Mandolin Cafe Blog

Black Friday, the big shopping day after Thanksgiving is soon upon us and we thought we'd recap some of the terrific new music that arrived in 2011.

HINT: leave this post up on your PC, highlight what you like and exclaim loudly: "wow, would I like this for Christmas!" Then disappear for awhile and hope the item appears under the tree on Christmas instead of that annual package of white tube socks.



But enough of this pretending. You're probably shopping for yourself, and if you're a musician, there's no better gift than a set of fresh sounds to open the ears and mind to new possibilities.

The Music

Old Memories - The Songs of Bill Monroe by the Del McCoury Band - In a year of impossibly too many Monroe tributes, easily the finest. If you're a bluegrass fan and think a bunch of Monroe tunes couldn't possibly interest you (wrong!) or you're looking to purchase your first in the genre, this is the one. More lonesome than measurable. Score: perfect 10. Get it: amazon.com | iTunes

Andy Statman - Old Brooklyn - A double CD of some of the most amazing music imaginable. In the music world there's really only one Andy Statman, and this project with an all-star supporting cast will take you on an international journey and beyond. Get it: amazon.com | iTunes | Elderly

Chris Thile & Michael Daves - Sleep With One Eye Open - Brotherly duets of the 30s-50s channeled with the attitude to New York's Lower East Side in 2011. Raw, powerful, energetic, wild at times, but they can also deliver a powerful ballad with a lot of emotion. Daves' vocals and guitar playing would fit into 1940 in a blink of an eye. A defining recording in our opinion that should stand the test of time. Get it: amazon.com | Elderly | iTunes

Sierra Hull - Daybreak - A rising star in bluegrass launches another impressive project. We're hoping for more song-writing from Sierra in the future based. Her original composition Best Buy is a marvelous tunes and of course, her mandolin playing is literally on fire. Get it: amazon.com | iTunes | Elderly

Sarah Jarosz - Follow Me Down - The girl has superstar written all over her. Killer project, and we suspect we're only beginning to see her brilliance. Songwriting that's mature beyond her years. Can't wait to watch her already successful career develop. Very highly recommended. Get it: amazon.com | iTunes | Elderly

David Grisman Quintet - 25th Year Reunion Concert - A pleasurable lesson in what makes this music great, featuring the guy that propelled the mandolin forward about 50 years in the process. This is no unrehearsed mish-mesh of hot pickers thrown together to see if they can remember the arrangements. Not a step has been lost. Highly recommended. Get it: amazon.com | iTunes

Will Patton - Flow - Everything we want in a great jazz mandolin recording. From Paris to Rio and back to NYC for some attitude with some Vermont maple syrup thrown in. He just keeps getting better with each release. Get it: amazon.com | Elderly

Chris Thile, Yo-Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer - The Goat Rodeo Sessions - Yea, another all-star collection, but having Thile in the mix elevates the energy considerably. And, well, those other guys aren't slouches are they? An interesting project for folks like like hearing the boundaries pushed, pulled and torn apart. It's selling like hotcakes whether the mandolin community embraces it or not. Get it: amazon.com | iTunes | Elderly

Noteworthy - Joe Brent Plays Nocturnes and Caprices by David Loeb; Chris Acquavella - Praeludium; Dagger Gordon and Colin Gordon - Like Father / Like Son; A Skaggs Family Christmas Volume Two; David Grisman's Folk Jazz Trio; Marla Fibish & Jimmy Crowley - The Morning Star; Joe Walsh - Sweet Loam; John Duffey - The Rebel Years: 1962-1977; John Reischman and The Jaybirds - Vintage and Unique; Joe Brent - Solo; Yank Rachell - Blues Mandolin Man; Tony Williamson - Lloyd Loar Mandolins; Dawg Plays Big Mon - Happy Birthday Bill Monroe; Frank Wakefield: A Tribute to Bill Monroe; John Goodin - Mandolin Tunes.