JazzMando.com
type: channel
date: 2008-11-17T20:55:50-06:00
generator agent: http://www.movabletype.org/
items: GiJM JazzMando Shirt
items: Eastman/Giacomel DG1 Mandolin
items: Spotlight: 6th St. Runaround
items: GIJM 20835BCD
items: Gibson 5-string Jazz Mandolin
items: CJM JazzMando Shirt
items: Clark JM Two-point
items: Spotlight: Almeria
items: webtracks
items: Gypsy's Music Octave Mandolin
items: Jazzmando JM10B Flatwound Strings
items: Mechanic's Corvette
items: Spotlight: Classics of the Brazilian Choro
items: Spotlight: Access AC3MN11 Rectangular Mandolin Case
items: Spotlight: Sharon by the Sea

GiJM JazzMando Shirt
type: item
description: Exclusive Premium JazzMando "Getting Into Jazz Mandolin" Shirt A tribute to a ground-breaking book... SPECIAL REDUCED PRICE! We're offering a limited run of black long-sleeve shirts for anyone wanting to sport a picture of the cover of Mel Bay's recent contribution to mandolin pedagogy, Getting Into Jazz Mandolin. Note the full-color printing is not inexpensive, and we've gone temporarily with a long-sleeve only until the northern lattitudes spring thaw. (If you'd be interested in a short-sleeve version later, or in Medium or Small sizes, let us know.) These stylish black long-sleeve Hanes "Anvil" 100% Preshrunk cotton shirts are adorned with a full size view of the book's cover, a chance for you to show off to your friends what you are studying, even when you don't have a mandolin in your hands. The dirty little secret of these: fashion experts know black is also very "slimming" and flattering; plus, the sleeves will also keep you warmer in the fall/winter season. "Slimming" color and contour Stylish ribbed sleeve cuffs Comfy Haynes 5.4-oz 100% preshrunk cotton Neck rib is seamless, and TearAway tag easily be removed Help support the site with a purchase of this premium shirt for yourself, and/or a friend. ORDER YOUR PREMIUM "GiJM" SHIRT FROM THE JAZZMANDO MERCHANDISE CENTER TODAY! Show off your good taste in fashion and mandolin pedagogy!... IN STOCK: NOW SHIPPING Shirts available in Large and Extra Large (tend to fit a bit smaller) $19.95 (plus $3.00 First Class Postage USA domestic; contact us for outside US rates). Limited XXL available for $3.00 more. Instructions : PREORDER NOW Select Size: Premium Large $19.95 black long-sleeve (plus $3.00 S&H) Premium Extra Large $19.95 black long-sleeve (plus $3.00 S&H) Premium Double Extra Large $22.95 black long-sleeve (plus $3.00 S&H) Limited Quantities Allow extra two weeks for delivery on XXL size Or: Contact us for snail mail adress to send check. We can ship non-domestic shirt orders for an additional $10.00 each. C…
creator: Ted
date: 2008-11-17T20:55:50-06:00

Eastman/Giacomel DG1 Mandolin
type: item
description: From the Dawg Collection by Eastman DG1 Mandolin Not long ago, American mandolinist pioneer David Grisman, known for his tastes in collecting and performing with exquisite vintage instruments, caused quite a stir when he was seen heralding an enigmatic silhouette on stage, something resembling more spacecraft than folk music implement. With a simple swipe of the mando-master innovator's pick, the broad Dawg music following was introduced to Grisman's enduring passion for the hand craftsmanship of worldclass builder Corrado Giacomel of Genoa, Italy. Popular veteran performer Grisman and the instrument maker have since forged a unique friendship and business relationship, offering this breakthrough design a widespread and immediate audience this side of the Atlantic. The original J5 model he currently sports bears a substantial price tag at $12,500; in addition a production capacity limited to approximately ten per year, both factors pose major acquisition barriers to all but the exlusive elite of professional players and dedicated hobbyists. The good news, however, is this partnership is now broadened to the mass market with its collaboration with Eastman Strings, inarguably one of the fastest growing manufacturers of mid-level mandolins, already having achieved a decade of acceptance and notoriety in quality orchestral strings production, as well as world renown acceptance in Jazzbox guitars. Eastman's first introduction in a larger experiment offering other reproductions of Grisman's personal collection is this joint effort, a mid-priced replica inspired and approved by Giacomel, the DG1. Suggested List Price at $3495, its street price will likely to be closer to $3K, a much more palatable acquisition for a broader market. The uniqueness of the instrument is not only in its looks and other-world cosmetic panache. Much like its older sisters in Eastman's 900 series, the AAA quality highly flamed maple is capable of a robust resonance; great volume is not an issue at…
creator: Ted
date: 2008-11-16T19:42:21-06:00

