New Stonewood mandolin case from Protec Music
We're always interested in reporting new and cost-effective ways to protect and mobilize mandolins, especially when a case is versatile to fit many different body Read more»
08.30.10
New Paul Glasse Videos
Video treats from one of the planet's most amazing jazz mandolinists, Austin Texas stalwart, Paul Glasse. The first is a rare opportunity to witness a Read more»
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"Good improvisation communicates harmonic progression melodically. Effective melodies manipulate harmonic content through the use of guide tones and preparatory gravity notes, masterfully woven in systematic tension, release, and transparent harmonic definition."
What happens when a hotel fire alarm creates a chance meeting in a stairwell with a television film maker on assignment for Bobby Flay (the Food Network) and three acoustic jazz musicians from Skokie? Well of course, the opportunity to capture on video an impromptu performance of Autumn Leaves. What else?...
This seven minute YouTube performance was brought to our attention by our good friend and Chicago guitarist Steven Briggs who is also president of Blue Night Records, invaluable JazzMando sponsor and producer of some of the best acoustic jazz recordings on the planet. Joined by local "Swing Shift" duo partner, Dario Napoli, and JazzMando mentor Don Stiernberg, this "Suite 711" from the Skokie Hampton Inn is a video treasure.
August 28, 2008 | Jacob series from Global Choro Music Corporation
Earlier this year, we were pleased to bring you news of the release of the series "Classics of the Brazilian Choro--You are the Soloist" w/CD. (Read review.) As promised, publisher Global Choro Music Corporation has introduced their follow up series from the compositions of Jacob do Bandolim, widely considered one of the greatest Brazilian instrumentalists of all time.
From the website: "Choro, the first instrumental genre to appear in Brazilian popular music was born in 1870 in Rio de Janeiro as a result of the combination of European and African musical styles and rhythms. In the development of the various musical genres within Brazilian popular music, Choro eventually influenced, whether directly or indirectly, the creation of samba, bossa nova and many other musical genres.
As with previous releases from ChoroMusic.com, the musician is provided with CD including a full choro band that provides accompaniment--complete tracks with solo and split tracks without solo for you to play along, plus scores in standard notation for each composition in a convenient spiral bound book. Lead sheets are included for instruments in C, Bb and Eb."
The compositions of Jacob do Bandolim, are a perfect match for the mandolinist or other instrumentalist looking to expand their musical vocabulary while playing along with a world class Choro ensemble.
We want to give you first crack at the lowered price of the remaining stock of our commemorative Clark JM T-shirts, before we announce this sale to the rest of the world. Festival season is coming to a close, and you'll want to strut your last concert activities with a bold, cherry cola-burst Clark JM Two-point mandolin on your chest. Now (while quantities remain) you can get one for only $15.00 ($17.50 for XXL).
The price includes shipping, and we should still be able to get these out to you right away if you move quickly. Don't let the summer get by; Labor Day's coming up quick!
More video treasures this month from our friend, Michael Horowitz at Djangobooks; enjoyable jazz by itself, but it's always intriguing observing the picking technique of a really good gypsy guitar player:
Congratulations to Tennessee builder, Jon Mann on a fine Steven Stone review in the upcoming Vintage Guitar magazine. Stone reviews a new solid mahogany body SEM-5 with the break-through craftsman's signature neck-through construction.
"In terms of overall quality, the Mann SEM-5 rates with the best. Ron Oates' electric mandolins have cachet from celebrity players and their rarity, but the Mann plays as well and sounds just as good. Mann's is certainly in the same league as Kevin Schwab's fine instruments, but comparing them directly is like apples and oranges. Schwab's electrics remind one of the best boutique guitar builders such as Tom Anderson. The Schwab is a perfect mini-Telecaster with all the Fender-style appointments. Mann's are more like mini-PRS electrics, with their curvaceous top and a neo-modern post-Les-Paul body type. If I played a lot of electric mandolin I'd want both a Schwab and a Mann."
August 20, 2008 | The Fifth Annual Midwest Gypsy Swing Fest
Our friend Sims Delany-Potthoff and Harmonious Wail and WORT Community Radio welcome the 5th annual Midwest Gypsy Swing Festival, Friday August 22 and Saturday August 23, 2008, at the Art in the Barn (Fitchburg, WI). Just outside of Madison, Wisconsin, musicians and fans gather in the fall to enjoy an evening of gypsy swing, a jazz style that originated with guitarist Django Reinhardt and violinist Stephane Grapelli.
Schedule: Fri 8/22
7pm: Gonzalo Bergara with Kevin Nolan (from the John Jorgenson Quintet and The Robin Nolan Trio) – from LA
8:30pm: Gypsy Rhythm Project--Steve Gibon’s Baltic Gypsy Jazz--from Chicago
10pm: The Hot Club of Detroit--returns by popular demand
Sat 8/23
2pm: Twin Cities Hot Club in the Dance Tent
3pm: Gypsy Swing guitar workshop--in the tent
4pm: Harmonious Wail--in the barn
5pm: The Hot Club of Detroit--in the Dance Tent
6pm:Twin Cities Hot Club--in the barn
7pm: gypsy swing jam in the tent
8pm: Gonzalo Bergara with Kevin Nolan--in the barn
9pm: Alfonso Ponticelli with Tony Ballog--in the barn
10pm:The Hot Club of Detroit--in the barn
Ticket Pricing and Information
Fri 8/22: 7pm $20 day of show/ $18 adv
Sat 8/23 :2pm $30 day of show / $28 adv
Both Fri and Sat $40 day of show / $38 adv
Website information
View pictures of last year's event: Midwest Gypsy Swing Festival 2007
Latest word from Mel Bay Publishing on the release of "Getting Into Jazz Mandolin" is a late September 2008 launch. We've mentioned our ambitious project of supporting this with web audio resources here on the site. In addition to the background MP3 tracks we've already posted on our Webtracks page, we've asked several prominent mandolinists to submit their own interpretation of some of the five songs included in the book, our "Professional's Lab."
