Grisman's impact only as a mandolinist

[JH Murray]

Grisman is a player. A promoter. A collaborator. A composer. A recording label. An innovator. A teacher. A publisher. A force to be reckoned with. A-mazing.

[Bill Foss]

Grisman is a player. A promoter. A collaborator. A composer. A recording label. An innovator. A teacher. A publisher. A force to be reckoned with. A-mazing.

Dawg, if you're lurking on the Cafè today, we obviously all love ya!

[9lbShellhamer]

Yep. The Dawg is doggone awesome, all across the board.

[Hendrik Ahrend]

Agreed.
And I've never heard any better recorded mandolin tone than David's in the 1750 Arch Street Berkeley studio in the '70s and '80s. (On the other hand, why was his Rounder Album sound so average - to my ear?)

[Bill Foss]

Agreed.
And I've never heard any better recorded mandolin tone than David's in the 1750 Arch Street Berkeley studio in the '70s and '80s. (On the other hand, why was his Rounder Album sound so average - to my ear?)

I'd have to go back and listen to the Rounder Album. I don't recall average tone there. I do think his tone changed quite a bit when he switched from his Fern to his Monteleone, then Crusher, then Giacomel. To me, his Fern was much darker and growly compared to the others that seemed richer, fatter, more bell-like.

[MediumMando5722]

The first time I heard Dawg was the recent live album with Del McCoury. My impression was, "Wow, this guy IS pretty good!" Actually, that was the first time I'd heard either of them. Afterward, I decided that album should be issued with all mandolins and acoustic guitars.

[DavidKOS]

and there's the impact of this on the mandolin world:

[AlanN]

David, is there a *point* to your post? haha, couldn't resist

Amazing to me that in 2017, there are mandolin pickers out there who never knew of the Dawg, until just now.

[DavidKOS]

David, is there a *point* to your post? haha, couldn't resist

Good one!

No, sad to say, mine was a pointless post.

[AlanN]

Too wise.

When the Dawg pick 1 came about, it was really the only one of its kind (~ late 70's). Now, there are dozens of similar shapes and styles. I have the tortoise colored, the black and maybe a clown barf. Every so often, I take them out and play with them.

[Charlieshafer]

I'm going to try to take a stab at what the original post's question was. Yeah, we know Dawg is far more than a mandolin player, and the original Quintet was responsible for changing the way all alternative strings players sound the way they do today. That may sound odd from a violin standpoint, but what Dawg, Darol Anger and the rest of the crew were doing, it freed up a lot of players to lose any sense of being shackled to any one tradition. Just play what you want, and play it brilliantly.

So knowing Dawg is a modern musical MVP, and not because of a mandolin or any one instrument, separating the two halves is tough. If you measure his impact as a mandolinist in relation to the mandolin-centric community, then it's still big. Here's where it gets sticky for a lot of brilliant acoustic musicians: outside of their instrument or genre-specific world, no one knows of them. For all the really brilliant mandolinists mentioned on this forum, the Statmans, the Marshalls, the Bibeys, etc, none of them individually had a cultural impact. It's just too nichy. I'm thinking the only guy you can say made an impact on the popular front would be Bill Monroe.

[Glassweb]

I'm going to try to take a stab at what the original post's question was. Yeah, we know Dawg is far more than a mandolin player, and the original Quintet was responsible for changing the way all alternative strings players sound the way they do today. That may sound odd from a violin standpoint, but what Dawg, Darol Anger and the rest of the crew were doing, it freed up a lot of players to lose any sense of being shackled to any one tradition. Just play what you want, and play it brilliantly.

So knowing Dawg is a modern musical MVP, and not because of a mandolin or any one instrument, separating the two halves is tough. If you measure his impact as a mandolinist in relation to the mandolin-centric community, then it's still big. Here's where it gets sticky for a lot of brilliant acoustic musicians: outside of their instrument or genre-specific world, no one knows of them. For all the really brilliant mandolinists mentioned on this forum, the Statmans, the Marshalls, the Bibeys, etc, none of them individually had a cultural impact. It's just too nichy. I'm thinking the only guy you can say made an impact on the popular front would be Bill Monroe.

i think Grisman did, absolutely, have an impact on the popular front. perhaps not quite like... oh. let's say... Jimi Hendrix... but with his playing on Friend of the Devil and Ripple, the far reaching impact of Old & In The Way and finally the DGQ... well, to me that's a bunch of solid main-stream impact and recognition. i mean the guy performed at Montreux and on The Johnny Carson show and composed music for big-budget Hollywood films (King of the Gypsies, Capone)! to me that's pretty damn impressive. not to mention the countless recordings he's appeared on and the many, many mando-centric projects he's created. the guy is a force of nature...
as a lifelong student of music in general and mandolin player in particular i hold David's talents in the highest regard...

