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The Jazz Mandolin Project


Country of origin:

U.S.

Type of music generally:

Experimental, improvisational jazz

Status:

Most recent release, Deep Forbidden Lake (2005)

See also:

Jazz Mandolin Project's Facebook page

Wikipedia's entry for The Jazz Mandolin Project

Covers/own material:

Own, occasional covers

General comments:

They're a trio. One guy plays mandolin and banjo, one does drums/percussion, and the other plays bass. They use some other instruments too, but those are the main ones. They have two albums, 1996's self-titled album, and 1998's Tour De Flux, which was recorded live in studio. They play improvisationally, and I hear they're really good live. I think they're a really energetic group; this isn't soft jazz or elevator-type music at all. And you don't have to be a jazz fan to like them. I don't like very much jazz, but I like them a lot. I hear folk/country, rock, even some Latin influences in their music. I think they're serious about their music, but you can hear them experimenting and having fun. (JoAnn Whetsell)

Recommended first album:

Any

Recordings:


The Jazz Mandolin Project

Release info:

1996—Accurate Records—ACCU-5020

Availability:

Wide

Ecto priority:

Highly recommended

Group members:

Jamie Masefield—acoustic and electric mandolin, charango, tenor banjo
Stacey Starkweather—electric and acoustic bass, effects, mellotron
Gabriel Jarrett—drums, percussives

Produced by:

Jamie Masefield

Comments:

This album seems somehow a bit less jazzy to me, pure jazz that is, I always think of it sort of as folk/jazz/pop. It's very good, a lot of fun, and a great showcase for the mandolin as not-just-a-folk-music-instrument. (JoAnn Whetsell)

Tour De Flux

Release info:

1998—Accurate Records—AC-5031

Availability:

Wide

Ecto priority:

Highly recommended

Group members:

Jamie Masefield—mandolin, tenor banjo
Chris Dahlgren—double bass, imbera, music box
Jon Fishman—drums, cuica

Produced by:

Jamie Masefield

Comments:

This is a live studio album. Recognizable sound bits include a sort of distorted musical box playing "Für Elise" on track 3. It's another good album with a lot of energy, and well worth checking out if it sounds at all interesting to you. (JoAnn Whetsell)

Xenoblast

Release info:

2000—Blue Note Records—7243 5 25251 2 6

Availability:

Wide

Ecto priority:

Recommended

Group members:

Jamie Masefield—mandolin, mandola
Chris Dahlgren—upright & electric bass
Ari Hoenig—drums & percussion

Guest artists:

Trey Anastasio—guitar on "Hang Ten"

Produced by:

Jamie Masefield


Thanks to JoAnn Whetsell for work on this entry.

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Entry last updated 2016-07-21 17:18:33.
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