Spotlight: 6th St. Runaround
type: item
description: New from the Will Patton Ensemble, 6th St. Runaround. Will Patton, consummate Gypsy/Choro musician has wowed the mandolin world once again with his fourth masterpiece CD, "6th St. Runaround." Patton has recorded a consistent stream of signature "Django meets Jacob" music for over a decade, and this one further injects, as he confesses to his younger days "prowling around lower Manhattan taking in jazz every night" where he was inspired in paradoxically half-empty clubs by the likes of Bill Evans, Sonny Rollins, Art Farmer. Will muses, "James Moody at Sweet Basil, a late night set on a weeknight--there was a table of good natured hecklers behind us that led to a hilarious exchange from the stage--it was Cecil Taylor and his posse.... I felt like I was in jazz heaven." The title track "6th Street Runaround" opens with a hard-swinging resolve, immediately establishing the CD's agenda, with the subsequent "Parana" returning to Patton's familiar South American sound. What we really have been eagerly anticipating was his first meeting with Texas Swing/Bebop mandolin authority Paul Glasse on the project's 5th track, "Breakfast Feud." Though the two had only corresponded long distance prior, and are certainly kindred spirits, their "first contact" recording in Austin prior to Summer NAMM 2007 gave the jazz mandolin powerhouses a chance to exchange ideas and commit some excellent playing to hard disk. Glasse, just recovering from a broken wrist six weeks prior clearly "took one for the team" and was still able to coax his signature magic out of his Monteleone A5. It's an interesting study in mandolin sound; in the left channel with Will's classic Teens Gibson A (right for Paul's A); the results are blissfully subtle and ironically commanding for instruments both known more for their sweetness than their gravitas. Patton's interpretation of the Mercer/Van Huesen classic, "I thought about You," exemplifies his unique ability to fit in with the standard jazz combo, horn (clarin…
creator: Ted
date: 2008-10-05T10:48:39-06:00

GIJM 20835BCD
type: item
description: Introducing Getting Into Jazz Mandolin 20835BCD from Mel Bay Publishing. NOW SHIPPING!!! Why Jazz Mandolin? The last half-century has produced an explosion of interest in guitar, mandolin, banjo, ukulele, and other string instruments. Once relegated to simple folk music, these instruments are now in their heyday of popularity, enjoying an exponentially expanding immersion into a variety of more complex styles, from blues to jazz, to a wide array of world ethnicities. Though rooted in nearly three centuries of European tradition, only in the last two decades the mandolin is just recently following closely on the heels of its more popular bigger brother, the guitar. From Cowboy chords, to Elvis, to Guitar Hero, the guitar of today is prominently main-stream, arguably surpassing the piano in status. The mandolin is poised to capture and captivate a similarly expanding market and popularity; all that has been missing is the published pedagogies necessary to equip the player to enjoy a broader array of musical styles. Until now... Jazz is the natural evolving starting point, with its complex rhythmic and harmonic structure; Mel Bay writer Ted Eschliman has developed a strategic method to take the advanced-beginner folk mandolinist into the richly verdant vocabulary of jazz. With this language at his/her fingertips, the player can dig deep not only into jazz, but other equally complex genres, including classical, Broadway, Brazilian Choro, and many other challenging musical styles. What this book offers: A clear, consistent course progression. The player starts with something already known (the Major Scale) and develops patterns that can be intuitively expanded. Jazz variations are introduced incrementally, and by the end of the book, the player should be relatively comfortable improvising. Clear language. Advanced music theory is explained with unpretentious prose, uncomplicated terminology and good humor. A mandolinist could simply play through all the exercises, and at…
creator: Ted
date: 2008-09-25T19:44:35-06:00

