Mandolin Symposium 2009 videos

[johnbaxter]

I've uploaded videos from the Mandolin Symposium 2009 concert. The videos are of student ensembles.

http://www.mandotunes.com/mandosym/mandosym2009/

--
John Baxter
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http://www.mandotunes.com

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[bluesmandolinman]

thanks for the videos

I enjoyed Rich Delgrosso very much !

.... and Flatbush Waltz is great too

[chip]

Thanks for providing that!

[Roger Kunkel]

Thanks, so much! The experience is one I don't want to forget.

-Dawg ensemble member.

[Tripp Johnson]

How fun, thanks for posting those!

[dulcillini]

Wow ! What a week that must be. I need to start practicing. I need to make this camp. It definitely moved up several levels on my bucket list.

[Don Julin]

The whole week was great but I must say playing Mr Natural with Dawg and Mike Marshall was an amazing experience. David and Mike are both generous caring people along with being awesome musicians. The bummer is that my Zoom H2 malfunctioned and I did not get a audio recording of the entire set. If anyone with an H2 or similar recorder did get the entire set from Saturday night PM me so I can get a copy.

[bones12]

Wow -- what a great ensemble sound. Russian Rag sounds like a 1915 mandolin orchestra only in color. Thanks for sharing. Doug in Vermont

[Ira Chavis]

John, thanks for turning this around quickly...was a great week of music and good times. Played in Carlo's classical ensemble. The sound is good....playing on stage it was unclear how it was sounding on the other end :)

Ira

[John Goodin]

Thanks to John for sharing these videos. It's great to see all of these players in action. Especially great to see/hear Don teaming up with Grisman and Marshall! "Mr. Natural" is a first rate tune and those guys really got into it.

John G.

[Dan Hoover]

wow..what a treat...thanks for sharing this...yes to see mr.dawg and mr.marshall playing with mr.julin,and playing his song!!a double wow..very cool....

[Ken Olmstead]

Don Julin trivia question:

What mandolin was Don playing on stage with Mike Marshall and David Grisman?

Ohhhh, I'm sorry time is up! It was Mr. Grisman's "Crusher!" But you still get to go home with some very nice prizes, like a set of free strings donated by D'Addario and a DAWG pick! :)

Don was pretty stoked after that performance!!

I would have wet myself!! :)) It was a great performance, hope he gets to do some teaching there. Don plays some great music!!

[Patrick Gunning]

Not all the video action at the symposium was happening on the main stage. Here are the four Voight mandolin owners that were there; Bekah Guess, myself, Sean Robinson, and Dan Voight himself. This is a rough take of a tune of Bekah's called Groove Jr. (all solos, arrangement, and harmonies are improvised, Sean and Dan had never heard the tune before Bekah showed 'em the chords 30 seconds before the vid). My mandolin and Sean's (Voights 7 and 8 respectively) are only four days old at this point.

A full review of my mandolin with real pics and actual soundclips will be forthcoming soon, but in the meantime, sufficed to say that I am blown away, in love, and my MAS is thoroughly cured.

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[Dan Voight]

This was one of the best weeks of my life. The best part about building mandolins is seeing talented musicians make great music on them, and I was fortunate enough to see these guys (in including many others) play my instruments all week. Much thanks to all of the individuals responsible for hosting such a fantastic mandolin event.

[Mandolincelli]

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR POSTING THIS! I was trying to describe the symposium to my family but a video is worth a million words. Truly this was best week I've ever spent with my mandolin.:grin:

Ken

[Marcus CA]

These tremendous videos are only the tip of the Symposium iceberg. You wouldn't believe the evening performances that the instructors give, or the great one-on-one advice that they all give. For starters, we got to see Carlo Aonzo give a jawdropping solo performance, and Peter Ostroushko soar with Mike Marshall and Darol Anger backing him up. We still had four days to go after that. You don't just want to save this for your bucket list; you want to have decades to build upon and savor the experience.

[Soupy1957]

As I listen and watch the videos from the Mandolin Symposium (sp?) I get the sense that the folks who attend this, are already really quite accomplished on their mandolins. That scares a newbie like me (even if I AM 52.......I still get scared).

The thought keeps running through my head, "how could I NOT feel left in the dust at this event" even if it is fast becoming my favorite instrument, and I love to hear it and play it.

"Intimidating" is the other word that comes to mind. I've found, even at our local monthly "Jam" that quite often, the more advanced players will hide out in a side room somewhere, and sorta ignore those of us who are rank amatuers. Which is really sad, because I'd love to learn from some of them.

