As this is the day we report to the IRS, in today’s article I was going to rail about taxes and the government. I was going to get political. I am a news junkie, and think nothing of having that on TV all day and all of the night. I actually get pissed off when there is no news on the tube. It strikes me as weird that news isn’t being made at all times; overnights, the weekend. But it isn’t about news, it’s about attracting an audience. I know I am an odd duck, but that’s what makes us a great country, you know? Our amalgamation of ideas, cultures, and points of view. And rather than slugging it out; left and right, progressive and conservative, Democrat and Republican, I decided to bring it to the middle.

The Del McCoury Band meets the Preservation Hall Jazz Band in their new album American Legacies which came out Tuesday. This music is such an odd meeting of the minds it seems almost impossible to ponder, as the sound each makes is seemingly so different. Before I clicked, honestly, I didn’t know WHAT to expect. But it is eerie how well it meshes, and then comes the ‘ahh yes, of course’ moment. This marriage has been heralded for its remarkable blend of traditions. The legacies of bluegrass and jazz are combined in ways that preserve their flavors, as horns blend with string band instruments to produce something at once refreshingly new and yet profoundly familiar. So in the interest of Union, check this out! You can stream the CD on the McCoury Music website. And here is a video on the making of the album.

- Jessie Scott