Mandolin and piano

**glauber** · Sep-29-2005, 1:03pm

Hello,

I play regularly with a piano player; our repertory can be loosely described as "jazzy" (or at least improvisational).

Anyway, i normally play flute, but i'm beginning to introduce mandolin into our schtick. Mandolin and piano present intereting challenges, because both instruments are percussive, and if the beats are a little off it can sound messy. Flute and piano or mandolin and accordion, are much easier combinations. But i think mando+piano has some potential.

Are there any examples of mandolin and piano that i could listen to?

Thanks,

glauber

**grandmainger** · Sep-29-2005, 1:07pm

My favourite duet album: David Grisman on Mandolin and Denny Zeitlin on the piano. It's called 'New River'. Amazon link. It's fantastic... Some really good music, especially Dawg Funk.
Germain

**glauber** · Sep-29-2005, 1:08pm

If figures, that if anyone would have done it, it would have been the Dawg... Thanks! I'll check it out.

g

**AlanN** · Sep-29-2005, 1:24pm

Old Dave Apollon recordings too

**mad dawg** · Sep-29-2005, 8:48pm

Howard Frye's Gypsy Mandolin prominently features piano throughout the CD.

**Hondo** · Sep-30-2005, 2:48pm

There's a fun piece on the Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer and Mike Marshall CD (I can't remember what the CD is called, but the tune is "Sliding Down") that has piano, mando, banjo, guitar, mandola, bass and I don't remember what else. The three musicians move from instrument to instrument during the piece. I saw them do it on PBS a few years ago. Pretty amazing.

**grandmainger** · Sep-30-2005, 3:15pm

That would be "Uncommon Ritual". It's a good CD, though it verges a bit too much on the experimental for my liking. "Sliding down" is excellent though, as are a couple of other tunes on there.

**phynie** · Sep-30-2005, 5:32pm

Mad dawg, I have been searching for "Howard Frye's Gypsy Mandolin" for years. Where did you find it?!

**Martin Jonas** · Oct-01-2005, 6:59pm

There's quite a bit of classical repertoire for mandolin and piano, such as the Beethoven sonatinas. I've been to a great mandolin/piano recital by Alison Stephens, but unfortunately she hasn't recorded in that configuration. As far as recorded music is concerned, I greatly enjoy Rapsodia Napolitana by Ugo Orlandi (mandolin) and Maura Mazzonetto (piano). It's a cheap CD as well.

Martin

**SternART** · Oct-01-2005, 7:05pm

Statman has piano in his quartet.......was listeing to The Hidden Light
this morning....Andy plays both clarinet & mando on this one.

**John Goodin** · Oct-01-2005, 7:56pm

By chance I came across the Howard Frye album available as a CD from Smithsonian Folkways. Here's the link:

http://www.folkways.si.edu/search/Al...s.aspx?ID=2440

John

**glauber** · Oct-01-2005, 10:54pm

Many thanks! You guys are great.

**Daniel Nestlerode** · Oct-01-2005, 11:45pm

Emory Lester does a short piece called "Pale Rider" whcih includes mando and piano. It's a great tune.

Daniel

**Gary S** · Oct-02-2005, 6:37am

Bob Wills had piano(Millard Kelso) and mandolin(Tiny Moore) in his band. This is some of my favorite music. Tiny swings like crazy... Gary Silverstein

**phynie** · Oct-02-2005, 4:04pm

thanks for the lead john!

**glauber** · Oct-02-2005, 7:38pm

Yeah, no kidding, i bought that one too. I got Dawg's the Gypsy one, and the Classical one. This should be enough to get me going.

**glauber** · Oct-04-2005, 9:51am

Originally Posted by (grandmainger @ Sep. 29 2005, 14:07)

My favourite duet album: David Grisman on Mandolin and Denny Zeitlin on the piano. It's called 'New River'. Amazon link. It's fantastic... Some really good music, especially Dawg Funk.
Germain

Ooooo dawggie! Those guys are good! You're right, it sounds fantastic.

The liner notes say Denny Zeitlin wrote the soundtrack for Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Which version, i wonder? The original one is one of my favourite movies ever. Scared the heck out of me the first time i saw it.

**glauber** · Oct-05-2005, 2:55pm

I think i'm getting it... had a lot of fun last night. It's not that hard, really. The piano provides a great huge wash of sound, and the mandolin floats on top of that with lead lines and contrapunctual strumming. The mandolin range is high enough that it doesn't clash.

**jefflester** · Oct-05-2005, 5:47pm

Originally Posted by (glauber @ Oct. 04 2005, 10:51)

The liner notes say Denny Zeitlin wrote the soundtrack for Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Which version, i wonder? The original one is one of my favourite movies ever. Scared the heck out of me the first time i saw it.

The remake:
Denny Zeitlin @ imdb

**250sc** · Oct-06-2005, 10:56am

glauber,

There is a lot of nice piano/mando stuff on Joe Cravens Django Latino.

I don't think there should be any problem with blending the two instruments together.

**glauber** · Oct-06-2005, 11:24am

Originally Posted by (250sc @ Oct. 06 2005, 11:56)

There is a lot of nice piano/mando stuff on Joe Cravens Django Latino.

Is that the one that features Ricky Scaggs?

No, you're right, my fears were unfounded. It works very well.

**mad dawg** · Oct-06-2005, 1:00pm

Originally Posted by (phynie @ Sep. 30 2005, 15:32)

Mad dawg, I have been searching for "Howard Frye's Gypsy Mandolin" for years. #Where did you find it?! #

I think I got my copy at Amazon, but they no longer have it in stock. However, I just did a quick google, and these two sites appear to have it available:

worldmusicstore.com

Smithsonian Folkways Collection

**taboot** · Oct-06-2005, 7:44pm

And for those of us that are a leeetle bit tired of Grisman's dominance of the mandolin scene, the new Jazz Mandolin Project cd entitled "Deep Forbidden Lake," is mandolin, piano, and string bass. Jazz standards and some familiar popular tunes in unfamiliar ways. Highly recommended. www.jazzmandolinproject.com, no financial interest.

Christian

**Peter Hackman** · Oct-15-2005, 2:58am

Originally Posted by (taboot @ Oct. 06 2005, 20:44)

And for those of us that are a leeetle bit tired of Grisman's dominance of the mandolin scene, the new Jazz Mandolin Project cd entitled "Deep Forbidden Lake," is mandolin, piano, and string bass. Jazz standards and some familiar popular tunes in unfamiliar ways. Highly recommended. www.jazzmandolinproject.com, no financial interest.

Christian

Acoustic mandolin?