[Charlieshafer]

i think Grisman did, absolutely, have an impact on the popular front. perhaps not quite like... oh. let's say... Jimi Hendrix... but with his playing on Friend of the Devil and Ripple, the far reaching impact of Old & In The Way and finally the DGQ... well, to me that's a bunch of solid main-stream impact and recognition. i mean the guy performed at Montreux and on The Johnny Carson show and composed music for big-budget Hollywood films (King of the Gypsies, Capone)! to me that's pretty damn impressive. not to mention the countless recordings he's appeared on and the many, many mando-centric projects he's created. the guy is a force of nature...
as a lifelong student of music in general and mandolin player in particular i hold David's talents in the highest regard...

Excellent point! I forgot all about the Dead years, and Old And IN The Way. Which is why as an ambassador to music, he's even on a level above Monroe. The cross-pollination of styles and genres that he pioneered is at the root of all younger musicians now.

[mcgroup53]

Great comments, all. And to be clear, in no way was I dissing Dawg. I've opened for David twice, wrote for Mandolin World News and have nothing but the utmost respect for his musicianship and his impact on mandolin and acoustic music of all forms. Don Grieser, I agree 100% on his tremolo. He's a major reason we're seeing such an influx of amazing players.

One quick story. I played in the Indiana State picking championships and did maybe Opus 38 and something else, maybe Minor Swing. As I walked off stage, one of the other contestants snarkily said to me, "So. Like Grisman much?" <g> Yes, he changed my life and continues to inspire everything I do on mandolin.

[Stevo75]

Something I didn't see mentioned here is Grisman's comping. Listen to his chord work when he is backing someone up. It doesn't get the same attention as lead technique but it's just as good.

[Glassweb]

almost forgot to mention David's "Dawggy Mountain Breakdown"... which is the theme music that has been used at the beginning and end of "Car Talk" for the last million years or so. there's another example of how David's music and playing have gone deeply into popular culture...

[AlanN]

And let's not forget the impact he has had on some burgeoning mandolin makers and their business growth potential over the years. Call it star endorsement, like MJ and Nike...

[Glassweb]

Something I didn't see mentioned here is Grisman's comping. Listen to his chord work when he is backing someone up. It doesn't get the same attention as lead technique but it's just as good.

you said it! man, i used to go hear David in concert just to study his rhythm playing... my fave on rhythm and certainly one of the most influential. his comping on the original OAITW record just knocked me out... and then of course it went to a greater complexity with DGQ.

now if only he would only do some concerts around Seattle... ;o)

[V70416]

I've been in the Dawg-house for decades. The man is as cool as his music;uncommonly cool. He seems gracious and generous in teaching.

My first lessons on tape(cassettes) were David Grisman's Homespun series. Want to get better at tremolo? Practice it playing
John Coltrane's "Naima"! Pinky usage? Practice "Japan"/Opus 23,Happy Birthday Bill Monroe" and many others.

I think the main message I got from David Grisman's teachings is to play as many types/genres of music as you can,THEN,develop your own,
personal style. To me that's the spark and inspiration of being creative with music.

I sort of understand the OP's unfair question,I guess. But even if you break up Grisman's accomplishments into fragments it cannot diminish his eclectic,artistic contributions.

[Paul Kotapish]

I have been a fan of Grisman's playing since his days with Red Allen and the Kentuckians, and then followed him through Earth Opera and his many guest appearances with the Dead, Hazel and Alice, Maria Muldaur, et al and into Muleskinner, OAITHW, and the Great American Music Band (or whatever they were called), and the Rounder Record band. All through those years it was his playing--not his writing--that kept me fascinated. His tone, attack, phrasing, expressiveness, and relentless groove were a continuous inspiration for me. When the first Quintet LP came out it blew my head off, because he was writing tunes and arrangements that perfectly suited his style. I like a lot of his compositions, but it's always been his playing that has impressed me most.

[Drew Egerton]

I've really only just picked up more interest in Grisman over the last few months as I started digging more Jazz oriented stuff. However, I have always enjoyed the Doc and Dawg stuff and basically the more of him I listen to, the more I appreciate what he's doing.

The Del and Dawg live record is pretty entertaining and has some great picking and singing on it, but the stories told between the two are very worth listening to as well.

I like Dawg, Sam, Steffey, Ronnie, Bibey, Benson and Thile all for different reasons and for me they are all up on the short list.

[billkilpatrick]

More than anything else I think what sets him apart from many others is his respect for the tune. He can race up and down the neck with the rest but he has the ability ... the audacity, even - to play a melody straight, without clobbering us with his technique.

[humblemex]

Dawg sought out Stephane when he was hired to write and perform the soundtrack for "King of the Gypsies."

[DHopkins]

...and Mr. Grisman is sitting back smiling and (justifiably) thinking, "They like me. They really like me."

Well, I like him, too.

[Chris Browne]

I guess you would have to look at Grisman playing tunes that he didn't write.

I brought Not For Kids Only and Shady Grove to work with me today. These two discs introduced to the pairing of guitar and mandolin (I know...late bloomer for sure!). If this was all the Grisman I ever heard, he would still be a favorite of mine and I'd still be listening to him and learning from him.