• New Music - Gambit, by Ethan Setiawan

    Gambit, by Ethan Setiawan

    NEW YORK, NY — Adhyâropa Records has announced a Friday, March 31 release of the brilliant new Ethan Setiawan recording, Gambit. Joined by fellow acoustic music greats Tony Trischka, Sam Leslie, Darol Anger, Ethan Jodziewicz, and fellow mandolinists Mike Marshall and Joe Walsh. Gambit is available as digital download, CD, or vinyl LP.

    Track Listing

    • Christmas Eve
    • Uncrossed
    • Golden
    • Bear Jam
    • Reliably Distracted
    • Quolska
    • Upwind Downstream
    • Nugget
    • Lonesome Tune
    • Carolina Avenue
    • Sunday Afternoon Reel
    • Redwoods
    • Back, Dog

    Listen

    From the album, the track "Golden."



    Download transcription for "Golden."

    The Musicians

    • Ethan Setiawan: mandolin, mandola, octave mandolin
    • Darol Anger: 5-string fiddle, octave fiddle
    • Sam Leslie: guitars, baritone guitar
    • Brittany Karlson: rhythm bass
    • Tony Trischka: banjo (tracks 2, 4, 13)
    • Louise Bichan: fiddle (tracks 7, 11, 13)
    • Neil Pearlman: keys (tracks 1, 5, 8, 9)
    • Ethan Jodziewicz: melody bass (tracks 3, 5, 9, 10, 11, 13)
    • Matt Arcara: banjo (tracks 7, 11)
    • Mike Marshall, Joe K. Walsh: mandolin (track 13)
    • Kathleen Parks, Emily Baker, Avery Merritt, Carolyn Kendrick, Ella Jordan: fiddle (track 13)

    From Adhyâropa Records

    Ethan Setiawan, a National and RockyGrass Mandolin Champion by the age of 20, is already among the greats on his instrument. But for me, he's as impressive as a composer as he is an instrumentalist, which was evident when I saw Bruce Molsky, Michael Daves, and Tony Trischka play one of Ethan’s compositions on their own trio show back when Ethan was still at Berklee. I can't imagine higher praise! His newest album Gambit (2023 Adhyâropa Records) demonstrates this across 13 perfectly crafted tunes, accompanied by an ace team of Trischka on banjo, Sam Leslie on guitar, Brittany Karlson on bass, and Darol Anger on fiddle, with guest appearances by luminaries such as Ethan Jodziewicz, Mike Marshall, and Joe Walsh.

    "Golden," the 2nd single from the record which was released on Feb. 22, is a great example of this. I've included the tune as well as Ethan's solo in this transcription so you can see how deftly Ethan creates a melodic platform for improvisation, and how one naturally leads into the other. Note especially how the ascending and descending bass lines create a natural contour that Ethan follows as he builds his beautifully crafted, virtuosic solo.

    — Joe Brent, Adhyâropa Records

    Additional Information

    Comments 3 Comments
    1. Marcus CA's Avatar
      Marcus CA -
      Really nice sample tune, and thanks for the transcription of it!
    1. James Vwaal's Avatar
      James Vwaal -
      Wonderful tune! Thanks for sharing.
    1. Lorenzo LaRue's Avatar
      Lorenzo LaRue -
      ....Close to epic....very classically arranged. It was beautiful and mesmerizing. Thanks for the tour...