Gibson 5-string Jazz Mandolin
type: item
description: Why have six strings when five will do? We've been privy to a first-hand, up close encounter with the wicked cool transformation of a Gibson 6-string "Mandolin/Guitar" into a remarkable little 5-string mandolin, complete with jazz custom pickup. Ed Christian, honorary deputy JazzMando Staff Research Assistant and (full-time) English Professor out in Hamburg, Pennsylvania, tackled this boldly imaginative project with an admirable degree of success. First a bit about the Gibson M6 Mandolin/Guitar: to call this instrument a massive marketing gaffe might be a tad melodramatic, but certainly, an instrument whose manufacturer suggested List Price in the $5 & $6K range, typically streeting in the low $1K now, certainly hasn't hit its target. The concept of a mandolin body tuned like a high pitched guitar (all six strings) didn't exactly catch fire in the Nashville circuit; we're excited to see this transformed into something useful. From the Gibson website: The Gibson M-6 features an A-style mandolin body with a short-scale guitar neck that makes every guitarist an instant multi-instrumentalist. The M-6 is tuned an octave higher than a standard guitar, so that the high E-string matches the highest open string on a mandolin. Guitarists can get the tone of a mandolin without having to adapt to a different tuning." One word: "Why???" Professor Christian's courageous vision was to first change this wood and steel abomination from a 6- to a 5-string. In order to do that, first he had to address the tuning tension balance issue of floppy C versus taut E string. This is a perpetual challenge for the 5-string designer to pull off (pun intended), but one of the most effective solutions in our opinion is the Fanned-Fret system. Throwing all caution to the wind (and exploiting the instrument's extended fingerboard width), he removed the fretboard, calculating the math for appropriate tension and intonation and installed .080 fretwire, eventually settling in on a 14-1/2" scale on the …
creator: Ted
date: 2008-07-20T21:05:04-06:00

CJM JazzMando Shirt
type: item
description: SORRY, SOLD OUT. Check out our latest shirt, the "Getting Into Jazz Mandolin" Long-sleeve. Short-sleeve (Ash colored) Hanes double-stitched fabric, 100% Preshrunk cotton, these shirts are adorned with a terrific tilt view of the Clark JM, larger than life in four-color print. "CLARK JM" SHIRT NO LONGER AVAILABLE. Yours for only $20.00 (this $20.00 includes First Class Postage USA domestic; contact us for outside US rates). DISCONTINUED n/a A year in the making and now available for any aspiring JazzMando fan, or any mandolinist seeking rich tone, lasting sustain, and comping crispness, we collaborated with world renown Idaho builder, Austin Clark to offer the world a truly unique instrument.(Read more about the Clark JM here: JazzMando Review.) Read the story here: Clark JM Review. Check out our latest shirt, the "Getting Into Jazz Mandolin" Long-sleeve:
creator: Ted
date: 2008-06-26T18:51:38-06:00

Clark JM Two-point
type: item
description: Austin Clark Clark JM Two-point We're proud to have worked closely with some excellent premium mandolin artisans since the beginning of JazzMando back in 2003. There some very good choices out there, but when it came time to collaborate with a builder on a signature series jazz mandolin, it was the experience with the craft of Austin Clark in the summer of 2007 with his Two-point (read review) that ultimately led us back to his bench to partner on a signature "JM" line of mandolins. Even that "stock" instrument (very much a stretch of the word, as he is prone to intense individualization with each customer), we could tell Austin was on to a clear, vibrant instrument voice that would serve our readers well. Really, there wasn't a lot we wanted to add to the total package, outside of some esoteric cosmetic touches, such as the "Jethro" panache with the block inlay, gold hardware for additional premium elegance. We were already hooked on the Cherry Cola-burst finish that complemented the tortoise binding at every point and curve. We loved Clark's sense of line, how effectively it was expressed with the thin white inside black binding, and then mirrored by the pickguard. From there it was a matter of achieving an efficient plug and play stage sound and further traversing his tonal journey in the pursuit of crisp sustain with an emphasis on string fundamental necessary to propel line. His sonic blueprint was already underway; he merely needed a loud and visible cheerleader. After the field research on the inaugural Clark JM, we are ceremoniously waiving the pom poms for him. Let's start with Austin's woods. The topwoods he generally selects are very similar visually, a very tight grain count and a smooth look. For those preferring a timbre edge, Red Spruce has a brighter, more cutting tone, Engelmann tends to be on the warmer side. The Engelmann he chose for this JM was just what the Doctor ordered, a well-balanced crispness without losing the fundamental aural body. (In…
creator: Ted
date: 2008-06-16T05:41:02-06:00