Fortunately, not ALL of them are like that. I've found a few who will give of their time. Kudos to Dawg, Mike, Emory and the others who give of themselves like this.

I'm going to find out more about the Mandolin Symposium this morning, but as I do, let me ask........isn't this event held on the west coast? Any idea if there is an "East Coast" Symposium? (Of course, I may be all wet, and this is already an "East Coast" event, .....in which case......please ignore my ignorance.

[Don Julin]

Soupy, don't feel intimidated. There were players of all levels. Some of the beginners decided not to play in the ensembles and some were in the ensembles playing simple parts. The focus of the symposium is education and sharing of mandolin information. Many of the classes were geared to beginner/intermediate levels. You will learn more in one week at the Symposium than in years at home. The bonus is being able to hang out for a week with some of the worlds best mandolin players and teachers in a very friendly setting.

[Mike Bromley]

The bonus is being able to hang out for a week with some of the worlds best mandolin players and teachers in a very friendly setting.

That's the ticket!

Exactly what was faced last month at River of the West.

Wonderful bunch.

[Ken Olmstead]

After 2 nights of solid sleep, I am ready to go again!!!! However, I will avoid Mike Marshall's "Odd Time Signatures" class, cause man I really sucked!! :)) He is a good teacher though! He does not hold the class back for the lowest common denominator (me in this case) but he some how manages to circle back to you and give you some additional help. My lack of rhythm did not lessen my Symposium experience however!! I will start making movements towards getting there again!!!

[Soupy1957]

I guess the real test of attending the symposium is, did "I" grow as a mandolinist, .....did I come away from there, not just with a few new tunes that I was able to mess with; but does my style of play, my attack on the strings, my technique, show changes that are imprinted on me for the rest of my life, as a result of the event.

I'm with ya completely, when you talk about......look at the fringe benefit of being able to be in the presence of some of the best of the best. I like that idea. (Especially when we are talking about Mike Marshall......"my" personal hero on the mando).

[SternART]

[QUOTE=Soupy1957;684882]As I listen and watch the videos from the Mandolin Symposium (sp?) I get the sense that the folks who attend this, are already really quite accomplished on their mandolins. That scares a newbie like me (even if I AM 52.......I still get scared). The thought keeps running through my head, "how could I NOT feel left in the dust at this event" even if it is fast becoming my favorite instrument, and I love to hear it and play it.>>>>

Soupbro........everyone leaves their egos at home, it is the mutual admiration society of mandolins.......all genres of music too. You might come away thinking Blues or Swing mandolin is cool.......AND you went thinking you were just a Bluegrass player. Your hero Mike Marshall can play the bejeezus out of the mandolin AND is easily the world's best mandocello player AND is a GREAT TEACHER.....in any genre..........we got to hear him play BG, Swing, Jazz, Dawg, Blues, Classical & Choro........with the world's best in these genres, GATOR ROCKS!

I'll tell ya though.......if someone is there that is a teen aged young man OR woman..... the probability that they can play circles around you is pretty much a given. AND they probably play several instruments. You know Winfield, Merlefest, or Weiser champs........BUT it is cool to see the NEXT Emory Lester or Mike Marshall coming up. AND maybe back them up in a jam & in 10 years you can say you played with this pro, when he was a kid.

In all seriousness here........they don't just teach licks or tunes.......you learn how to think like a musician! I've watched my middle-aged peers come back year after year.......MUCH better players than they were the previous year. They give you the tools, ideas & inspiration to play music because it is fun.......and if it is fun you practice and get better. They give tips on technique too, if you're self taught you might have bad habits that need tweaking so you can get better.

Hey man where else could you attend the "Slowpokes Class" led by Peter Ostroushko AND David Grisman........where playing with tone and soul was the emphasis. As examples they played the Rawhide Waltz and Sweet Georgia Brown.......R E A L L Y slow, to illustrate how a good tune can sound great at any speed.......if played with good time & tone......and trust me it was fabulous.

It was worth it just to get to hang out with guys like Peter Ostroushko for a week. Everything he plays has deep heart & soul........and he is incredibly funny in a MN kinda way. And Rich DelGrosso, what a cool cat to hang with!
Emory Lester WAY surpassed my expectations as a teacher, blew my mind as a player & is the sweetest man. Hanging with these cats was amazing.
Hey a student this year, writing above, Don Julin from MI, could easily be a teacher there, this cat has chops AND is a great guy!

