Who should I be listening to?

[dadsaster]

I've gotten interested in Western Swing and Texas-style fiddle tunes. Who are the "must listen" mandolin players in this genre? What players should I be listening to to get this style in my ear?

[Bill McCall]

Tiny Moore and Johnny Gimbel.

[Teak]

You might also want to check out Johnny Gimble.

[Don Stiernberg]

You may actually be asking about two different styles...

For Western Swing, (done mostly on electric mandolins)yes indeed it's Tiny and Johnny. There was also Leo Raley and Paul Buskirk in that same region and time frame. Recordings of theirs on mandolin are not as abundant. Jason Roberts carries on the Gimble tradition on both fiddle and electric Gibson hollow-body tuned C-G-D-A. His work with Asleep at the Wheel and now his own band is not to be missed. Paul Glasse has mastered Western Swing, having hung out and studied with both Tiny and Johnny. He has also cultivated his own personal style. Any Paul recording is a must have also.

Contemporaneous with Johnny and Tiny and playing swinging music on the mandolin was of course the great Jethro Burns. Western Swing? Not exactly, but essential listening nonetheless. Closest to Western Swing, and including tracks using electric mandolins is Jazz From the Hills on Bear Family. Also dig Back to Back w/Tiny Moore on Acoustic Disc, Playing it Straight and It Ain't Necessarily Square by Homer and Jethro(reissue discussed here on the Cafe, Sierra records?) Jethro Burns on Flying Fish, and of the 40 or so LP's by H and J on RCA, Tenderly, Live at Vanderbilt, At the Country Club are strong on the swing mando content. Jonny Gimble himself said "Jethro-he's the best of the best ain't he?"

Similarly related to the discussion is Doug Dalton, with the band The Whipporwills. The Whipporwills included Roy Lanham on guitar and vocalist Sweet Georgia Brown. Great harmony singing with swinging acoustic rhythm and hot e-mando solos.

In the realm of Texas style fiddle tunes I think of contest style Benny Thomason-Mark O'Connor-Texas Shorty-Terry Morris Weiser/Grand Masters/Winfield type material. Pete Martin will hopefully weigh in on recordings and players of that repertoire--he certainly plays and teaches it masterfully.Tiny Moore wrote two books, one for mando, one for fiddle, both dealt with breakdowns, etc.--standards of the southwestern fiddle genre. For transcriptions and analysis also check out books by Mark O'Connor and Stacy Phillips.

Improvisation on these types of fiddle tunes is handled differently from flat-out Western Swing, Swing or Jazz "blowing" or "hot take-off" soloing--it's more paraphrasing of melody as opposed to free invention. John McGann's book on developing variations on fiddle tunes is handy here as is Matt Glaser's book and once again Pete has myriad materials available pertaining to all of these things.

Buck White played rhythm mandolin on a Mark O'Connor LP, Soppin The Gravy I think it was. Dawg wrote a Texas-style fiddle tune that Mark O'Connor tore up and wore out!It's called Albequerque Turkey, on Quintet '80..

Wayne Benson's recent Mandolin Mondays hit was Grey Eagle, that's a texas-style fiddle tune.

There's a lot more things to dig into of course, but as Jethro himself used to say.."that ought to drive you crazy for a while.."

[Dave Martin]

I also suggest listening to Don Stiernberg, and reviewing his courses on Soundslice.