Looking for something to do this summer? MandolinCafe has arguably the single most comprehensive list of mandolin workshops and camps in the US and Europe. Complete with date, artist details, and location (Google map!), these are scheduled all the way out from June to October. Now you have no excuse to miss a terrific opportunity for some learning and fellowship in your backyard.

View list: Mandolin Summer Workshops 2007

One day away from June, we love nothing better than sitting on the porch, picking with a calm summer breeze.

Posted by Ted at 06:15 AM

May 29, 2007 | This kid has soul...

In 1964, Justice Potter Stewart tried to explain "hard-core" pornography, or what is obscene, by saying, "I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced... but I know it when I see it."

The same can be said about describing "soul" in music. How do you measure it? We don't know but his kid definitely has it:

Young Luciano on "air" guitare

This video submitted by our Belgian JazzMando Correspondent, Jean-Pierre Woos. (Thanks, Jee Pee!)

Posted by Ted at 10:58 PM

May 27, 2007 | Last Chance! Django in June

Just a quick reminder for you east coast procrastinators about the Django in June opportunity in Northampton, Massachusetts, June 12 through 17th. JazzMando powerhouse, Professor John McGann will be leading "must-see" sessions on Gypsy Jazz playing on mandolin. This is really a break-through event for mando; the first time our eight-string wonder has been given its full due on a national workshop level.

You just can't afford to miss out!

More details:Django Camp

Django in June Website

Note: If you are attending, send us your pictures to post!

JazzMando is a proud sponsor of the Django in June series.

Posted by Ted at 12:56 PM

May 25, 2007 | DPM JazzMando T-shirt

Introducing (and just in time for festival season), the new "Dogs Playing Mandolins" JazzMando T-shirt. A new twist on a true classic, and even better than a Velvet Elvis, the pack go beyond poker and pool, playing mandolins!

Larger than life in four-color print, the fiesty ensemble is displayed in sublimated ink on the front of a short-sleeve Hanes "Heavyweight", in pristine white 100% preshrunk cotton, double needle sleeves and hem with shoulder-to-shoulder tape. These comfort-soft shirts are a pleasure to wear and pick in!

Our first batch is scheduled for June 11th, and already nearly half are sold, so visit the JazzMando Merchandise Center and get your pre-order in early! Proceeds go to support the ongoing maintenance of the JazzMando site; fill your shopping cart to benefit us as well as yourself!

Purchase information and closeups: Dogs Playing Mandolins

View image

Shipping June 11, 2007!

Posted by Ted at 06:08 AM

May 23, 2007 | June China Tour

Preparing for his visit to the other side of the globe, the JazzMando Research Staff and Shipping department will be temporarily shutting things down for the first week in June as Site Author, Ted Eschliman heads to China and Taiwan as a guest of Jupiter Band Instruments (KHS Musical Instruments) for a tour of their manufacturing facilities.

From June 2 through 9, we'll be taking orders, but we won't be able to ship again until June 11th, so if you need strings, picks, or cloths, be sure to get your orders in this week. The staff doesn't get much time off, as orders are processed and shipped immediately; they are always on call 24/7. This will be a well-deserved vacation for them. Though there are no mandolin factories on the agenda, Eschliman is looking forward to the factory tours and some sight-seeing in China.

More news to come from the Orient, soon. Also, upon everyone's return June 11th, we'll be shipping the new JazzMando T-shirt. We'll be posting ordering information on this in the next few days.

Posted by Ted at 06:31 AM

May 21, 2007 | What's Up with Joe Craven

JazzMando friend Joe Craven has a busy summer ahead of him. The former David Grisman Quintet percussionist/multi instrumentalist has released his laundry list of educational workshops and collaborations with some incredible artists following a week plus tour of Italy with Alison Brown. We understand a CD is in final-touch stage, a project with multi-instrumentalist Sam Bevan, and a recording in planning stages with the Joe Craven Trio.

Joe is a brilliant mandolinist and composer, always a breath of fresh air musically. He's known to captivate and thoroughly entertain at his educational workshops and festival appearances. It's no surprise his motivational-style programs on living the artful life are inspiring children to college coeds to corporate CEOs throughout the country and borders beyond.