Spotlight: Almeria
type: item
description: Spotlight: Almeria New from Fernwood, Almeria. The bowed-string family of instruments has yielded several hundred years of rich textural notoriety, from simple string quartet accompaniments, to orchestral scores, to today's big-screen cinematic media ambiance. In contemporary music culture, we immediately think of the string "pad," an underlying atmospheric sonic palate generated by a violin section, deepened by the additional timbre of cellos and basses, even the last quarter century of synthesizer technology has embraced and imitated the sound, granted somewhat artificially. What few arranger/composers have done is embraced the bonus subtlety of plectrum, the layered articulation of multiple plucked instruments like mandolin or guitar, let alone its more exotic relatives like Bouzouki, Ruan, or Sitar. What the two pioneers of cinematic sound Todd Montgomery and Gayle Ellet offer in their recent release, Almeria is a truly stunning and unique array of soundscapes in a "pan-cultural" approach to composition. Self described as "pastoral and psychedelic," their style blends a traditional American acoustic sound with starkly contrasting elements of global influence, including Irish, Eastern European, Middle Eastern, Indian, and Middle Eastern. It's cowboy, it's jazz, it's Oriental. Despite the extreme diversity, the music of Fernwood is far from confusing, and after listening to the tracks several times, there is a consistently clear, signature compositional identity. Like the casual beachcomber can hear the sound of the ocean when placing a stray seashell up to the ear, any who listen to this pleasant music can hear their native Southern California (Malibu) geographic setting in their work. It's "no-pressure" art that does not extrovertly "sell," it casually assimilates and charms. The CD opens with "Sandpiper," major 7th arpeggio cross-picking injecting a reflective, pastoral mood, the opening theme repeated in Rondo form. The extraordinary slide bouzouki lends a lin…
creator: Ted
date: 2008-05-28T21:48:00-06:00

webtracks
type: item
description: Order the book in our JazzMando Merchandise Center. Book shipping date: TODAY!!! Note: Because of the 70 minute audio space limitation on the book's CD, we were limited to running the full exercises of the Major and Minor 'ii V7 I' patterns to only the first of the set of four; each subsequent one was excerpted. As a bonus we are offering full accompaniment tracks on all eight of these (without mandolin), as well as the Turnarounds accompaniment tracks here in an MP3 format. EXTENDED WEBTRACKS ACCOMPANIMENT Audio: Additional background tracks for the book's exercises Extended Major 'ii V7 I' Jam tracks GUITAR ONLY (John Eubanks/Guitar) Page 63: 2nd FFcP Bb Major 'ii V7 I' Page 65: 3rd FFcP C Major 'ii V7 I' Page 67: 1st FFcP A Major 'ii V7 I' Page 69: 4th FFcP D Major 'ii V7 I' Extended Minor 'ii V7 I' Jam tracks GUITAR ONLY (John Eubanks/Guitar) Page 71: 1st FFcP Am 'ii7b5 V7 I' Page 73: 2nd FFcP Bm 'ii7b5 V7 I' Page 75: 3rd FFcP Cm 'ii7b5 V7 I' Page 77: 4th FFcP Dm 'ii7b5 V7 I' Extended Turnaround Jam tracks GUITAR ONLY (John Eubanks/Guitar) Page 89: 3rd FFcP Turnaround G Page 90: 2nd FFcP Turnaround F Page 91: 1st FFcP Turnaround Eb Page 92: 4th FFcP Turnaround A We are also offering additional examples of some of the above (along with the Dorian Patterns and How High the Minor 2nd with guitar and bass accompaniment. Feel free to load these to your MP3 player and jam to your heart's content! Extended Dorian Patterns; Circle of 5ths (John Eubanks/Guitar, Jesse Boyd/bass) Page 35: Dorian Patterns (fast version) "How High the Minor Two" Accompaniment (John Eubanks/Guitar) Page 61: How High the Minor Two (fast version) Extended Major 'ii V7 I' Jam tracks (John Eubanks/Guitar, Jesse Boyd/Bass) Page 65: 3rd FFcP C Major 'ii V7 I' Page 69: 4th FFcP D Major 'ii V7 I' Extended Minor 'ii V7 I' Jam tracks (John Eubanks/Guitar, Jesse Boyd/Bass) Page 71: 1st FFcP A Minor 'ii7b5 V7 i' Page 77: 4th FFcP E Minor 'ii7b5 V7 i' Extended Turnaround Jam tracks (John Eubanks/Guitar, J…
creator: Ted
date: 2008-05-01T14:46:53-06:00

