Tom Wright has announced the release of Tailwind, a collection of 10-string electric mandolin music except for one 10-string acoustic track. Seven tunes are original compositions with one cover.
About the project, Wright told us, "This is somewhat unusual, in that I was playing jazz on violin and viola long ago, but have left it behind and now play only mandolin. I had these great sessions with a great band but it made no sense to use them as an example of my playing now.
"I undertook to overdub all the solo tracks. This was tricky in the challenge of matching the feel and timing of those sessions, 12 years later, on a different instrument.
"I am very happy with the result, and I feel these tunes now have the right sound and feel. I used to play rock guitar, l long ago, and that is my musical muse. So matching guitar technique with viola and 5-string violin fingerboard knowledge, I have my perfect combination of skills, experience, and instrument.
"Working on these tunes taught me a lot about pulling tone from the short scale, and also convinced me that double strings rock.
"I have learned much here at the Forum, and have drawn inspiration from others here. I hope some here will enjoy a rocking jazz album with great playing and accessible tunes."
Listen
"Tailwind," the title track from the album.
Track Titles
- Tailwind
- Don Quixote
- Missing
- Try Again
- Smokey
- Not My Dog
- More or Less
- Destination
Album Liner Notes
Tom Wright's musical history begins in the 50s as a child learning violin, grows into rock guitar in the 60s and 70s, mainly as a member of the DC area progressive-rock group Grits, switches back to classical music for three decades playing viola in the Chicago Symphony, and culminates in exploring jazz on 5-string violin and viola.
Now Tom has combined the experience and skills of violin, viola, and guitar on mandolin, particularly his 10-string instruments. These uncommon versions of mandolin extend the range down into guitar tones, making the 10-string an excellent jazz voice, covering the range from alto sax up to high trumpet tones.
These tunes are written to highlight the expressive capacity of mandolin, and show it fitting perfectly into a jazz group comprised of keyboard, bass, and drums, along with saxophone and guitar, for a big sound that swings and rocks. The band consists of Chicago's best sidemen — Vijay Tellis-Nayak on Rhodes piano and Hammond organ, Mike Arnopol on upright bass, Tom Hipskind on drums, Jim Gailloreto on tenor and sopranro sax, and Neal Alger on guitar. Tom uses a custom 10-string electric by Almuse for most tracks, and a Buchanan acoustic 10-string on track 4.
Additional Information
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