Who is the least eclectic BG mandolin player?

[crisscross]

Lately I realized, that most mandolin players, who excel at playing bluegrass, also are good at other styles of music. A few examples?

Sam Bush plays some blazing Rock on e-mando and recorded with Jazz violinist J.L.Ponty
Chris Thile recorded an album with Bach music.
David Grisman even created a style of his own combing BG and Jazz.
Adam Steffey with AKUS played some songs, that were rather Folk-Pop than BG.
Andy Statman plays a brilliant Klezmer clarinet.
John Reischmann recorded some nice Choro.
Ricky Skaggs went through a phase playing Nashville country music.
And so on...

So, my question is, are there any mandolin players left, who, like Bill Monroe, never strayed too far from the BG path? (Well maybe Bill was a closet Realbook player, who knows?)

[Ivan Kelsall]

Personally,i think that there are still a great number of mandolin players who still hold to one style 'in public'. What they do in their own time of course - who knows ?. If you look at the more Trad.Bluegrass bands,most of those guys still stick to a Bluegrass 'formula'.Maybe they get to the edge of it sometimes,but it's still mainly Bluegrass 'style' playing. I suppose to be realistic,many of us have tried playing in different styles,but stick to one style 99% of the time & just noodle around with other styles in our own time. It's not much of a real answer,but you'd have to do a lot of looking,listening & maybe a bit of 'asking' the players you come across. ''Bill Monroe Plays Iron Maiden'' has some sort of appeal for me- mmmmm !,
Ivan

[UsuallyPickin]

Ivan as usual gives a good response. Players play ..... that 's what we do. There is a difficulty is doing anything and not creeping a bit "sideways" into other genres or colors as it were. Whether painting or making furniture. Then there is the capital M "Money" thing. So a musician that wants to make a living plays what the audience is paying to hear. The product , whatever it is has to sell, or a player / maker will spend less and less time doing that and do something else. Especially if there are " hostages to fortune" involved. Soooooo .... are there some out there .... probably ..... do they have second incomes ..... a good question... my answer most likely ... But I have to add that some of the most interesting anything comes about when pure is used as the fertile ground of a new direction....

[David Lewis]

Even Monroe had developed another style of music, though he kept it to himself... Smith documents all this.

[crisscross]

Well, Ronnie McCoury came to my mind, but than I found this, wonder how his ears can stand the noise?

[MandoJason]

I hate to refer to these specialists as "least eclectic" only because the level of players being discussed really are masters at their trade...I don't think you're meaning that any of these folks lack diversity but maybe they focus more energy on one style so anyway, I would have to say Mike Compton (again, he doesnt lack eclecticism, he is a bluegrass specialist), simon mayer (an excellent classical mandolinist) Rich Delgrosso (a blues master) and Catrina Lichenberg (classical)....there are many more but these folks come to mind. they are all rooted in a traditional style of music and they've spent a better part of their career developing a style of their own within the paramaters of the genre. I do think the younger players out there right now are bringing many styles into their playing and find themselves straddling genres within their career, a song, a solo even.
at the end of the day, if music is just music then it would be safe to expect that these masters are all capable of playing in different styles and sounding authentic. I would imagine its a love for a particular style or tone/sound that keeps those same players focusing on one style in particular...

[crisscross]

No way am I trying to put down players who focus on one style and become really good at it, I was just wondering...

I would have to say Mike Compton (again, he doesnt lack eclecticism, he is a bluegrass specialist), simon mayer (an excellent classical mandolinist) Rich Delgrosso (a blues master) and Catrina Lichenberg (classical).

I agree for Compton, Delgrosso and Lichtenberg, but Simon Mayer is surely anything but a one trick pony. He plays celtic, classical, his own compositions that draw from various influences and in addition plays guitar and fiddle.

[mrmando]

I nominate my great-uncle Billy. I tried to show him how to play a sus4 chord and he came after me with a broken bottle...

[JeffD]

I guess I am not sure I understand.

