Mayday! May Day! Save on Django Camp Till May 1st; Django Camp now stands at approximately 70 registered participants from around the continent and abroad and it is going to be an incredible week. You can still be accomodated you if you'd like to join for a Gypsy jazz immersion experience like no other, but now's the time to sign up, so here's a friendly offer to help you off the fence: The cost of tuition for Camp has already gone up by $50 this month and it is set to go up another $50 on the 1st of May but if you register by May 1st, they will waive both those tuition increases and allow you register at the early-bird rate of $350. Such a deal. Register for Django Camp now. You won't regret it.

Registration for our Weekend Drop-In option is now open. If you can't be there for all of Django Camp but you'd like to join them for a weekend of djamming, clinics, GJ vendors and concerts, they are now ready for you. Take advantage of over 30 clinics to choose from for guitar, violin, mandolin, accordion and bass, plus private rooms in a lovely dorm and an on-campus meal plan. All music, no hassles. One warning though: four days into Django Camp, be prepared to hit the fingerboard running.

Django in June is only about 6 weeks away; in case you don't know, this year DIJ is pleased to feature these artists and instructors: Robin Nolan, Mathieu Chatelain, Adrien Moignard, Michael Horowitz, Jean-Philippe Watremez, Gonzalo Bergara, Dennis Chang, Stephane Wrembel, Ted Gottsegen, Simon Planting, Jeremiah Arranger, Matt Glaser, Jason Anick, John McGann, Vladimir Mollov and Didier Dumoutier.

Festival Details:
Drop In
Registration
Artists and Staff

Festival runs June 10th through 15th on the campus of Smith College in beautiful Northampton, MA.

Posted by Ted at 05:35 AM

April 28, 2008 | Acoustic Music Camp

This is a camp you don't want to miss; how about a weekend with Bebop jazz mandolin master Paul Glasse along with Gerald Jones, and Nate Lee in Dallas (Arlington) Texas, August 7-9? Acoustic Music Camp, a three-day workshop for acoustic musicians on how to play Mandolin, along with Bluegrass & Clawhammer Banjo, Flatpick Guitar, Django Guitar, Country Blues Guitar, Bass, Fiddle, Songwriting, Harmony Vocals & Dobro. Small classes for hands-on experience with some of the industry's best teachers for learning Bluegrass, Texas Fiddle, Swing, Country Blues, Django and more. All skill levels welcome...

This one is going to be hot!

Check out the website for Registration Information.

Website: Acoustic Music Camp

Posted by Ted at 01:03 PM

April 26, 2008 | L.A. Treasures Award

Chalk up another accolade for jazz electric mandolin pioneer, Michael Lampert; the California Traditional Music Society and the City of Los Angeles Department Cultural Affairs award him the "Elaine Weissman L.A. Treasures Awards" recipient for March, 2008. This program supports folk and traditional performing and visual artists and is named after Elaine Weissman, founder of CTMS and great promoter and supporter of folk and traditional arts. Lampert was recognized by the prestigious organiztions for his contribution to blues mandolin.

Congratulations, Michael!

More information: California Traditional Music Society

Artist website: Michael Lampert

Posted by Ted at 05:07 AM

April 23, 2008 | Clark JM Update

We wanted to keep everyone abreast of the development of the new Clark JM Two-point mandolin. Austin is carefully finishing the binding and assembling parts into one single working unit. We mentioned in one of our recent April entries, the process of experimenting with maximum placement of the internal pickup. (See Pickup Journey.) Our biggest concern next to true quality accoustic sound is the propensity for amplifier feedback.

We've settled on the K&K (more specs on this later), Austin weighs in: "Just a note on the K&K--while testing, we put it right up to the monitor and couldn't get it to feedback. It would overdrive when pretty much right on the speaker, but no feedback. I am quite impressed with this pickup. I liked the preamp, too and would highly recommend it. It works much better than my Fishman ProEQII."

We'll probably stick with our UltraSound DIplus Direct box for a preamp, but we're eager with anticipation for the Clark JM's June expected delivery.

Stay Tuned!

Posted by Ted at 09:40 PM

April 21, 2008 | Jitterbug Vipers

If there is any example of the vibrant Austin, Texas music scene, it's in the Jitterbug Vipers. Fronted by the granddaughter of swing violin/mandolin legend Johnny Gimble, Emily Gimble, along with Austin veteran guitarist Slim Richey, offer some of the most toe-tapping, compelling vintage hard swing we've heard in years. Their latest self-titled CD, is in regular rotation around the JazzMando lab (despite no mando content), including such great swing classics as "Blue Skies," "No Moon at All," and "When I Get Low, I Get High."

Norah Jones has nothing on this little lady with the true bloodline of swing royalty...

Pick up a copy through their MySpace website or catch them in Austin nearly every Tuesday at Lamberts Downtown BBQ.

My Space website: Jitterbug Vipers

Enjoy JITTERBUG VIPERS MUSIC VIDEO

Posted by Ted at 05:40 AM

April 19, 2008 | Django Camp!

