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1.
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Muddy Water 04:35
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8.
Down Home 02:39
9.
Brother John 04:23
10.
11.
12.
Liza 04:21
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14.

about

The Sommers Rosenthal Family Band is one of the most exciting and diversely talented bands on the scene today. Led by patriarch, Phil Rosenthal (former lead singer of The Seldom Scene), the group plays an eclectic mix of folk, bluegrass, and jazz stylings, featuring close vocal trios and adventurous instrumental solos. Although the group has been performing together for over twenty years, Down the Road is their first full length recording together. Lead vocals are split between bluegrass stalwart, Phil, and daughter, Naomi Sommers, also a highly regarded singer-songwriter in her own right. Son, Daniel Rosenthal, serves as the group’s wildcard, by adding virtuosic yet understated bluegrass trumpet solos, as well as harmony vocals, bass and other stringed instrument accompaniment. Phil’s wife, Beth Sommers, adds beautiful harmony vocals to the mix as well, completing the family band.

On Down the Road, the Sommers Rosenthal Family Band draws their repertoire from songs written by each member of the group, as well as new arrangements of traditional American folk and bluegrass tunes. The group revisits several classic bluegrass songs written by Phil Rosenthal in the seventies and eighties, and gives them new and exciting arrangements. “Muddy Water” has been given a dark and eerie treatment, with electric guitars, Dobjo, and flugelhorn weaving melodies behind Phil’s powerful vocal. “He Rocks Me to Sleep” and “Where I Don’t Belong” have both been given new instrumental sections written by Daniel. “Liza” is a haunting and catchy new tune, with lyrics by Naomi and music by Daniel. The group also brings new life to traditional songs such as “Worried Man Blues”, “Midnight Special”, and “East Virginia Blues”. “Down the Road” features Phil singing lead with Daniel and Naomi filling out the trio on the chorus, and the unorthodox yet grooving trio of banjo, mandolin, and flugelhorn as accompaniment. “Down Home” is a new instrumental by Phil, pairing his energetic clawhammer banjo with Daniel’s sprightly trumpet, a combo that is completely original, yet sounds right at home. The group works up new arrangements of Phil’s gospel/bluegrass tune, “Brother John”, as well as the bluegrass classic, “I Know What It Means to Be Lonesome”. Phil and Daniel perform a duo version of John Hartford’s “Natural to Be Gone”, featuring Phil singing lead, and the sparse and unusual instrumental accompaniment of Dobjo (a hybrid of the Dobro and banjo) and trumpet. Another highlight of the album is Naomi’s stunningly beautiful rendition of Bob Dylan’s “You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go”.

Phil Rosenthal is known to audiences worldwide as the former lead singer and guitarist of the seminal bluegrass band, The Seldom Scene. He is also highly regarded as a songwriter, whose works have been recorded by Johnny Cash, Bill Monroe, Nick Cave, and many others. On Down the Road, his wonderfully warm and burnished Johnny Cash-like baritone resonates with emotional authority. His virtuosic work on guitar, banjo, mandolin, and Dobjo all shine throughout the album. He has been called “a roots music master” by Billboard Magazine, and “one of the most expressive singers in traditional country music” by The Washington Post. Phil has performed with a who’s who list of bluegrass musicians, including Emmylou Harris, Jerry Douglas, Bela Fleck, Ricky Scaggs, Jonathan Edwards, Bill Monroe, and many others.

Naomi Sommers is a highly gifted vocalist with a tone and style of singing that is completely singular. Her beautifully warm and rich voice, combined with her straightforward and honest delivery, create a sound that is truly captivating and timeless. With roots in folk, bluegrass, jazz, and old-time country, her recording career began at age five, when Phil enlisted her services on his award-winning children’s music albums. Since then, she has developed her own solo career, and has put out several records under her own name, the last of which, Gentle As the Sun, received much critical acclaim in the US and abroad. Bluegrass Now Magazine has praised her “remarkable voice”, and Sing Out! Magazine has called her singing “as beautiful as you are likely to hear... with lyrics that read like good poetry”.

Daniel Rosenthal is a highly regarded trumpet player and composer. Conservatory trained, he has performed with such jazz legends as Steve Lacy, Bob Brookmeyer, Anthony Braxton, Joe Morris, among others. He is a member of the Grammy nominated jazz and latin group, the Either/Orchestra, with whom he has recorded and toured throughout North America, Europe, and Africa. He has also performed and recorded with famed Ethiopian musicians Mulatu Atstatke and Mahmoud Ahmed. His solo work has been praised in DownBeat Magazine, and All About Jazz has called him “a young trumpeter with a bright future”.

The Sommers Rosenthal Family Band has been called “the real deal... just plain timeless” by the Hartford Courant. Look for them performing throughout the Northeast and beyond, in support of Down the Road.

credits

released August 31, 2016

Phil Rosenthal - lead vocals, guitar, banjo, mandolin, Dobjo
Naomi Sommers - lead vocals, guitar
Daniel Rosenthal - harmony vocals, trumpet, bass, Fender Rhodes
Beth Sommers - harmony vocals
Andrew Stern - electric guitar
Wes Corbett - banjo (track 1, 7, 12)
Jef Charland - bass (track 2, 3, 4, 13)
Frank Ojeda - bass (track 9, 10, 12)
Mike Connors - drums
Lisa Bastoni - harmony vocals (track 2)

Produced by Phil and Daniel Rosenthal
Engineered and Mixed by Daniel Rosenthal
Mastered by Toby Mountain
Photography by David Ebling

All songs published by Sourwood Music (BMI), except "I Know What It Means to Be Lonesome" published by Kendis-Brockman Music Co., "Gathering Flowers From the Hillside" published by Southern Music Publishing Company, "Muddy Water" published by Rocky Top Music, "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go" published by Ram's Horn Music, and "Natural to Be Gone" published by Glaser Publications, Inc.

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