I just assumed that all musicians played more than one or two kinds of music. Perhaps only known for one, but mess around with many. I never thought the pro players were that different than you and me in this regard.

I jam with a lot of folks. Those I have gotten to know all mess around with a bunch of different kinds of music. I don't know anyone who only plays one genre. I guess I generalized from my specific experience.

[dcoventry]

I believe our very own Willie may be a high qualifier in this respect. He has posted a fairly narrowly defined version of BG over the years.

No offense meant.

[JeffD]

I remember reading about a concert pianist. He was especially famous for his interpretations of Beethoven, if I remember correctly.

Anyway, off stage, at home, he wrote his own very very modern almost experimental piano music. He didn't perform it, except for close friends I guess, but apparently it was being performed by others in appropriate venues.

So you just really never know.

[Timbofood]

I see Willie as having a firmly defined appreciation of "traditional" BG music. I do not see that as a bad thing at all, in fact, I find it somewhat refreshing when one will stand the slings and arrows to continue a strong belief that the tradional way should not be allowed to fall by the wayside.
My band is, mostly, a traditional sound driven band. We all listened to the "old guys" and they are what made us WANT to play bluegrass, then we started hearing more "progressive" bands, crossover bands, and indeed the "new smooth" grass (which I like but, do not have a huge interest in playing) like Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver.
I am very happy to see all of the diversity within the framework of what started with Bill Monroe. I can see this thread slipping down the slope of the "what is and what is not" bluegrass.
Honestly, if it's interesting, I will listen to pretty much anything. I just choose to play more a traditional style. I don't know that I have really added anything to the OPs learning curve or not. Just voicing an opinion.

[kudzugypsy]

the first player that comes to mind when answering the OP question is Doyle Lawson.
mandolin players have to make a living and adjust with the times/changes just like everyone else. Doyle has stuck fairly close with the style although it is now more gospel driven, but least we forget, there has always been that element in BG music.

i know Quicksilver was considered 'progressive' back in 1980, but replace the electric bass and you get fairly solid traditional BG

[AlanN]

Doyle, Herschel, Bob Osborne, Rick Allred, Alan Bibey, Wayne Benson, Joe Val (deceased), John Duffey (deceased), Dempsey Young (deceased) of the known-to-the-crowd pickers are who come to mind. Dempsey and John - although stylists, kept it fairly straight up. And Wayne and Alan, although each with their own awesomeness, don't stray too far. Of regional bands with some reach beyond, Mike Aldridge of The Bass Mountain Boys doesn't 'muddy the waters'.

[Gary Hedrick]

Ah ....John Duffey.....Theme from Exodus.....hmmm not in my book.....(short book though)

[farmerjones]

If you've ever played Salty Dog, you've played Jazz.
Sooner or later we all play Jazz.

[kudzugypsy]

If you've ever played Salty Dog, you've played Jazz.
Sooner or later we all play Jazz.

i get your reference - but 'hillbilly' music from that era drew from many popular sources of the times. if you study Monroe's early BG music, it was heavily influenced by the pop music of the day just as much as old-time. Monroe, imo, was not trying to carry on the traditions of OT music - quite the opposite - he was pushing it and melting influences of the times just like, say progressive BG bands are today. i know of many OT musicians who cant stand the 'modern' sound of late 40's BG..haha

those late 40's early BG cuts really swung hard in their own unique way and had the obvious influence of big jazz bands and pop music of the era. they were just doing it as a string band. there is little doubt in my mind that Monroe got the BG 'chop' voicing from big band guitarists of the era - he was not doing that pre-1940 - that changes the entire direction of the music.

[J.Albert]

Buzz Busby?
Earl Taylor?
Red Rector?

[farmerjones]

Frank Wakefield.
He never deviated away from being Frank.

[Timbofood]

In "Frankspeak"
"Not him, he plays like everybody else!"
Good call, Jonesy!

[crisscross]

Hey! At last some names to check out! Thank you!