View website: Joe Craven
MySpace

Highly recommended recordings

Posted by Ted at 06:01 AM

May 19, 2007 | Fawzi Checkili; Jazz Oud

You never know what you'll turn up in MySpace.com. How about some Tunisian Jazz? Fawzi Checkili was our recent discovery, a veteran jazz guitarist from Tunisian and some contacts with some fabulous European players to bring several noteworthy CDs (pun intended) where (Middle) East meets West.

After studying English literature in high school, Fawzi became a professional musician playing through several countries including US, Russia,Canada and more. Chekili returned to Tunisia to become a highly sought-after side musician, arranger and composer, by the hottest artists in his home country. He has been experimenting with the native Tunisian folk music, writing for indigent instruments such as the ney (a flute made from bamboo) the oriental accordeon, the oud and the ûdge a fretted and unfretted twelve string instrument created by himself.

"Jazz Oud," you ask? Here it is in all its splendor, and Fawzi's music is both fresh and well-seasoned. We picked up his latest, "Taqism" from CD Baby and are quite impressed.

Artist Website
MySpace Website: Fawzi Checkili
CD Puchase information: Taqism

Take some time to listen to his audio samples!

Posted by Ted at 06:11 AM

May 17, 2007 | FFcP. Word up...

We're trying to get the word out about the simple logic and beauty in the FFcP system for mandolin, mandola, or any fifths-tuned instruments. We even had a N.Y. fiddler friend report in how this ought to be the approach for classical violinist in learning the vertical (harmonic) aspects of playing in addition to the vertical (melodic).

We introduced a summary page or better, index of the more advanced FFcP exercises we've added the last couple years, including the latest, the FFcP Pentatonic. We're also trying to reach the world with our MySpace portal, posting a recent FFcP blog.

FFcP RoundUp
FFcP Pentatonics
FFcP MySpace Blog

We're going to experiment with the MySpace blog and allow MySpace accounts to post feedback and comments. Let us know your thoughts, publicly!

Posted by Ted at 09:43 PM

May 15, 2007 | Joseph and Bryce Milano

You hear a lot about the musician child prodigies, their stories about inspiration, opportunity and hard work, but sometime the stories of their parents can be just as interesting. We met Joseph Milano a couple years ago when he was chaperoning his young (13 at the time) prodigious son, Bryce Milano, at Rigelfest in Vermont, October of 2005. Turns out Joseph actually grew up not far from JazzMando headquarters west of Lincoln, Nebraska, so we already had a lot in common, much to talk about late into the night.

A successful artisan in his own right, Joesph owns Philadelphia based Joseph Milano Glassworks, a specialty stained glass operation that not only handles local building restorations, he's done some custom work for several Hollywood productions. (You can read more about this on his website.) His work is brilliant, and worth the time viewing his online slideshow.

While hauling Bryce around, he hooked up with several "name" artists, including Mike Marshall who took the young mandolinist under his wing, and Darol Anger, jazz educator/pioneer violinist. It was the meeting with Anger that inspired what would later become String Nation, a two-day festival and workshop of cutting edge modern acoustic string music from styles around the world. The premier players included Grammy winning folk singer Tim O'Brien, Darol Anger's Republic of Strings, Celtic artist Seamus Egan, French guitarist Stephane Wremble and his Trio, mandolinists Mike Marshall and Brazilian bandolim master Hamilton de Holanda, and Sweden's Vasen featuring world champion nyckelharpa player Olov Johannson.

Their dream came true last weekend and you can read about it in the following News of Delaware County article:
String Concert Goes Global

View Joseph Milano's Glassworks

Visit String Nation website

Posted by Ted at 08:07 PM

May 13, 2007 | Mowry Two-point on deck

On the high-desert, Oregonian woodbench of spruce and maple magician Andrew Mowry, a gorgeous two-point mandolin. It's no secret, with the amount of time invested in complexity and labor diverted into creating tone instead of the scroll (the proverbial $1200 strap hanger), Andrew feels he can offer a more affordable compromise between the F5 and A5 styles.

He tells us despite the arguable lack of solid industry consensus on tonal differences between F and A bodies, his Florentines tend to have a little more bass, and perhaps offer a tad more volume, possibly attributed to the structure of the headblock. In this case, his two-point is designed similarly so the tonal capabilities run in close company.

