Bruce Kaphan Quartet: Bruce Kaphan Quartet

The pedal steel guitar is so closely associated with American country and western music that its image can scarcely escape that infinite gravity of categorization. Even when it has wobbled its way into jazz, the instrument has always operated beneath the label of “Western Swing” or “Alternative Country.” Several notable players have distinguished themselves in the hinge of Western Swing, including Bob Wills’ steel guitarist Leon McAuliffe, Hank Williams’ steel guitarist Don Helms, and Buddy Emmons. Many of the country and western musicians of the 1930s and ’40s were closet jazzers, a fact that led to the swing hybrid…