Dawg & Gator are incredibly generous hosts........I'll leave you with one story, there were 3 young men there from Czechoslovakia.......one a great player (as seen playing solo on the videos), one an up & coming mandolin builder there to study with Steve Gilchrist, and the third, more a beginner/intermediate level player (WITH THE HUGEST SMILE) and he was the only one that spoke English. One morning I saw them hand a mandolin case back to Grisman & thank him over & over again.......I asked David what that was all about.......he had loaned them Crusher-his Loar to take back to their dorm room overnight..........and they had been up ALL night measuring it, taking pictures, and playing it. There are dozens more stories like this I could share........Santa Cruz is a beautiful place & it was Mandolin Heaven for a week!

Everyone should go at least once! But if you do, you'll likely be back!

[Soupy1957]

I have no doubt, given the level of play of the instructors listed for this gathering, that it is a very inspirational event. Obviously many leave feeling a tremendous appreciation for what they just experienced.

You'll note please that I never said anything intended as negative about the event itself.....I was more commenting on those few I've seen in videos about this event. The majority of which seem quite driven and quite "good" on their mandolins. (case in point....the video that Patrick Gunning put into this thread). It is encouraging to know that there are those who have gone who are beginners like me. I find that those who can play at the level of those kids in the afore mentioned video, tend to keep to themselves. Can't say as I blame em.....there's a desire to find those in your own level of expertise, to be challenged by. Certainly they would not be challenged or enjoy "little Red Haired Boy" at my speed. (lol). Nothing against the people. Just stating the obvious. I'm glad to know there would be folks there at "my speed" .........

Every person with a hobby, musical instrument or stamp collector, has their idol, and develops from the infancy stage of learning, just like everyone else. I don't expect this to be any different. It's just that this is a very expensive (relatively speaking) event, and a great distance to travel for someone like me, on the East Coast. I wish these were held here.

There are events here, (one in Cape Cod, the name of it escapes me at the moment), and I'll most likely attend these, just because of the reduction of expense, if only the travel costs. It saddens me that guys like David G., Chris T. and Mike M. and Emory L. would probably not be there, but I can only do what I can afford.

Anyway, thanks for all your thoughts about the event. I'm glad ya'll have had great experiences there. I'm sure I'd be inspired as well, if I went.

-Soupy1957

[Marcus CA]

I guess the real test of attending the symposium is, did "I" grow as a mandolinist, .....did I come away from there, not just with a few new tunes that I was able to mess with; but does my style of play, my attack on the strings, my technique, show changes that are imprinted on me for the rest of my life, as a result of the event.

For most of the classes, it is pretty clear from the title and/or description whether it will be a technique class or a repertoire one. Most instructors teach some of each, and some technique topics are taught by several of the instructors, which can give you an interesting perspective. It's an unbelievable opportunity for exploration.

I disagree with Art about everyone leaving their egos at home. However, no matter what your skill level is, you will have lots of company.

Another thing I love about MandoSymp is being able to swap stories at mealtime with people who have more familiarity with my lesser-explored musical genres. There is no bluegrass table or classical table or choro table or builders' table at the dining hall, nor are there tables based on skill level. So, you have plenty of opportunity to hear stories about classes, teachers, and your symposiummates. Aside from how much money you'll end up spending on c.d.'s at the Symposium store, you really have nothing to worry about. :grin:

[djweiss]

Did anybody run a Tiki Lounge this year...Paul Lestock and I couldn't make it this year and we were wondering who was serving food/drink/etc for the masses at 4:00 in the morning?

-Darren Weiss

[SternART]

I disagree with Art about everyone leaving their egos at home. However, no matter what your skill level is, you will have lots of company.

Marcus, I was referring to the instructors..........the way they interact & play with each other is VERY supportive, of every genre of music. Seeing Carlo Anzo take a break on EMD is a perfect example of this, out of genre / but it doesn't matter / leave your ego at home attitude.

And no Darren.....there wasn't a Tiki Lounge this year.......you & Paul were conspicuous in your absence. I think the organized jams took on greater importance this year.......the swing & BG jams were rockin' and there was Choro everywhere....classical folks reading charts till the wee hours.........the blues guys were hangin with Rich, and outside the K building in the stepped area there were some good jams........BUT something NEW ........there was a HUGE Porter Lounge Choro dance party the last night on the deck out back, with food inside......maybe next year will be the "return" of the Tiki Lounge!