Our first post is from Vermont-based acoustic string pioneer Will Patton, who gives us a taste of "Lydia O'Lydia," a jam song that demonstrates the ability to improvise on a simple embellishment of a major scale. Raising the 4th scale degree gives an intriguing sound, and introduces the Lydian Mode.
August 15, 2008 | Don Stiernberg videos on MySpace
We've taken the opportunity to upload some exclusive stunning video treasures, the Don Stiernberg Quartet in a "Jazz in June" concert series appearance in Lincoln, NE, June 24, 2003. These four songs give you a pretty good glimpse of how profoundly talented this jazz mandolin powerhouse is in front of a crowd, as well.
You may not pick this up from the videos, but the night they played in the summer outdoor series, temperatures had been in the upper 90s (relative humidity in that range as well), but the professional foursome manage to suck it up and co thrill the crowd. Don is backed up by the Windy City's first call rhythm section players, Jim Cox-bass, Kurt Morrison-guitar, Kevin Conelly-drums.
We aren't alone in being wowed by the talents of mandolinist Ashley Broder and fiddle partner Jamie Laval. The amazing duo have left a very long string of awestruck fans ever since the two found each other, including appearances at the Mandolin Symposium and a featured cover story for Ash in Mandolin Magazine.
We enjoyed reviewing their recently released duo album, "Zephyr in the Confetti Factory," and are delighted to see a 6 minue YouTube video recorded at the famous Freight and Salvage Coffee House, the first track from the CD.
Recently back from the highly successful Acoustic Music Camp workshops in Arlington/Dallas, TX; if you missed this year's, plan on attending next summer in 2009. The three-day sessions were content-rich and enlightening; workshops with legendary Bebop Jazz Mandolinst, Paul Glasse, were pure gold. Had the fortune of packing a small video recorder to give you a taste of some of the jazz workshop performances Paul did with master guitarists, Robert Bowlin and Kim Platko. (Even a few surprise jazz banjo cameos you might find intriguing!)
Another generous installment of the journey into Tetrachords, Chief Research Assistant, Mark Wilson takes us further into the guts of the concept, stacking modes on top of modes for a lateral look at the mandolin fingerboard. Clear diagrams and some practical tips on how to dig more out of these, this week's Tips and Tricks entry broadens the useful range of this basic approach.
Have you been receiving all the weekly JazzMando Tips and Tricks? Best way is to set your RSS Reader (or Microsoft Outlook) to load these up. Use this for your feed code: http://jazzmando.com/tips/index.rdf
This treasure brought to our attention by friend and rhythm guitar virtuoso, John Parrot: brothers-in-law, mandolin swing innovator Jethro Burns and master finger-style picker Chet Atkins featured in a delightful medley of "Gallopin' guitar' and "Bye Bye Blackbird." Notice in the first song, the spry premier jazz mandolinist Don Stiernberg in a supportive role and John himself in the very back corner barking out the backbeat. Also, the cat playing the 6-string Fender bass is Neil Seroka (also a great jazz guitarist and personal friend of Don's.)
Our second installment in our recent MandolinSessions.com series on accompaniment chords, "Fresh Comp'n Part 2: 'ii V7'"is now up and online. Notice, we've taken a little different approach in the latest submissions, aiming for the tactile instead of the cerebral. Certainly, the theory is there, but feedback has been for something more immediate--training one can put in the fingers versus something for the brain.
Enjoy the opportunity to take this common chord combination and work it up and down the fretboard.
Clark alert: Austin tells us he recently sent the blonde Two-point sister to the prototype Clark JM to Gryphon Strings in Palo Alto, California. (It's not even listed yet, so you have the inside track!) This is great news for someone interested in a great instrument similar to the JM, but doesn't have the patience to wait a year. Actually, why not buy this one AND have a JM built? You could always find another home for the blonde when your personal Clark JM is done.
Want to see and hear the JM in action? Check out the following MySpace video. A proud Dad shows off the most important thing in his life (his daughter, not the mandolin...).
Cool Mandolin Company seeks gently used instruments for their "Cool Mandolins for Kids" program. Do you have an instrument lying around that you've outgrown or know of someone who does? You could be a part of a legacy, nourishing someone through your donation of a mandolin (or cash!) for the next Chris Thile, or even an ordinary child with extraordinary needs. It's no secret that playing an instrument makes you smarter, and arguably, keeps a youngster productive and out of trouble.
Contact Laura Leder at Cool Mandolin Company, (215) 630-8047 or email.
Cool Mandolins will find a worthy home, and pay shipping to the happy recipient.
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August 30, 2008 | Cinema Acoustique
From the website: "Choro, the first instrumental genre to appear in Brazilian popular music was born in 1870 in Rio de Janeiro as a result of the combination of European and African musical styles and rhythms. In the development of the various musical genres within Brazilian popular music, Choro eventually influenced, whether directly or indirectly, the creation of samba, bossa nova and many other musical genres.
Lydia O'Lydia MP3
