More Recommended Listening: Gypsy/Choro Mandolin Recordings
Whether from European or Brazil, our uniquely Amercian Jazz music has seen a healthy invasion of some great music. We've recently added this page of fabulous recordings.

Jazzmando Simple Selection Criteria:
1.) CD has to be jazz-mandolin relevant. (Must have jazz; must have prominent mandolin)
2.) CD has to be commercially available. (Nothing against out-of-print recordings, but what's the point if you can't find them easily?)

Indicates a "Must Have"

MANDOLIN MASTER OF BRAZIL VOL. 1 | Jacob do Bandolim
Release Date: Jan 1, 1991; Genre: (Definitive) Choro
Brazilian influence is not new to jazz, but the Choro in its purest form, is nearly virgin territory. Look for more of this to pour into our culture in the coming decade. Its delightful melodic banter within a predictably intuitive form, made much more complex than its American Counterpart, Ragtime, is in its fullest with Jacob, inarguably the largest catalyst for popularizing Brazilian Bandolim (mandolin). Like biologists searching the South American jungles for new cures for disease, jazz artists will seek the probable medicine in Choro.



PERIPHERIQUE | The Will Patton Ensemble
Release Date: Dec 1, 2002; Genre: Acoustic, Jazz
Refreshingly innovative yet palatably "familiar," soothing but stimulating at the same time, Will redefines the boundaries of Gypsy Jazz with a little geographic exploration into some of the Latin lattitudes, along with a little good old USA Ellington.



LATITUDES AND DEPARTURES | Will Patton
Release Date: Oct 1, 2000; Genre: Acoustic, jazz, choro
Pour yourself a cappachino, put on your beret, and join the rest in the coffeehouse for some tasty Gypsy jazz, filled out by some south of the equator, Brazilian fare. Cheery, yet serious acoustic soloing, Patton's predecessor to Peripherique is equally enjoyable.

STRING THEORY | Will Patton
Release Date: Jun 25, 2005 Genre: Jazz, Acoustic
Will Patton takes his signature sound deeper into Franco terrain, teaming again with French gypsy guitarist, Ninine Garcia and a competent East coast cadre of side musicians, including daughter Anna. Fresh, but Patton’s now familiar approach to composition and playing reminds us that good things come in threes. We suggest having all three in your library. Read review

THE SINGING MOON | John Reischman & John Miller
Release Date: Jan 1, 1998; Genre: Acoustic Jazz, Gypsy/Choro
Stripped to my favorite acoustic combination of mandolin and guitar, Mandolinists' "Tone King" Reischman pairs with guitarist John Miller in a tight, but liberated mixture of compositional invention. Melodic in every sense of the word, the two weave, intertwine, and unite in a brilliant tapestry of Choro and light Gypsy Jazz. Sensible but provocatively creative, one leads, the other complements, only to trade places seamlessly.

BRASIL (DUETS) | Mike Marshall
Genre: Acoustic, Choro
Possibly the most interesting CD I own, Marshall teams up with jazz innovators like Bela Fleck, and Andy Narrell, and virtuoso bassist Edgar Meyer, offering the world a unique glimpse of the Brazilian Choro. Folk music? Probably. Jazz? Without a doubt. Be warned; once you hear what Marshall does, you'll have to get inoculated for the Choro Bug!

CHORO FAMOSA | Mike Marshall
Release Date: May 4, 2004 Genre: Brazilian
Nearly a decade after the release of his brilliant “Duets” Choro CD, Mike Marshall teams up with some of Southern California’s best Choro musicians. Punctuated with powerfully pure clarinet and rolling percussion line, his tone is as beautiful as ever.

DJANGO'S CADILLAC | Django's Cadillac
Release Date: Jul 1, 2003: Genre: Gypsy Jazz
One of the Pacific Northwest's best kept secrets (let's stop being secret!!), relative newbie Django Cadillac is a masterful showcase of Gypsy Jazz, a dash of Klez (Klezmo?), and a brilliantly executed ensemble effort. These guys play well together, capture the comprehensive nuance of the French coffeehouse, and inject a playful, yet cultured spirit in their performance. Kudos to William's squeaky-clean right hand mando technique!



NONCHALANT | Harmonious Wail
Release Date: Feb 26, 2003: Genre: Jazz, Gypsy Plus
Clever meets mature. No "cheese" here, this highly capable, tightly cultured Wisconsin-based ensemble has produced a Gypsy "plus" treasure, "Nonchalant," their third. Featuring vocals along with the more traditional guitar, bass, and percussion, master mandolinist Sims Delaney-Potthoff charms us with tender virtuosity. Special credit to him also for bringing the tenor guitar out of the background and into it's legitimate role as solo instrument. If you aren't snapping your fingers along with this CD, check with your cardiologist-you have no pulse!

DJANGO LATINO | Joe Craven
Release Date: Jul 16, 2004 Genre: Jazz
Joe Craven seamlessly blends the music of Django Rheinhardt with a tasty variety of Latin rhythms. Multi-instrumentalist master, there is no end to the depth of the creativity of the former David Grisman Quintet side man.

AGRADECIDO | David Ray
Release Date: Jan 1, 1998; Genre: Acoustic, Latin Jazz
Bay area string star David Ray reincarnates Jacob do Bandolim in this polished collection of Neo-Choro. An enticing blend of modern jazz harmony with Brazilian tradition, Ray's ensemble brings Venezuelan folk music into the 21st century with a spry combination of plucked string and latin percussion instruments.

GRINGO DO CHORO | Rick Trolsen
Release Date: 2004 Genre: Brazilian Jazz
New Orleans trombonist, Rick Trolsen steps into the streets and studio with some of Brazil’s finest. Trombone with bandolim, seven string guitar, and the usual complement of Choro percussion, Trolsen wields an indefatigable energy and musical dynamic. Read review

HAMILTON DE HOLANDA | Hamilton de Holanda
Release Date: July 8, 2002 Genre: Brazilian Jazz
Balancing superhuman virtuosity with an amenably contagious sense of melodic line, this amazing Brazilian 10-string bandolimist composes and arranges as well as he plays. Recently introduced to the US through a tour with Mike Marshall, we hope to hear much more.

Also available:

Additional recordings with on the Periphery of Jazz.