Just for fun.. Who are your top 5 living mandolinists?

[padawan]

Good to see someone listed Avi

I couldn't help it. He's got some serious skills.

... Oh and Ry Cooder.

OH man! How could I have forgot him? He's the one who started my appreciation for mandolin. Rats. I'll tie him for #5 so he technically still fits on my list of 1-5.

[Toni Schula]

My top five:

Almeriastrings and Foldedpath, for giving great amplification equipment advice.
Oldsausage always makes me laugh
Bratsche who lives closest to me, I guess
Bertram Henze who lives 0,8 mpc from my home


But as stated earlier, this is unfair, as it really depends on whose posts I recently read ... ;-)


I also like
Eda Kristufek, mainly for building my Krishot besides beeing a great picker.
Don Julin, his book helped a lot
hrdrockgrrl for her great right hand youtube lessons
Mike Marshal for his great explanation of Italian food
Helmut from Vienna being the best living mandolinist I ever could jam with
Mischa from Talahassee for introducing me to the genre


But again this is unfair, I could name MANY more. Many of them were already listed here.

[Mike Bunting]

Re Elmer Deagle

I caught a bit of the group Vishten at St Chartier Festival in France in 2007. Two guys and two girls, and I think I did realise at the time that one might have been Elmer as it's not a common name (to me at any rate). I didn't really know much about him other than a vague notion that I'd seen his name here. My memory is that they swapped instruments a fair bit so I'm not certain which he was.
I think the mandolin they used was an Ovation - funny the things which you DO remember!

That could well have been Elmer Deagle, he is a friend of Emmanuelle Leblanc (of Vishten) and she has played with him. Pascal Miousse of the band used to play an Ovation in the band. (My daughter is a friend of a former member of the group.)

[CeeCee_C]

There are no wrong answers. Or shouldn't be. Otherwise, it devolves into a "who's better; Ali or Louis?" kind of discussion.

[SWS]

For this week, the top five are;

Drew Emmitt
Matt Flinner
Sam Bush
Jim Richter
Mike Marshall

I have a list of about 20 favorites, top five just seems to be who I've been listening to lately

[William Smith]

My list would be, Gene Johnson "his stuff with Cliff Waldron and the new shades of grass, II Generation, JD Crowe and the South, David Bromberg quartet, Night Sun, Diamond Rio is fantastic"
Dick Smith "mainly known for his banjo pickin but can sure pick mando"
Jimmy Gaudreau "his work with Country Gents, II generation, Country Store, JD Crowe, Tony Rice, all hooked me
David Grisman "all his work, so many different flavors!"
Ronnie McCoury " Been at the top of the game for a long time"
My list could go on and on with all the fantastic players out there! Doyle Lawson, Tony Williamson, Chris Thile, Roland white etc.... Just way too many to list! This really isn't a fair ?????????

[mcgroup53]

Sizemore
Bush
Big Stern
Reischman
Steffey

[Mike Bunting]

The two that I'm listening to these days are Mike Compton and Mike Brooks.

[Popeye39]

Thile
Marshall
Doyle Lawson
Jeff Parker
Ricky Skaggs

[Bill Foss]

Wake Frankfield
Dawg
Compton
C. Henry
Roland W
Frank Wakefield

These guys aren't any of my favorites. I bet Frank Wakefield would thank himself for being on your list.

[CeeCee_C]

Thanks to you all. Lots of these names are unfamiliar to me; something I need to redress immediately if not sooner.

[CeeCee_C]

And just to throw in my 2 cents:

1. Chris Thile
2. Mike Marshall
3. David Grisman
4. Sam Bush
5. Adam Steffey

[Ethan Setiawan]

I'm surprised nobody's mentioned Jacob Jolliff yet. One of my great mando heroes and a great guy to hang with too.

I can't put my top 5 living mandolinists in order. So, in no order whatsoever,

Chris Thile
David Grisman
Jake Jolliff
Sam Bush
Don Stiernberg

[Phil Goodson]

Tony Williamson
Scott Napier
Joe Walsh
Sharon Gilchrist
Mike Marshall

[mandocrucian]

Ry Cooder
Dave Swarbrick
Andy Irvine
David Lindley
Richard Thompson

in the BG field, these three can take on any name BG mando players
Vince Gill
Stuart Duncan
Marty Stuart

[brunello97]

This is a fun kind of thread. Have to leave my favorite BG players out as they have been well covered.

No order here:

Sigs. Grisman and Thile
Carlo Aonzo
Gus Garelick (from SF's Hot Frittatas)
Patrick Vallaint (from the Melonious Quartet)

I think Vallaint's work is ready for a greater appreciation in the US. I wish his Melonious Quartet might make an extensive tour of the States.



Mick

[JeffD]

in the BG field, these three can take on any name BG mando players
Vince Gill
Stuart Duncan
Marty Stuart

Oh mannnnn, great great players.

[JeffD]

How could I have forgotten Andy Irvine.

[Pasha Alden]

I do not know all the mandolin players some of you know but here are a few favourites so far: In no particular order. they are all respected and revered and love their playing. those not mentioned may play in unfamiliar genres or are not available in SA. Don Julin, Don stiernberg, Will Patin Have still to hear Mike Marshall and Chris Thile. Would love to hear these though. I also enjoy the mandolin playing in songs of Heart (Nancy/anne willson;, the mandolinist in "Mandolin Rain" the guy from Bruce Hornsby, though I cannot now remember the name.

Hope to hear Chris Thile and Mike Marshall shortly.

[M.Marmot]

Perhaps over thinking it a bit - but in no order

Andy Statman, Mike Compton, Yank Rachell, Caleb Klauder, Norman Blake.

I put this list together after thinking about which players whose work or albums had me fascinated for certain periods.
On those grounds, I could have added others to the list such as Ry Cooder and Patrick Vaillant... but on the other hand i have left out others such as Grisman, Monroe, Bush who i have also listened to quite a bit but whose music does not resonate with me as much.

I can't include Thile on the list - as i'm pretty sure that he is some sort of artificial mandolin intelligence and i'm not sure if that counts as being truly alive in the strictest sense.

[Johnno]

It's a no brainer. Compton, Pete Jenner and my teacher Gary Vann. Just sayin!

[padawan]

Hope to hear Chris Thile and Mike Marshall shortly.

I think I can help you out there. For TONS of Mike Marshall and Chris Thile videos on ye olde youtube CLICK RIGHT HERE

[mrmando]

the mandolinist in "Mandolin Rain" the guy from Bruce Hornsby, though I cannot now remember the name.

David Mansfield!!

He showed up on the Cafe briefly a while ago.

[mandolirius]

There are no wrong answers. Or shouldn't be. Otherwise, it devolves into a "who's better; Ali or Louis?" kind of discussion.

Point taken (even though it's clearly Ali).

[Paul Merlo]

Barry Mitterhoff - the guy is flawless and so fluid when he picks w/ Jorma.
David Grisman - big inspiration for breaking genre boundaries (and because I'm a Deadhead)
Jim Richter - bigger inspiration for rocking out on anything
Sam Bush - for always just "crushing it"
John Paul Jones for that "Goin To California" clip w/ Paul Gilbert