About this episode
My guest this week is Alex Graf, celebrating Tony Rice’s classic album Manzanita, including Tony’s influences and how listening to jazz inspired his playing.
Topics covered
- How Tony recorded Manzanita and how the musicians he chose for the recordings shaped the sound
- How Tony’s jazz influences shaped his approach to guitar
- The importance of musical conversation between band members on Manzanita
- The myths and legends that surround Tony’s albums
- How Tony Rice’s approach to chord voicings was inspired by jazz piano legend Bill Evans
- How reinterpreting melody, rather than just blowing through the changes, keeps music fresh
About Alex Graf
Alex Graf grew up in the Hudson Valley of New York, where he spent a decade deep in the jazz tradition — Charlie Parker, Coltrane, Monk, Metheny, Wes Montgomery, Bill Frisell. The lessons he absorbed about improvisation, harmony, and the American Songbook continue to shape everything he plays.
After nearly burning out on the competitive jazz world, Alex was welcomed back into music by the bluegrass community — and his love for playing and teaching has never burned brighter. Since moving to Durango, CO in 2017, he’s built a voice that draws equally from jazz and bluegrass, bringing an unexpected depth to acoustic music.
Alex released his debut album, Sagebrush Continuum, in 2023, featuring Jacob Jolliff on mandolin. His second album — recorded in 2025 with Jacob Jolliff and Cody Tinnin — is set for release in 2026. He currently plays in Jeremy Garrett’s Bluegrass Band.
In more detail
We chat about how the band for Manzanita came together, including David Grisman, Ricky Skaggs, Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, Darol Anger and Todd Phillips. We also discuss the various stories around why there’s no banjo on Manzanita and how JD Crowe, who was supposed to play on the record, ended up missing the sessions.
Alex talks about Tony’s jazz influences and how he made the opposite journey, from jazz to bluegrass, and what he learned on the way.
Resources
To find out more about Alex, including his great teaching resource Alex’s Acoustic Club, head to alexgrafmusic.com
For news, updates and great free content on improving your playing, check out Alex’s Instagram and YouTube
Related to this episode
Tony Rice has probably featured in more episodes of the podcast than any other musician, which is testament to his extraordinary influence.
- Church Street Blues 40th Anniversary Celebration Part 1 – featuring Wyatt Rice, Tim Stafford, Bryan Sutton and more
- Church Street Blues 40th Anniversary Celebration Part 2 – featuring Jake Eddy, Justin Moses and more
- Wyatt Rice on Recording Church Street Blues With Tony
Other ways to listen
You can listen to this episode of Bluegrass Jam Along on all major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify