recommend listening

[Izaac Walton]

What are your favorite recordings for these genres?

Bluegrass/newgrass?
Jazz/swing/etc.?
Choro?
Classical?
Irish?
others?

Maybe we could create a recommended listening list.

[John Flynn]

My nomination in two categories, "Favorite Old Time Music" and "All-time Favorite Mandolin Recording" would both go to the Buckhannon Brothers' CD "Little River Stomp." BTW, it is only available here: (no financial interest)

http://members.i4f.net/otmando@i4f.net/

There is a track, "Sunflower Schottische," from the CD on the Cafe' MP3 page here:

http://www.brentrup.com/mandolincafe/buckhannon.mp3

[Eugene]

Greetings Izaak,
I will list a few of my classical favorites to start.

Gertrud Tröster/Troester. 1995. The Romantic Mandolin of Raffaele Calace. Thorofon, 2211.
This features all 10 of Calace's unaccompanied preludes for solo mandolin. It is almost difficult to believe that one mandolin can generate so much music. Inhuman!

Richard Walz. 1999. Works for Mandolin and Fortepiano. Globe, 5187.
This features the Hummel sonata, three of Beethoven's pieces for mandolin, and a fine sonata by Neuling being performed on a reproduction of a late-18th-c. mandolin. It is artfully played throughout and an interesting window into our instrument's history.

Il Giardino Armonico. 1993. Concerti per liuto e mandolino. Teldec, 91182.
Everybody who's into classical mandolin needs a copy of these staples. The mandolins used by Il Giardino Armonico are reproductions of the 6-course instrument similar to that for which Vivaldi would have been writing.

Het Consort. 2003. Omaggio a Luigi Embergher.
This is simply one of the best mandolin orchestras around today.

There are so many more, but here's a brief start.

PS: Your username is groovy, Izaak. I am a fellow brother of the angle.

[mandofiddle]

For newgrassish, check out Strength in Numbers. Sam Bush, Mark O'Connor, Jerry Douglas, Edgar Meyer, and Bela Fleck. Incredible musicianship and compositions.

[jasona]

Judging from the rotation on my CD player

Newgrass: "Glamour and Grits"--the Sam Bush Band
Bluegrass: a collection of early Bill Monroe instrumentals a friend made for me.
New Acoustic: Emory Lester's "Pale Rider", and the Creaking Tree String Quartet. Also anything by Tim O'Brian. Oh, and the Grisman and Bush CD. And how could I forget my attempts to wear out Thile's "Not all who wanter are lost"? (I guess you can tell what I listen to mostly)

And don't forget my Pay the Reconning CD! (Ta Adain!)

[johnwalser]

Heck,
This is a no brainer. Go to: http://www.soundartrecordings.com/
Get some Butch Baldassari recordings (any of them) and then spend the next 30 years trying to duplicate what "the man" does. I might have forgotten to mention that I am a Butch fan. He might not be as fast as Chris, but he does have style.
John

[Don Christy]

Lately, I've really been enjoying the Meat Purveyors. They play bluegrass with a decidedly punk attitude. Pete Stiles plays an awesome mandolin. I highly recommend them. Awesome live show too.
Don

[sandcastlefaith]

Bluegrass - Bill Monroe - True Life Blues or Del McCoury Band - It's Just the Night
Newgrass - Sam Bush - Howlin' at the Moon
Choro - Mike Marshall - Brasil: Duets
Classical - Meyer, Marshall, Fleck - Uncommon Ritual or Bela Fleck - Perpetual Motion

Not sure how to classify these others, but Not All Who Wander by Thile is probably my all time favorite. Also, Hold on We're Strummin' by Bush and Grisman is great, as well as Galactic Mandolin by Radim Zenkl.