POP MUSIC REVIEWS : Bluegrass and Western Swing: Two Bands Doing Their Thing

Along with the grit that got washed out of country music when it was watered down by “crossover appeal” in the ‘70s, country’s longtime emphasis on instrumental prowess also seemed to get lost in the flood. Outside of Ricky Scaggs, the indomitable Merle Haggard and a handful of others, the notion that axes can speak louder than words has largely gone ignored in these past two decades.

It figures then that two of the best instrumental acts in country during that time, New Grass Revival and Asleep at the Wheel, have existed only at the fringes of the country-music community. But, if the two bands’ clamorously received early show Monday at the Crazy Horse Steak House in Santa Ana was any indication, it’s high time they came in from the cold.

Since it was formed by frontman-singer-guitarist Ray Benson in the early ‘70s, Asleep at the Wheel has been rivaled only by Haggard in keeping alive the brand of music known as Western swing, a hybrid of country and jazz originated by Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys in the ‘30s. It’s a music well worth saving, a true piece of America, with both hard times and an expansive view of the future shaping its musical moods. And, true to its title, it most certainly swings.

Through the years Benson has gone through well over 60 band mates (an attrition due more, perhaps, to the band’s 300-days-a-year touring schedule than Benson’s reputedly volatile nature). While his present seven-piece lineup didn’t burn quite as hot as it did in the days when steel guitar monster Lucky Oceans was in the band, it was still a remarkably tight outfit. And, on stage, the lanky Benson is nothing but pure entertainer, with an engaging-if-limited voice, some tremendous chops on the guitar and a flair for showmanship that had him juggling potatoes and catching them on his hat brim by show’s end.

The material ranged from the rock classics “Route 66” and “Hot Rod Lincoln” to Louis Jordan’s R&B; novelty “Ain’t Nobody Here but Us Chickens” to the boogie-woogie “The House of Blue Lights.” Throughout, the hot ensemble playing and solo flashes recalled Wills’ band, which was directly represented by “San Antonio Rose,” “Roly Poly,” and “Take Me Back to Tulsa.”

While the band has strong soloists on piano, sax and fiddle, the most consistently inventive playing came from steel player John Ely, particularly on a harmonic-studded solo on “Cotton Patch Rag.” Benson’s best moment came when he strapped on an acoustic guitar for a brief, but remarkably detailed, solo version of Robert Wilkins’ country blues “Prodigal Son.”

Of the two bands, Asleep at the Wheel had the easier row to hoe. While the band’s set relied almost entirely on Wills’ proven style and a songbook of standards, New Grass Revival applied a challenging and unique reworking of bluegrass playing to original material and obscure covers. Even longtime fans couldn’t count on familiarity, as much of the set came from the forthcoming “Friday Night in America” album.

Quartet members banjoist Bela Fleck, guitarist Pat Flynn and mandolin-fiddle player Sam Bush are among the most respected of “musicians’ musicians” on their respective instruments, while bassist John Cowan brings a strong high-tenor voice to their songs. Though their opening spot on the bill required them to compress their abilities into a far-too-short eight-song set, even one song would have conveyed how special the band is.

Working from a thorough grounding in bluegrass, Fleck, Bush and Flynn propelled the picking in new directions, most notably on the encore instrumental “Metric Lips,” incorporating Irish and Eastern European folk influences into its staggered rhythms and complex movements. Though more orthodox, “Can’t Stop Now” was no less impressive, with breakneck, jazz and blues-inflected solos rampaging seamlessly from instrument to instrument.