This just in from our friends, event administrator Andrew Lawrence and staff clinician, Berklee Professor John McGann, camp details on the New England Django in June festival; Tuesday, June 10th through Sunday the 15th, on the campus of Smith College in beautiful Northampton, MA.:

Django in June weekend clinics
The Weekend Drop-In option is for musicians (including guitar, violin, mandolin, accordion and bass players) who would like to get in on the action at Django in June, but who either can't or would rather not commit to Django Camp in its entirety. While our activities leading up to the weekend will be reserved for Django Camp participants only, from late Friday afternoon on you are more than welcome to join us for a couple hours or a couple days, however you wish: to jam, take clinics, visit vendors, stay in the dorm, hang with us over meals and take in a show or two. Throughout the winter and spring of '08 we'll be building our roster of artists who will be on our staff. Check out who we've got on board on this page devoted to Artists and Staff.

Time Is Of The Essence: It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't In The Groove! (All instruments, all levels)
Think about it: A simple idea, played with good tone and good time, will communicate and resonate much better than a complex idea played with wobbly time. Not many of us are born with great time--but we can develop a better sense of groove, to lay melody, accompaniment and solos "in the pocket" with clarity and focus. We'll use a metronome and explore practice techniques that are fun and challenging.

Speaking the Jazz Language: Applying Theory Concepts to Soloing (All instruments, intermediate-advanced)
With a modest amount of music theory (the basics of chord structure) combined with our all-important ears, we can build stronger and more interesting solos. We will do hands-on playing (and singing) of colorful scales, modes, arpeggios and chromatics as applied to common tunes in jazz, and develop creative melodic and rhythmic strategies for improvisation. No note reading needed!

More info at djangoinjune.com

Don't miss out!

Posted by Ted at 05:40 AM

April 17, 2008 | Getting Into Jazz Mandolin

Mel Bay's "Getting into Jazz Mandolin" is one step closer to reality! After a two-year silence, we just sent Priority Mail, corrections on what we hope to be the final proof. The project was started in 2003, but this is agonizingly typical of most publishing time frames, especially from a progressive company as prolific and broad as Mel Bay. The accompanying CD is in its final mixing stages, and if our good buddy Don Stiernberg can fit it in his schedule when he gets back from his East Coast tour, we hope to include some incredible last-minute bonus audio tracks.

We also requested a special "Foreword" from mentor and sister website Mandolin Cafe author, Scott Tichenor. We can at least give you a peak of that:

"It wasn't so long ago that a bootleg copy of an an old Homer & Jethro recording or the work of Tiny Moore with the Bob or Billy Jack Wills bands pretty much summed up the term "jazz mandolin." No longer. Jazz's influence is a vital part of the today's scene and found in just about every conceivable music genre. Mandolin players are busy venturing into musical territory that 30 years ago, few dared attempt. And while there are a few resources in print, a truly comprehensive jazz mandolin method was waiting to be written. Until now. With Getting Into Jazz Mandolin, Ted Eschliman has given us the gift of a no-nonsense practical guide to help us incorporate some simple and effective ideas into our musical vocabulary. Let the mystery be no more. I can't wait to dig into this one."

Scott Tichenor
Mandolin Cafe

Thanks Scott, and thanks to those of you who have been patiently awaiting!

Sneak Peak: 20835BCD Table of Contents

Posted by Ted at 03:08 PM

April 15, 2008 | FFcP Testimony

We like hearing when discipline and diligence pay off, especially in regards to some of the techniques taught on this site. Once in a while, we get feedback we want to share as encouragement for those who are just starting out, like this wonderful note from J.K.:

"I retired last August to live on an Island in Lake Superior, where my wife has lived and worked for the last ten years. It was time to put familly before career. I have played guitar for over 40 years and have been stuck in a kind of advanced intermediate range for at least the last twenty five years. During that time I have tried many times to move from a folk-acoustic fingerpicker to a jazz style player. The combination of career and remote location limited my time and resources so that I never really gained any fluency in the genre. In October I decided to learn to play a Kentucky mandolin that someone had given me along the way. I picked up some books and made pretty fast but basic progress until January.

Thank you,
J.K."

We live for feedback like this (thanks J.K.)! Feel free to share your story with us: Contact

More nurturing opportunities: FFcP Index

Posted by Ted at 05:02 AM

April 13, 2008 | New Ball-end Strings

We've got the new ball-end JM Flatwound strings in stock and ready to ship, albeit with a tad bit of apprehension. The strings work great and sound magnificent on the solid-body electrics we've tested (especially on Epiphone Mandobirds.)

What we're not quite sure of however, is the acoustic/electric instruments. The JM10Bs did not fare well on the Ovation Celebrity (import) we tested the E strings popped out at the ball, and the D course s were a struggle to intonate properly. (Don't know if the latter is a problem with the instrument bridge compensation or the core of the string itself...)

If you're interested in testing these, we have a limited amount of prototypes we could exchange for some feedback. Contact us if you're game; if you have a ball-end instrument we've not tested, you may be eligible for a free sample set.

