Jimmy Gaudreau has long been regarded as one of the top Bluegrass performers in the world. Since getting the call in 1969 to move to the Washington, DC area from his native Rhode Island and join the legendary Country Gentlemen band, he has performed with a veritable Who’s Who of Bluegrass bands and earned a reputation as a mandolin maverick with a sound and a style all his own.
In addition to two stints with the Country Gentlemen, Gaudreau has also performed with JD Crowe and the New South, with The Tony Rice Unit (for 9 years), and with his own bands Country Store, Spectrum (with Bela Fleck), Chesapeake, and Auldridge, Bennett & Gaudreau. He is a member of the Country Gentlemen Reunion Band with Randy Waller, Eddie Adcock, and Tom Gray and was a part of Carolina Star with leader John Starling and band mates Mike Auldridge, Rickie Simpkins, and Tom Gray. Jimmy also has performed in duos with Jack Lawrence and Orrin Star.
In 2005, Gaudreau was inducted into the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America’s “Hall of Greats” and featured in a Mandolin Magazine cover story.
Jimmy Gaudreau’s Pieces and Bits is a studio album, co-produced by Jimmy Gaudreau and Stuart Martin. It was recorded over a period of two years at Stuart’s Stonebridge Studios, near Leesburg, Virginia. The songs are primarily instrumentals, and feature an appearance by virtuoso jazz guitarist Frank Vignola, as well as support from noted bluegrass players Mike Auldridge, Moondi Klein, Orrin Starr, Jens Kruger, and many others.
When describing “Pieces and Bits” Gaudreau describes the “Pieces” as fully instrumented production numbers, while the “Bits” are bare bones versions of shorter tunes. The recordings demonstrate the dazzling Bluegrass mandolin and guitar work for which Gaudreau has become known, but also touch on influences from Jazz, Blues, Celtic, and Folk music. Stuart Martin, producer of many Goose Creek releases, co-produced the project and worked closely with Gaudreau to get the right natural tone for every instrument, from octave mandolin to 12-string, arch top acoustic, and flattop guitars.
Pieces and Bits is available for sale on iTunes and from CD Baby.
