New Acoustic
Also known as new acoustic music
A loose but historically useful label for acoustic string music that opened bluegrass to jazz-like improvisation and wider harmonic color.
Origins and context
The term is documented in U.S. acoustic string-band circles around the late 1970s and early 1980s, especially the David Grisman Quintet scene in progressive bluegrass and jazz-influenced acoustic music.
How to listen
Mood
- Restless
- Virtuosic
- Intimate
- Fleet
Best for
- Close listening
- Instrumental focus
- Acoustic string interplay
History
The label is most closely tied to the late-1970s work around David Grisman’s quintet, whose 1977 self-titled album is widely cited as a seminal influence on the “newgrass” or “new acoustic” movement. AllMusic describes the style as a mix of bluegrass and jazz played with folk instruments and an emphasis on virtuosity, while artist pages for Grisman, Tony Rice, and Darol Anger all place them at the center of that scene. It’s a fuzzy borderland rather than a single school, and that looseness is part of its history. The music grew out of progressive bluegrass, but it also pulled in classical precision, folk-rooted repertoire, and long-form improvisation, especially in the circles around Grisman, Rice, Béla Fleck, and related acoustic ensembles.
Notable artists
- DGDavid Grisman
- TRTony Rice
- DADarol Anger
- BFBĂ©la Fleck
- SBSam Bush
- CTChris Thile
- JFJohn Fahey
Essential listening
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Explore connected genres
Sources and further reading
- allmusic.com
AllMusic describes New Acoustic as a bluegrass-and-jazz mix led by folk instruments such as mandolin, fiddle, banjo, and acoustic guitar.
- allmusic.com
AllMusic identifies the David Grisman Quintet’s 1977 debut as a seminal influence on the new acoustic movement.
- David Grisman biography
- belafleck.com
Béla Fleck’s site references the pioneer figures around the movement, including John Hartford, Sam Bush, Tony Rice, and David Grisman.
- Tony Rice biography