Product information: JM10B Flatwound Ball-end Mandolin Strings
Contact: Field Test

Posted by Ted at 05:46 PM

April 11, 2008 | Michael Lampert in Concert

The California Traditional Music Society presents electric mandolin pioneer Michael Lampert in concert Saturday, April 12th in Encino, CA., at the Center for Folk Music, 8:00 PM. This is your chance to catch the jazz guru with his trio in an "Evening of Blues Mandolin." Slinging his signature Schwab electric, Lampert promises to show his bluesier side in this first of several spring concert opportunities.

Don't miss!

Ticket information: Evening of Blues Mandolin
Artist Website: Sojourner Records

Posted by Ted at 04:53 AM

April 09, 2008 | Djangobooks new videos

Latest April videos entries from our friend Michael Horowitz at Djangobooks.com include some classic performances:
The Rosenberg Trio
Lulu Reinhardt
Joscho Stephane

Get caught up: Video Archive

Some wicked cool picking!

Posted by Ted at 04:48 AM

April 07, 2008 | Pickup journey

We get frequent questions about aftermarket pickups for mandolins, and frankly, we have so little experience with anything but instruments that are designed around the pickup. Of course, not everyone is afforded that luxury; a favorite mandolin already in hand needing to be plugged in demands some kind of solution.

Placement is everything, and if you're going inside, working within the tiny confines of F holes and endpin jacks, major obstacles cramp experimentation with optimum placement. "In front of the tone bars? Behind? Bass side, treble side?" It's all a bit of a crapshoot unless you try several options. Even a really good p/u can sound terrible if it isn't in the best point of contact.

Idaho builder Austin Clark has the answer, a blem A5 with holes in the back has given him the opportunity to try firsthand several pickups and best placement. Interestly, he says it doesn't affect the sound of the instrument as much as one would expect.

Of course, this is good news as he's about ready to close-up the back on the new Clark JM jazz Two-point he's releasing this Summer.

Yee Haw!

More on the new Clark JM.

Posted by Ted at 04:58 AM

April 05, 2008 | April Mandolin Sessions

The new April MandolinSessions.com articles from Mel Bay Publishing are online for your enjoyment. This recent Jazz Mandology entry "Enhanced Pentatonics: What Goes Up Must Come Down." mulls new ways to dive into the Pentatonic scale for improvisation. A perpetual issue, this is also dissected in this weeks Tips and Tricks topic "Improvising: A three-pronged attack," by the way.

The bridge between playing mechanics and intuition is indeed, a mysterious one, but we maintain it is possible to develop more quickly with strategic practicing. The Jazzed Pentatonics exercise will help you build that bridge.

Read article: April '08 Jazz Mandology
Read MandolinSessions back issues.

Posted by Ted at 05:05 AM

April 03, 2008 | Gypsy's Octave Mandolin

We're delighted to bring you our latest "Builders Spotlight" entry, a journey to new lows, an Octave Mandolin out of the Southwest US desert, up and coming Gyspy's Music. The search for something moderate in price but abundant in tone has turned up this marvelous instrument; we had a McIntyre Internal Feather pickup added before it left Scottsdale, and this turned about to be a magnificent stage instrument as well as front-porch pleaser. Plugged into an UltraSound DIplus preamp and strung up with D'addario Flatwound Chrome Steel strings, this OM yields robust tone, but remains easy to finger and play, terrific for jazz voicing and classical music.

Special thanks to Walt Kuhlman and crew as they bring the opportunity to purchase a custom-made US product at an extremely reasonable price!

Read Review: Gypsy's Music Octave Mandolin

Read more Builders Spotlight Reviews

Posted by Ted at 09:11 AM

April 01, 2008 | The return of the Arrow

The latest on Paul Lestock and Arrow Guitars and Mandolins
(or "What I did on my vacation...")

First a little eye candy, and proof this genius with wood and frets has been busy:

From the craftsman: "There is nothing wrong with this picture--it's a fan fret 10 string cello (some would call it a cittern, but that's way too close to cistern for my taste) Why 10 strings? Well, I guess if some is good, more is better. The other two cellos are a little less hard to look at, but the one in the front sounds like an orchestra. The subtle differences in fret scale length between pairs gives us a pleasing chorus effect, and the zero fret keeps the strings balanced since technically there are no "open" strings."

No secret that Lestock has been away for a while; we received frequent inquiries as to his whereabouts during the last 18 months, "How do I get one of his Jazzbos?" (Definitely one of the faves in the JazzMando Research Laboratories, and stage when we can steal it away for a gig.) New house, new shop, new wife, who wouldn't be busy. More from Paul, "The new setting for Arrow Guitar & Major Fifth Instruments is about as idyllic as it gets. The first new batch is just about to be delivered: 3 cellos, 3 tenor guitars, and 6 archtop guitars. With the next batch completion, (July 2008) I will pretty much be caught up on the important stuff, and be a little more social and may even take a little time for recreation!"

With 20 inquiries a day, both tire kickers and serious customers, the old ARROWGUITAR.COM web site, is down, but should be launched soon in a different incarnation, more a gallery and contact pages, with phone number for voice contact. We have the phone number so you can get that from us through the contact button here on the JazzMando site.

Glad to have you back, Paul!

Read review: Arrow Jazzbo

Posted by Ted at 05:01 AM