Last week, Steve Martin & Alison Brown brought a star-studded bluegrass band to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to celebrate their brand new duo album, Safe, Sensible and Sane. Released via Brown’s Compass Records on October 17, the album showcases a mighty roster of pickers and special guests as well a packed slate of original tunes and songs co-written by Martin and Brown. For their Tonight Show appearance, they burn through the LP’s closing track, “Let’s Get Out of Here,” a perfect selection to close out the late night television show.
On the album, Martin’s dancing clawhammer banjo and Brown’s confident three-finger style on the number are bolstered by Sam Bush, Trey Hensley, Stuart Duncan, and Todd Phillips. But for their live TV appearance, they tap an equally astounding group of players, bringing along Bronwyn Keith-Hynes (fiddle), Sierra Hull (mandolin), Michael Daves (guitar), and Brown’s husband and business partner Garry West (bass). The tune demonstrates the special – and often tricky – stylistic dialog Martin and Brown accomplish with ease, blending frailing old-time with Scruggs-style bluegrass. The melody is especially suited to both approaches, danceable and driving at the same time. It’s something of a hallmark of the pair’s work together across the years, and especially this new recording.
As viewers can attest watching their performance of “Let’s Get Out of Here,” the music of Safe, Sensible and Sane is excellent, engaging, hilarious, and heartfelt. All qualities that have attributed to its debut last week at No. 1 on Billboard‘s Bluegrass Album Chart. Need more of this duo? BGS co-founder, actor, comedian, and banjoist Ed Helms, recently had a lovely in-depth chat with both Martin and Brown about the album, three renowned banjo stylists in conversation. Read that feature interview here.