Gypsy's Music Octave Mandolin
type: item
description: Walt Kuhlman Gypsy's Music Octave Mandolin Our first contact with Walt Kuhlman was a pleasant surprise. Fronting a modest but very thorough array of flat top mandolins at the Winter NAMM Show in California in 2007 with his original partner at Gypsy's Music, Juan, we were impressed by the variety of delectable woods displayed by the fledgling business, with their simple design and dazzling sound. Though early out of the gate with mass production, it was obvious he had come up with a formula of quality that could be beautifully hand-crafted, and duplicated without being prohibitively costly. Delighted to see this product still come out of the US, we knew Gypsy's Music was on to something, and tackling a very much under-served niche market. There's something primal about a flattop instrument. Devoid of scroll and complex arching, there remains a subtle beauty in their arguably anti-modern minimalism. Wood. Strings. Tone... We ask, what more does one really need, as long as those there elements are there in force? Not too long afterwards, Walt introduced a highly successful Mandola version, as well as created a custom ten-string for our friend and director of the Milwaukee Mandolin Orchestra, Linda Binder. Succeeding this came their Octave Mandolin and it was time to pony up. Walt was contracted to create in our words, something Spartan in cosmetics, but functionally rich with tone. We're happy to say we weren't disappointed; this Gypsy's Music OM was magnificently affordable, comfortably playable, and robust with bold tone. Early into the build, Walt wowed with preliminary pictures of a carefully chosen, expertly book-matched American Black Walnut for the back. Not only cosmetically stunning with flame, today it packs a vigorous volume, round with low end and powerful in dynamic range. The instrument overall does not have to be pounded to be loud, and if we issued any warning about playing these instruments, it would be to spare the hammering, there's far too much subt…
creator: Ted
date: 2008-04-02T18:58:23-06:00