[Soupy1957]

Speaking about the various Génre of music presented there, I like that idea very much. As I've dabbled into the beginnings of mandolin, I've found that I enjoy playing blues on it, and have liked some of the old Italian songs I've heard played on it.

There's room in my brain for those, too. (I think)

[Marcus CA]

Marcus, I was referring to the instructors..........the way they interact & play with each other is VERY supportive, of every genre of music.

I agree!

[Maria]

The whole week was great but I must say playing Mr Natural with Dawg and Mike Marshall was an amazing experience.

http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=433&pictureid=3206

Hi, Don

Here's that photo I promised you. When I can squeeze in some extra time, I'll upload a new slide show on the mandolin symposium website and the facebook page.

Was good to see all of you again. Always a blast.
Maria

[Al Bergstein]

Darrin, the Tiki Lounge was in good order on the other side of the hall. One high point was having Danilo B. grab Paul's tenor guitar, and just play the hell out of it on a choro piece. (Tim C. got a photo of it.) His guitar player (Joao) who is I think 19 stuck around all night, and taught us some Brazilian "bluegrass" at which point we taught him, "In the Pines". I think it was about 3 AM at that point.

So it was a great M.S. Wish you two made it down. Hopefully see you next year.

Art, you were there? I didn't see you...Odd...

Al

[Roger Kunkel]

It was my first M.S. and I was pretty blown away. One of the best musical experiences of my life, and I can't stop talking about to anyone who will listen. The teacher concerts where so good, I was walking around stunned afterward.
I learned a ton, and came away very inspired. I'm mostly a bluegrass player, but the M.S. has expanded my mind a bit. I'm on mission to learn swing and if I can make it back next year I could see jumping into the Choro classes. Besides all that, I met some great people I hope to see again, got to play a 29' L5, a Gilchrist mandola, played in a orchestra for the first time, I could go on.
To sum up, the Symposium is more than worth it and I would recommend it to people in any style at any skill level.

-rk

[SternART]

Art, you were there? I didn't see you...Odd...Al

Yep the whole time......front row for some of the concerts even.....guess there were so many options for classes we weren't in the same ones? I was in the Dawg ensemble again this year. Hung out a lot with Fred from Canada, Jan from Norway & Don Julin.

[Ranger Ric]

Hey Dj And Paul,

I didn't go either but I would love to connect with Paul. The phone number I have for him is dead. Can you have him contact me at www.fm-jam.com?

Can't wait till next year,,,,and the Tiki Lounge....

Ranger Ric

[Maria]

http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=433&pictureid=3190

[Dan Voight]

Cool shot.

[Mark Seale]

Marcus, I was referring to the instructors..........the way they interact & play with each other is VERY supportive, of every genre of music. Seeing Carlo Anzo take a break on EMD is a perfect example of this, out of genre / but it doesn't matter / leave your ego at home attitude.

And no Darren.....there wasn't a Tiki Lounge this year.......you & Paul were conspicuous in your absence. I think the organized jams took on greater importance this year.......the swing & BG jams were rockin' and there was Choro everywhere....classical folks reading charts till the wee hours.........the blues guys were hangin with Rich, and outside the K building in the stepped area there were some good jams........BUT something NEW ........there was a HUGE Porter Lounge Choro dance party the last night on the deck out back, with food inside......maybe next year will be the "return" of the Tiki Lounge!

The Tiki was in full roll in K hall. We'd finish the organized jams and then meander on down to K. It was in full tilt WAY into the wee hours.

Arthur is spot on. There are players of every level and for the most part, everyone is super approachable and willing to share. I spent most of my time in the builders shop where we had Crusher for a day, the new Giacomel for a couple of days, and a really nice black top A style Gilchrist. After that it was all the jamming I could fit in before I passed out.

I brought my dad with me this year, and he had a ball too. He just couldn't believe the breadth of the talent and styles being performed every day. For a self-professed bluegrasser, he certainly got a kick out of Evan Marshall's performance and really enjoyed Emory Lester's and Rich DelGrosso's classes.

All in all, I look forward to making the annual pilgrimage out to Santa Cruz, and not just to escape the Houston heat.

[SternART]

That black topped Gil with the bound f holes was mine........the first night when I realized Steve didn't have one of his own instruments to play, I loaned him one of mine for the week.

[Mark Seale]

Yea, I knew that, that's why I mentioned it. It's a beautiful instrument and has a wonderful tone. I took a few pictures while I got to sit and stare at it for a while. It was one of my favorite instruments that I heard all week.