The veteran player will also appreciate significantly less weight because of this (and his recent switch to using carbon fibre neck reinforcement bars), adding to extended player comfort. Mowry tends to voice his two-points for jazz, which of course, put him on our radar. We're looking forward to the opportunity to review this instrument in our Builder's Spotlight after final sanding, color, finishing, and assembly in another month or two. Meantime, we have some interesting "in the white" pictures for you to enjoy:

Mowry Face
Mowry Horn
Mowry Back
Mowry Headstock

Visit website: Mowry Strings

Posted by Ted at 08:20 PM

May 11, 2007 | Eva's Last Dream

Fresh out from 18 year-old Eva Holbrook (just had a birthday, so we can't call her Wunderkid anymore...), her solo release "The Very Last Dream." We've had a chance to spin it a bunch and can't say enough about this promising young talent. She sings, she plays, she writes like a Nashville industry veteran. Who knows, we guess she can probably cook too (at least she does on her custom Schwab Tele Emando!).

We appreciate the new terrain she explores musically. There's certainly a crop of young mandolin talent out there, yet she remains unrivaled midst these young "punks" in her electric voice. Run through a Boss GT8 Guitar Effects Processor her seafoam green ax makes a statement, and one you'll enjoy as much as us in hearing.

Not to disrespect her acoustic chops either, she wields her Weber Beartooth with equal confidence and authority. This young lady has a huge head start. We'll be excited watching her as she continues to spread out and grow.

Rock on, Eva!

Read review: The Very Last Dream

Artist Website: Eva Holbrook

Schwab Mandolins website

Posted by Ted at 10:58 AM

May 09, 2007 | Registration Bonus for Django in June ends May 16

Any good gypsy would love to travel and save money. We've made special financial arrangements with camp coordinator Andrew Lawrence to include our readers in the Django in June event in New England this summer, saving you up to $200 off the event. If you have the time and are within driving/flying distance, consider including these six days (or part of them) at this specially reduced cost. The core of the JazzMando mission is promoting the mandolin in jazz, and we feel this breakthrough event which includes the mandolin in a very high profile participating position, is a major part of this effort.

New for this year Django in June, the first comprehensive "music camp" in the US devoted to Gypsy jazz. Django Camp will be held on the Smith College campus in beautiful Northampton, Massachusetts from Tuesday, June 12 through Sunday the 17th, with offerings for guitar, violin, mandolin, accordion and bass. Lining up a stellar staff of musicians from both coasts of the US and both sides of the Atlantic to provide an opportunity for immersion, guidance and inspiration. Django in June is proud to enlist the services and expertise of Berklee Professor, John McGann for gypsy mandolin instruction.

Django Camp will get started after dinner on Tuesday, June 12th and wrap up mid-day on Sunday the 17th. Wednesday through Saturday, the day will be broken into four time periods: one in the morning, two in the afternoon, and then an evening devoted to jamming, study or performance. At mealtimes, you will be providing music for one another in the dining hall on campus. There will be jamming before, in between, in the midst of, and afterwards.

The instructional program will be built around (but not limited to) a core repertoire of tunes that will provide a foundation for jamming and learning across instruments and levels of experience. Whether our focus is improvisation, idiomatic licks, solo studies, technique or accompaniment, our instructors will, whenever possible, use these tunes to demonstrate and explore the topic at hand. We will leave many details regarding the instructional program flexible until closer to the event so we can adapt to the number, experience level and expressed interests of our registrants. Here are some fundamentals you can count on, however:

• The camp will accommodate both newcomers to the style and experienced players.


• Classes will be divided between those with mixed instrumentation and those that are instrument-specific, including guitar, violin, mandolin, accordion and bass.


• Some sessions will be organized as presentations for a larger group, while others will be designated for individual or small group coaching.


• In addition to formal instruction, your days will be scheduled with plenty of time for informal guidance from the artists on our staff throughout our time together.

The full Django Camp program will cost between $450 - $860, depending on the choices you make around housing and food. You'll find all those details on the page devoted to Django Camp Registration. But first, please have a look at the fantastic group of Artists and Staff, especially your mandolin instructor, the multi-talented professor from Berkelee College of Music, John McGann who has agreed to help make this first Camp a rich and memorable experience for all. This should be an amazing week of music for you.