Jazzmando JM10B Flatwound Strings
type: item
description: LABELLA JM10B JAZZMANDO STRINGS New for Mandobirds and solidbody electric mandolins!. Exclusively at JazzMando.com for $15.95 a set (Mfg. List Price $20.95). Shipping included! (Continental USA customers, international orders see below) Jazzmando Flatwound Ball-end Strings for Jazz, Swing, Rock, Blues. New: Introduced April 2008! About the JazzMando JM10B Set: We've had incredible success with the Thomastik Ball-end Thomastik TI strings with discriminating electric mandolinists. Yet, if there were any consistent criticism of the TI's it remains price, and with the recent plummetting value of the Dollar vs. the Euro, this doesn't promise to get any better soon. JazzMando has had the opportunity to work with Labella Strings to develop a ball-end version of the widely popular JM-11 loop end strings. Strung low and light, these flatwound steel strings are just what the doctor ordered for the player who plays in closed position more than open strings, as in Jazz, Swing, Rock and Blues music. Like the JM11 Flatwound Mandolin sets, these give you maximum tone in the treble but facility and harmonic fundamental in the bass range with the slightly stouter 35 gauge G string. In the interest of tone and flexibility, the E course is a .010 for effective soloing. We've opted for the standard plain .014 A and 024 wound D. Chromatic music styles demand good closed finger control, and this combination should help the player avoid fatigue without sacrificing tone. The polished Flatwound have a much closer, tighter wrap which resists corrosion and wear from oxidation and player perspiration. The steel alloys lends a crisp "punch" for a "bell-like" attack and articulation acoustically and magnetic drive with an electric pickup. Player comfort from the smooth strings makes these feel as great as they sound! Though designed for Jazz, these will also work well for the progressive Rock and Blues musician. What else makes JazzMando Strings special: You already knew strings will wear from p…
creator: Ted
date: 2008-03-28T20:47:27-06:00

Mechanic's Corvette
type: item
description: The Mechanic's Corvette James Condino As a child I spent my summers working in the various marinas around the junction of the St Lawrence river and Lake Ontario. I just took it for granted that everyone spent their summers riding around the water in beautiful old mahogany runabouts- Chris Crafts, Hutchinsons, Rivas and the like. One of the fellows I worked with was a mechanic who drove the most beat up and road weary Corvette I had ever seen. When I asked him about fixing it up, I got a short story on how he was always working on so many other folk's cars that by the end of the day, he had enough. As long as his ran, he could muscle his way through the rest. A lot of luthiers are the same way. Whenever someone comes by my shop for the first time visit, they always want to know where my huge collection of great instruments is. Since I build them all day long, my closets should be bursting with instruments. Yet, when I ask almost every one of my luthier friends the same question, we all get a laugh. As a whole, most luthiers only have one or two instruments around, if that. They tend to be the ones that are only in some various stage of (in)completion or that never made the cut to go out the door, just like the mechanic's corvette. Case in point; here is my "Road Warrior" mandolin on one of my benches straight in from my daily cycle commute. That's right, just strapped on to the outside of my backpack. It rained a bit on the way in today, so I pedaled harder and got a good draft of wind flowing to keep the droplets from gaining too much of a stronghold on the outside of the case. The case handle fell off on a river trip a few years ago, so I improvised with a bit of cordilette out of the rescue kit; more comfortable than the factory issue... That's a new 3/4 double bass body in the background along with a couple of mandolin shells. The road warrior is the shop test rig. Just over two years old, it has been down 300 miles of the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon by ra…
creator: Ted
date: 2008-03-20T11:24:15-06:00

Spotlight: Classics of the Brazilian Choro
type: item
description: "Classics of the Brazilian Choro--You are the Soloist" series w/CD Publisher: Global Choro Music Corporation Incorporated in the State of California in October 2006, Global Choro Music Corporation was created with one major aspiration and goal: to have the Brazilian Choro promoted, recognized and played in the whole world. The series "Classics of the Brazilian Choro--You are the Soloist!" was the initial project proposed to materialize this dream. The purpose is to allow professional, amateur musicians and students throughout the world to meet the Choro based on the incomparable experience of performing the songs themselves accompanied by a Choro Ensemble. We had the pleasure of stumbling onto these books at the Winter NAMM show in January of 2008. These are the fruits of an intense love for the rich tradition of Brazilian Choro and are are play-along albums for the flute, clarinet, mandolin and saxophone. President and Founder, Daniel Dalarossa describes his three motivations in providing the materials as 1.) bringing pleasure to the musician and others (Choros are delightful songs to play), 2.) offering a virtual ensemble experience (the musicians on the CD are accomplished and well-versed in the nuances of the music, and 3.) preserving the verdant aural heritage through a written format (these have been performed and passed down for many generations (since the early 19th century), but documented in notation only in the past few decades. In addition to the songs, a brief biographical history of the composer gives context to the music. We already have in our own library, the three book series, O Melhor do Choro" Vols. 1-3, as well as Mike Marshall's Brazilian Choros book, but these books would be a wonderful addition because of the accompanying CDs. Playing along with a true incarnation of the recognized choro band, the 6- and 7-string guitars, the cavaquinho and the pandeiro, one can immerse oneself into the deeper dimension of ensemble authenticity, without havin…
creator: Ted
date: 2008-03-09T14:26:19-06:00

