Offering up some tremendous blue-grass tunes this weekend, the Waska-soo Bluegrass Music Society presents John Reischman & the Jaybirds Nov. 14.

The concert, slated to take place at the Elks Lodge, begins at 7 p.m.

Last dropping by the City four years ago, the band are known for their fresh blends of original tunes and in-strumentals fused with ‘old time heri-tage and bluegrass power’.

And noted as one of the acoustic world’s top-ranked mandolin players and composers, Reischman is re-nowned for his taste, tone and impeccable musicianship.

Born in Ukiah, California in 1955, Reichman first played guitar at age 12, exploring finger-picking and blues styles before discovering the mandolin at age 17.

Drawing inspiration from bluegrass patriarch Bill Monroe and acoustic mandolin pioneers Frank Wakefield, Sam Bush, Andy Statman and David Grisman, he was also influenced by his exposure to the hot swing of gui-tarist Django Reinhardt and jazz mandolin of pioneers Jethro Burns and Tiny Moore.

He further honed his skills during more than 20 years performing the San Francisco Bay area in the late 1970s.

And as an original member of the legendary Tony Rice Unit, Reichman helped to define the ‘new acoustic’ in-strumental scene in the early 1980s with appearances on the band’s groundbreaking Rounder albums Still Inside and Backwaters.

He cemented his reputation touring and recording for many years with the Bay Area’s eclectic Good Ol’ Persons before moving to Vancouver, British Columbia in the early 1990s to pursue a solo career.

In 1999 Reischman teamed with Nashville mandolinist Butch Baldas-sari and celtic guitarist Robin Bullock to produce Travellers, a unique in-strumental adventure covering blue-grass, celtic, folk and Latin territory.

Other studio work includes appear-ances on CDs by guitarist Scott Ny-gaard, Tony Furtado, and Bay Area singer-songwriter Kathy Kallick.

Concert tickets are $25. Children un-der 16 are admitted free of charge when accompanied by an adult.

Tickets are available at Red Deer Book Exchange, the Parkland Mall service desk, 53rd Street Music and the Key Hole.

They can also be picked up at Jack-son’s Pharmasave in Innisfail and at Popow’s Autobody in Lacombe.

For more information about tickets, call 403-347-1363.

-Weber