Sarah Jarosz: Ring them Bells

It’s a Wooden Music Wednesday and here’s an artist that I’ve heard quite a bit on National Public Radio’s “Prairie Home Companion.” Sarah Jarosz, a 26-year old mandolin prodigy from Texas, has been recording with Sugar Hill Records since 2009. Today we feature “Ring them Bells,” which is a Bob Dylan composition that was featured on his 1989 “Oh Mercy” album. Sarah recorded it on her second LP, “Follow Me Down” where the arrangement centers around her banjo picking. We’ll play the studio version, which is excellent, later.

But for now, here’s a live studio cut featuring Sarah on an octave mandolin – one of my favorite instruments. While I have one, her instrument is of better quality than mine. This acoustic version was recorded at Minutia Studios in Nashville in 2013 as part of The American Sessions from Vanguard Records and Sugar Hill Records.