Note: JazzMando Registration Bonus Deadline is May 16th

Contact andrew@communityguitar.com
Django in June Website

Bon jour!

Posted by Ted at 05:29 AM

May 07, 2007 | Concert Review: Lampert & Del Grosso

West Coast JazzMando field reporter Wilson Drysdale weighs in with a review of the California Tradidional Music Society May 5th concert of electric mandolin jazz pioneer, Michael Lampert and Blues curator and master, Rich Del Grosso held this last weekend:

This concert was held in the small, warm building of The California Traditional Music Society. Michael Lampert opened for Rich Del Grosso with a three piece band - bass, drums and electric mandolin. Rich sat in on guitar for 3 or four tunes. Michael's set focused on blues and most of the tunes were penned by him. He played with a very contemporary feel and great tone. The rhythm section was outstanding. Rich Del Grosso blended well with the band, and overall, it was a great example of contemporary blues with electric mandolin as the dominant solo instrument.

As the concert was billed as a Night of Blues Mandolin, Rich Del Grosso took the audience back to the early proponents of blues in string bands as he educated the audience on the little known role mandolin played in string bands. He outlined the careers of Johnny Young, Howard Armstrong, and Yank Rachell while playing examples of their songs and songs he has written in their style. Rich played with an electric bass player on each song, played guitar on one or two songs and had Scott Gates - mandolin wunderkind - sit in on a Gershwin tune. After announcing that this was his "last gig in LA", Rich finished the night with a performance of a Muddy Waters song on slide mandolin, in standard tuning, that Muddy would have enjoyed.

Michael Lampert has two CDs - "Jacaranda" and " Blue Gardenia". Rich Del Grosso has a current CD - "Get Your Nose Out of My Business". Rich has also published a book "Mandolin Blues- From Memphis to Maxwell St." which is not only a history of mandolin blues, but an instructional book/CD with more than 16 examples of historical blues and rags, or techniques for playing in the style. This book is highly recommended if you are interested in either the early repertoire, or the evolution of acoustic mandolin blues.

Wilson Drysdale

Thanks, Wilson! Must have been an amazing event!

Posted by Ted at 10:15 AM

May 05, 2007 | Whole Lotta Love; Zeppelin

Unplugged but no less "electric," a live video exerpt of consummate Led Zeppelin rocker John Paul Jones guesting with one of our favorite acoustic string bands, The Duhks captured at Merlefest 2007. The dynamic six minute clip shows Jones wielding an energy driving mandolin chop in support of the Canadian band's solos.

Ah, the 70s...

View Youtube clip: Zeppelin meet Duhks

Picture of John Paul Jones and Flowerpot

Read our review of the Duhks CD "Migrations."

Posted by Ted at 05:32 AM

May 03, 2007 | MySpace

Well, we're just getting into it, but we decided to take the plunge and open a MySpace account. Site Author Ted Eschliman has already put up a few tasty mandolin shots and some personal pics, but the purpose of this is to be another portal back here to the JazzMando site. (We won't put anything there that isn't already here.)
MySpace seems to be where a lot of musicians, music manufacturers, and music fans hang out to hook up. (Best geezer voice) "It's where the keeds hang out; you know... what the keeds like..."

We'd appreciate any feedback from you MySpace veterans on how to build a better looking page there. Check us out, and by all means, weigh in with your suggestions!

MySpace.com/jazzmando

Posted by Ted at 04:29 PM

May 01, 2007 | Gypsy's G

An intriguing new flat-top from Gypsy's Music LLC, Walt Kuhlman has sent us a glimpse of one of their latest, and we are hoping to offer a review in our Builder's Spotlight very soon. We met Walt and his partner Juan at the Winter NAMM show and had some tender moments with a unique variety of their special hand-crafted mandolins. Featuring a wide variety of exotic hardwoods, their focus is on the subtle sophistication and acoustics of the flat-top, thought this particular instrument has a very slight induced arch as well as an EMG-B active pickup.

View picture: Gypsy's G

Spring is here, summer is just around the corner; time for some great outdoor music and everybody needs to satisfy that campfire or porch need for a good, intimate lap top ax. We can't wait to try this one!

Builder Website: Gypsy's Music

Some great woods!

View Walt and Juan

Posted by Ted at 05:57 AM