Released in 2005

CD Review from BLUEGRASS UNLIMITED, October 2005, 

ONE MORE JOURNEY is the latest duet offering from Dick Staber (mandolin and vocals) and Judith Chasnoff (guitar and vocals).  The proceedings get off to an exciting start with a bluesy rendition of "Staggerlee" and reach a climax 15 selections later with "Wing And A Prayer," a topical piece that is denotative of today's news headlines. In between are stirring performances of "Nellie Bly," and Elaine Vachon's "Crow In The Morning." Many of the selections were composed by Dick Staber, including "The Old Yenta," and "Gonna Be A Long Time Gone."  With ONE MORE JOURNEY, Dick Staber and Judith Chasnoff have created a musical work of art, abounding with tradition and creativity.  Hopefully, there will be many more such musical journeys to follow.- Les McIntyre

Released in 2002

Pot Belly Newsletter- Sept-Oct 2002

Fans of bluegrass mandolin, players or listeners, are in for a treat when they get hold of this generous collection of 19 songs, fourteen of them original, by Staber & Chasnoff.  Dick Staber's confident and articulate mandolin playing is paired with the letter perfect, bluegrass tinged flatpicking of Judith Chasnoff to create a surprising fullness not expected of just two instruments and voices.

With a definite grounding in traditional music, Staber's roots are declared in the opening song "Champlain Valley Home".  A deep bow is also made to the Celtic tradition that permeates many of the original compositions with the traditional song "I've Got A Mother".

Taking care of the lion's share of lead vocals, Staber's voice sounds thoroughly comfortable with the music while Judith Chasnoff adds sweet or sometimes plaintiff harmony.  Chasnoff sounds even sweeter when she takes the lead in "Right Alongside of You".

 Staber's strength as a writer,  instrumentally and lyrically, is readily apparent with each original song having its own identity and story to tell.  Their contrast with cover songs by such writers as Steve Earle and Pete Seeger serve to outline Staber's own style that lies somewhere in the wide open spaces between folk and bluegrass.

With all this, the mandolin is the focal point of the CD.  Tasteful and articulate throughout all the songs, the four instrumental tunes in particular give Staber the opportunity to play some tasty bluegrass licks that I'm sure will keep the listener grinning.  Especially if the listener is a mandolin player because there's a lot to be heard in Staber's clean playing that won't leave them in the dust.  It's not hardcore bluegrass, but bluegrass fans will love it; maybe even banjo players.

I'd give Staber & Chasnoff four thumb picks, but I only have three and I need them.
-Rick Rossi

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Released in 1998

Reviews

There's nothing like the intimacy of a duet setting to give a glimpse into the musical souls of the performers.  On Free to Dream, mandolinist Dick Staber and guitarist Judith Chasnoff team up on 20 tracks that show their love for American music.  Though there are several Staber originals here (9 out of 20 cuts), the overall framework of the album is a seamless mix of ballads (in the storytelling sense), gospel numbers, a cappella songs, and instrumentals.

The voices of Staber and Chasnoff mix easily, and they swap leads and harmonies to give an impressive amount of variety given the constant duet arrangements.  This plays out nicely on the question-and-answer dialogue of "Mr. Rabbit" or the haunting a cappella duet on Jean Ritchie's "Morning Come, Maria Gone."  Even when they reach out into different genres, such as on their lively arrangement of Les Paul and Mary Ford's "Hear Them Bells," the end result never sounds out of place in the duet setting.

Staber, who has released a few albums under his own name on labels such as Rounder and Strictly Country, gets some room to flex his mandolin muscles on tunes like "Morpeth Rant" and his own "Stony Clove," as well as his extended introduction to Chasnoff's vocal on his song, "Frog in the Pond."  But Free To Dream is clearly the product of a team.  The duo of Staber and Chasnoff is a warm, friendly, accessible pairing that shows off some fine voices and good songs.  This CD finds these two musical souls in complete harmony.

-HK, Bluegrass Unlimited