Enjoying the Will Patton interview in the latest (Summer 2006) issue of Mandolin Magazine. Will is a different breed of mando player, not hailing from the traditional folk/bluegrass heritage, and it shows in his rebel approach to fingerings and improvisation. He jokes "I was raised by wolves" when it comes to technique, but it's apparent in his playing he knows how to get the job done.

Especially interesting is his compositional approach to creating his incredibly lyric melodies. From the David McCarty interview, "I get a lot of ideas in the car, and I live in the outskirts of a mountain range with lots of hiking trails, so many ideas come to me there. I may hear a tune as a full-blown piece or I may develop as I walk along. When I get home, I write it down immediately on staff paper before I lose it and not even pull out an instrument. Then I may pull out the bass to get a groove going. My last step is going to the mandolin to play the darn thing."

Will's music is infectiously lyrical, the sort of tune you can't get out of your head. (You don't want to, either!) All three of Will's CDs are stellar productions and should be standard issue in the library of any aspiring jazz mandolinist.

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Posted by Ted at July 20, 2006 6:11 AM