BLUEGRASS BELONGS TO a long tradition, but having the weight of history on its shoulders does not preclude it from existing as a radical art form. This musical style — light on its feet, effervescent, joyous, and occasionally elegiac and melancholy — is woven from many cultures and voices that bring something to the party, and do so with a sound that welcomes all.
That, too, is true of the players and their abilities. There’s a virtuosic element to the bluegrass rank-and-file, among whom we’ll find latter-day phenoms in the likes of Billy Strings and Molly Tuttle — players whose technical prowess brings lightning into a largely acoustic space. But if you know three chords and can count to four, chances are you can play along too. And
