bill Monroe tunes on this project, and is a really great example of the Pickers’ ingeniousness. Considering that this was written specifically for the fiddle and the trio only consists of banjo, mandolin, and guitar, this is a piece they pull off with great ease. It’s a particularly wonderful display of the clean, smooth tone that banjoist André Dal naturally possesses.
Both Black Mountain Rag and Beaumont Rag are pieces that showcase the lead guitar work of Tomás Alcaso, while the Pickers’ arrangement of Big Sciota places the trio’s wizardry on full display.
The Seven Hills Pickers are a promising trio with great instrumental prowess. Although all ten of the selections may be extremely familiar to the listener, they are performed here with great excitement and inventiveness.
