What's Your Favorite Instrumental-Mandolin Album?

[Mark Wilson]

Have the Tone Poems albums already been mentioned?
Tone Poems 1: Grisman/Tony Rice-Oldtime
Tone Poems 2: Grisman/Martin Taylor-Jazz

Both instrumentals and feature just guitar and mandolin.
Every time I re-listen to Tone Poems I find it better than I remembered

[roysboy]

Eichers

[Eddie Sheehy]

Hillbilly Chamber Music - Don Grieser

[bohemianbiker]

Mondo Mando by Grisman. bb

[JeffD]

Not many old time suggestions, but lots of good mandolin stuff. Mandolin wasn't as common in old time music as other instruments so its more difficult to get old time mandolin playing. Not impossible.

One of my favorites is

[JeffD]

Check out the Foghorn Stringband. They always have several instrumental pieces (fiddle tunes) on their records, about as many as the vocal pieces. And Klauder's mandolin work is always great.

For modern recordings in the old time genre this is, IMO, among the best.

[mandobajo]

David Grisman Quintet
Butch Baldassari - Old Town
Young Mando Monsters
Emory Lester - Pale Rider
Aubrey Haynie - Doin My Time
...

[tmsweeney]

Norman and Nancy Blake ( with Peter Ostroushko, James Bryan, Carl Jones, Larry Sledge) "Natasha's Waltz"
Joe Weed "Waltz of the Whippoorwill"
John Reishman "Walk Along John" - think someone already suggested that.
I 'll second "Baker Plays Monroe" but it is more of a fiddle album

[Denny Gies]

Bluegrass Mandolin Extravaganza with Bush,Grisman, McCoury, McReynolds, Osborne, Skaggs, Wakefield, White and Del on guitar.

[Galileo]

I was always fond of the "Travellers" album by Butch Baldassari, John Reischman, and Robin Bullock.

[Demetrius]

I just can't decide on one...
Chris Thile- Not all who wonder are lost
Marshall/Thile- Into the cauldron
David Grisman- Acoustic Christmas
Mark O'Connor- 30 year retrospective
Andrew Collins/Mark Roy- Likewise
David Grisman/Various- Tone poets
Various/ Bluegrass mandolin extravaganza

[CES]

Wayne Benson and Alan Bibey's recent offering, Mandolin Chronicles..mostly bluegrass
Chris Thile and Edgar Meyer, Mandolin and Bass...classical
Thile's Bach album
Mike Marshall and Catarina Lichtenberg's JS Bach on mandolin and mando cello
Noam Pikelny Plays Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe is awesome, and has on of the most spectacular album covers of all time, IMHO.

I know you asked for OT, but the classical stuff listed above is really amazing, and I find I can listen to it without as much distraction, hence their inclusion. Also, it feels like I learn something new ever time I listen to one of those...

[Demetrius]

Whoops, almost forgot!
Sam 'n Ash- Accordion Mandolin

Talk about a cool sounding Mando instrumental album.

[KEB]

No one's mentioned Andy Statman yet?

I love Old Brooklyn and Superstring Theory-- very cool stuff on both of those albums.

[CES]

Also, check out our very own Spruce's "Mangler of Bluegrass." Lots of fun stuff on that one! Also, you could download songs from the MP3 page here to create playlists as well...

[Pick&Grin]

For old time the Buckhannon brothers albums can't be beat. Also Adam Tanner's new 'Appalachian Fiddle Tunes for Solo Mandolin' (a bargain download from his site) is terrific.

Thanks Cary! Which site? Link didn't seem to come through.

[Pick&Grin]

These are amazing. You folks a building quite a catalogue, here. Many, many thanks!

[WaveRay]

You will love Emory Lester - Dusk.

[Marcus CA]

For non-distracting instrumental mandomusic, I also like Emory Lester's Reminiscing Today and the Acoustic Campaign album that he recorded with Mark Johnson.

To the list, I would add

Butch Baldassari and John Carlini's Reflections
Norman Blake and Peter Ostroushko's Meeting on Southern Soil
Nashville Mandolin Ensemble's Bach, Beatles, and Bluegrass

[bigbendhiker]

Noam Pikelny Plays Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe is awesome, and has on of the most spectacular album covers of all time, IMHO.

I second this. This album is incredible!

[Eddie Sheehy]

Any of Don Julin's recordings.
Overhead at Darrington and Mangler of Bluegrass by Bruce Harvie

[Pez D. Spencer]

Back To Back . . Jethro Burns and Tiny Moore

[Ivan Kelsall]

John Reischman's CD ''Up In The Woods' is well worth buying - in fact buy anything by JR,it's all superbly played on what's widely considered to be the finest Lloyd Loar mandolin of them all. ''North Of The Border'' by JR is also terrific.
Another firm favourite of mine is Ricky Skaggs ''Instrumentals''. Herschel Sizemore is one of the all time mandolin greats & his 2 newer CD's, ''B-Natural'' & ''My Style'' are worth buying as well.
I recently found a CD by the late & very much missed,Butch Baldassari - "The Vespa Love Festival Sessions''. It's not Bluegrass,it's seems very latin-American influenced,but i find it incredible to listen to. The term ''easy listening' was coined for this CD - my best find in a loooooong time,
Ivan

[John Flynn]

My favorites for old-time instrumentals, some have already been mentioned:

• All of The Buckhannon Brothers' CDs. You can get two of them at County Sales online.
• Clyde Curley and the Oxymorons, "Old-time Mandolin Music"
• Skip Gorman, "Mandolin in the Cow Camp"

[JeffD]

I was always fond of the "Travellers" album by Butch Baldassari, John Reischman, and Robin Bullock.

That is a great listenable album. You can listen closely to the playing and the tone, or lean back and just enjoy the music.