Out of Despair, Hopefulness and Light in Scroggins and Rose’s Speranza

Adhyâropa Records is thrilled to announce Speranza, the new release by Scroggins & Rose (ÂR00099). Featuring  duos between GRAMMY nominees Tristan Scroggins (IBMA Mandolinist of the Year Nominee, Missy Raines) and Alisa Rose (Quartet San Francisco, US State Department Musical Ambassador), the album strikes a perfect balance between their shared instrumental virtuosity and the intimacy and delicacy of folk fiddle and traditional old-time music.

Speranza is the third collection from Scroggins & Rose, and their first on Adhyâropa. Conceived during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown, this album came out of the darkness of that time; but rather than gloom, hopefulness and light permeate every corner of the recording. Scroggins and Rose are masters of their instruments, and the interplay between the two showcases not merely their virtuosity but their deep musical sensitivity for one another. Fans of David Grisman and Darol Anger’s collaborations, or Kenny Kosek’s work with Jerry Garcia, will rejoice.

‘Pandemic Buddy,’ which kicks off the proceedings, begins delicately before exploding, a rhythmic boulder rolling downhill, Scroggins’ mandolin a furious rhythmic setting for Rose’s violin acrobatics. The familiar favorite ‘Wayfaring Stranger’ follows as a contrast, as the duo’s muscular take is shaped from darker materials, Scroggins on mandocello and Rose on baritone violin. Soon however, light emerges once again in their sprightly romp through the old time classic ‘Walk Along John to Kansas,’ as Scroggins explores the pinging upper register of his Stelling mandolin. Rose brings further smiles with her klezmer fiddle playing on the charming ‘Lasso the Squirrel,’ a Rose original. Scroggins’ own original ‘Space Samba’ delivers pointillistic pleasures on the collection’s penultimate track, before Rose returns to the lower register for the album’s closer ‘Reaper,’ a fascinating Itzhak-Perlman-meets-Vassar-Clements violin feature. 

After their previous album Curios was funded by a grant from The Freshgrass Foundation, this album came about with funding from from InterMusic SF’s Musical Grant Program, and recorded at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (where Rose teaches improvisation in the pre-college) with Jason O’Connell, Director of Recording Services and producer/engineer for the San Francisco Symphony. 

With their first two albums, Scroggins & Rose established their voice as a creative duo of improvisers, performers, and composers that simultaneously defy genre while honoring musical traditions. Speranza showcases a further matured partnership that explores new sonic possibilities to express the themes of hibernation and emergence.

Artist: Scroggins & Rose

Album Title: Speranza

Label: Adhyâropa Records

Release Dates: November 26, 2024 (single: ‘Wayfaring Stranger’); December 3, 2024 (single: ‘Pandemic Buddy’); December 10, 2024 (single: ‘Reaper’); December 17, 2024 (single: ‘Space Samba’); January 1, 2025 (single: ‘Lasso the Squirrel’); January 10, 2025 (album: Speranza). 

Purchase: https://scrogginsandrose.bandcamp.com/album/speranza

Performers: Tristan Scroggins (mandolin), Alisa Rose (fiddle)