Spotlight: Access AC3MN11 Rectangular Mandolin Case
type: item
description: Access AC3MN11 Rectangular Mandolin Case Answer to a Maiden's Prayer... As JazzMando has pursued promoting mandolins with non-traditional body shapes over the past five years, one of the toughest peripheral issues has always been for cutting-edge builders to find a well-fitting case that's mass produced. Plenty of opportunity for quality custom cases out there, but a premium price tag always accompanies these, and until now, there has been little on the commercial market to cover these needs. We hooked up with Marty Harrison at Access Cases three years ago, and were thrilled to see a prototype rectangular nest case in his NAMM exhibit that would be adaptable to a number of body shapes, not only the popular F- and A-body mandolins, but two-point and guitar bodied. This seemed to be an answer to a maiden's prayer, but internal production snafus tabled this project until Winter NAMM in January of 2008. Access Stage Series Cases are in three levels, Stage 1, 3, and 5; originally this case would have been brown and in their most expensive line, but they opted to market it in the mid-level Stage 3 Series. For all practical purposes, other than the brown color and gold hardware, the final product is the same, the pebble black exterior and nickel hardware adorn a very well made, multi-ply wood rectangular body. Professional in the sense that latches and hinges lock snugly, and an ergonomic hefty handle making it easy to haul to a gig, we think it's street price of around $105 (list $159) make it an exceptional choice. Add to this the fact that it fit almost every mandolin we tried, this case has been a long time coming. We should mention for those who don't need the assurance and protection of a hard wood case, their AB1MN1 Access Gig Bag is another highly recommended, inexpensive option. These are magnificently sturdy; a thin but rigid core surrounds the instrument inside the fabric and street priced at a meager $46.00. Back to the hard case, we were impressed with the ins…
creator: Ted
date: 2008-03-02T13:41:45-06:00

Spotlight: Sharon by the Sea
type: item
description: Eva Scow/Dusty Brough Sharon by the Sea Released at the tail end of 2007, "Sharon by the Sea," featuring the multiple talents of Fresno California based mandolinist Eva Scow (pronounced EH-va Skow) and guitarist Dusty Brough, is arguably one of the freshest, most impressive "New Acoustic" projects we've heard in a long while. Dazzling harmonies, intricately woven sonic textures all recorded with tightly disciplined focus, make this CD instantly likable, inexhaustibly absorbing, even after the 7th spin. The duo takes center stage midst an intriguing ensemble of rhythm players, including a fascinating assortment of supportive percussive elements including tabla, pandeiro, tan tan, & cuica (John Martin III), along with upright bass, swirling violin and cello. (Eva & Adam Scow, Mark Summer consecutively). We hear an endless spool of ever changing fabrics, yet throughout the whole project, a powerfully compelling compositional consistency remains. Eva's mandolin skills are as impressive as her writing. Clear execution, the young 19 year-old plays with the nuance and finesse of a musician twice her age. Her frighteningly good talent is magnificently complemented with the equally adept guitar proficiency of co-writer, Dusty Brough. Her music is somewhat evocative of the music of Mike Marshall and his propensity to continually blaze music style frontiers from all over the world, the artists had the privilege of recording the entire CD in mandolin superstar's personal studio. In her words, "we were handed the keys." The first track "Bird With Beastlike Qualities" opens the CD up with some smart, down-to-business Flamenco-tinged Choro "Nouveau." Playful yet concurrently serious, we're instantly introduced to the duo's ability to interact and complement each others' playing. A few atmospheric sound effects make the song experiential and ambient, without being cloyingly "New Age." Aptly named, "Theoretically Speaking," introduces itself Choro in nature and pedagogically etude-i…
creator: Ted
date: 2008-02-07T21:17:34-06:00