peter ostrousko

[bassthumper]

o.k. i'm sure there are plenty of threads on peter ostrousko here already...but i'm gonna start another...although i don't have any of his cd's (a thing i shall soon remedy) he is credited on quite a few liner notes already in my possession...i really like his work...and am curious to hear what other cafe ers have to share about his music...for starters tell me about his oval-a

[Steve Cantrell]

I think that's a Peter O. model, and I want to say the luthier is Gavin Baird--unless I'm mistaken. It is a beautiful instrument. Peter is a very soulful mandolin picker, and a very underrated one for my money. Your first purchase should be his "Meeting on Southern Soil" with Norman Blake. Just an amazing disc from beginning to end.

[Jim Broyles]

This will give you a lot of information about him. His mandolin could be a Sheba A-4 by Gavin Baird.

[Larry S Sherman]

Be sure to check out the Mando Boys!

[Alex Orr]

His album with Norman Blake is wonderful.

[Dan-0]

I'm brand new to the Mandolin Cafe, I've been lurking for a while and I love this site! Peter Ostroushko is probably my favorite mandolinist of all time. Although he's probably not the fastest or the most technically astute player, I just love his music and the musical boundaries he explores. Like others have said, "Meeting on Southern Soil" is a great album, a masterpiece IMHO. "Blue Mesa" and "Buddies of Swing" are fantastic also; very different styles but both very good. "Duo", with Dean Magraw, is a must-have, probably my favorite instrumental album of all time. Having said that, like any true artist who pushes the envelope, Ostroushko does some things that are a litte too "out there" for my tastes. I don't really care for the Mando Boys, what I've heard of them. And the "heartland triology" (Heart of the Hearland, Pilgrims on the Heart Road, Sacred Heart) were a little too "new age" for me. Still great albums by most standards, but not my favorites in his body of fantastic music.

[violmando]

I don't have that first Mando Boys album, but I have "Holstein Lust" because someone else mentioned it here and I LOVE it---it's such a wild combination of ragtime and classical and comedic chat--you feel like you're right there! All the arrangements are GREAT! I do agree that some of his stuff is a little too different, but I guess I like that he tries out different things--I like the ethnic flavored tunes alot, but then that's been my direction for awhile now. Yvonne

[Fred Keller]

He played with a local bluegrass outfit called The Middle Spunk Creek Boys for a while in the early '70's. They've got a recording or two with tracks featuring Peter's straight-ahead bluegrass picking:

http://www.mscb.com/

[SternART]

Then Fred probably remembers the New Prairie Ramblers too........they morphed into the Prairie Home Companion house band........the Garrison Keillor show.

[JeffD]

Peter Ostroushko is fantastic. His precision playing is awesome, and he can do it all, from swing to blues to bluegrass to eastern european to southern old time to scandi fiddle tunes to jazz to singer songwriter. I have never heard him play and felt "naah, that's not his style".

He is probably the most well known mandolin player among the general non-musician public who follow folk music. You know, those who listen to all the folk music on public radio, purchase CDs to play in the car, but you can't get to come out to a live band performance at the coffeehouse.

I recently got the CD with Norman Blake. It is really great. My favorite though, is his Sluz Duz music.

The mando-boys albums was an attempt to bring on some mandolin quartet revival in the general public. He managed to create an album enteretaining to the general public despite being odd, while respected by the those who know and do mandolin quartets. (He wasn't able to spark a revival however.)

And the instruments on those albums, two mandolins, a mandola, and a mandocello - are all vintage Gibsons, sheridan brown Gibbies from the 20s.

There are threads about his personal mandolin that he appears with these days. I would only note, there is a wear mark on the treble side, where he plants his pinky.

[Fred Keller]

Art--I do indeed know of them! While I never got to hear them live--I was in high school near Rochester until 1982--I have since met and played with a number of folks connected with those bands. Bill Hinckley and Judy Larson teach and play in the Twin Cities. I've taken a couple lessons from Peter O and I get to jam a couple times a year with Mary DuShane.

Here's a brief bio of the early Powdermilk Biscuit band http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/f...owdermilk.html

[Bobbie Dier]

I always liked hearing him play with Robin and Linda Williams. He is on a few of their old albums. He use to travel with them in late 1970s early 80s. They were one of my favorite groups back then.

[John Flynn]

Peter's main mandolin, and the one he credits for his signature sound, is not the Baird "Peter O." model. It is a 1990 custom build by a New Mexico violin maker named Peter White, who no longer builds mandolins. The Baird instrument came later and Ostrousko does own one, but the White mandolin is still his mainstay.

I got a chance to see Ostrousko play the White mandolin at the University of Missouri - St. Louis in the mid-90's. I talked to him at intermission and asked him about the instrument. He also tells the story in his interview on the Mandozine site, linked here:

http://www.mandozine.com/resources/CGOW/ostroushko.php

[Nick Royal]

I was involved in getting Peter to do a house concert here in Santa Cruz, CA.
The mandolin he mainly plays was built by Peter White, with his assistance. It's got great resonance!
Watch/hearing Peter play is great: like really hearing chamber music. I also like the writing he does, which grew out of his work w. Garrison Keillor.
Nick Royal

[Bob_Blackman]

Peter is my favorite musician, period. He plays and composes with tremendous feeling and grace. During his years as A Prairie Home Companion's music director, he performed with a huge range of musical guests, and he can certainly handle almost any style from bluegrass to Irish to swing to classical (he has appeared with symphonies, performing Vivaldi and Mahler). His original tunes tend to be very expressive, combining a number of influences; while I can see how some might regard them as too "new-age," I think they're gorgeous, and (unlike a lot of new age music) very melodic. (He also plays fiddle on some of his tunes.)

I love just about all of his albums, but a few favorites would include:
"Duo," an entire CD of duets with guitarist Dean Magraw, who was Peter's main accompanist and road companion for many years. Mostly instrumentals spanning many styles, from Celtic to choro, and amazing empathy between the two musicians.
"Heart of the Heartland," probably my favorite of his CDs of original tunes inspired largely by various places he's visited. The title track and "Prairie Sunrise" are two of his most evocative melodies, and "Puppy Belly Dance" is a fun lively number.
"Coming Down from Red Lodge," instrumentals that he wrote to perform on A Prairie Home Companion, with accompaniment from that show's fabulous Guy's All-Star Shoe Band (Pat Donohue, Rich Dworsky, etc.).
Whenever I want to give someone a gift, I frequently choose one of Peter's albums, since almost everyone loves his music when they hear it. Between the above three titles, I've probably bought and given away close to 50 copies.
Another fave is the Mando Boys' "Holstein Lust," live recordings of Peter's mandolin quartet doing astonishing and witty arrangements of everything from Bach and Mozart to Benny Goodman to Scott Joplin.
Peter has also produced and played on several albums in the "Lifescapes" series of CDs that are sold exclusively at Target stores (usually on their own kiosk near the greeting cards area). He did two great ones of Christmas tunes, one Celtic style and one bluegrass style, that are unfortunately out of print.
Check out his website at <www.peterostroushko.com>.

[Andrew Faltesek]

I saw a concert with Peter and Blake at the Fitz here in Saint Paul, it was fantastic, right on the heels of Meeting on Southern Soil release. Not only great music, they both spent considerable time with fans to chat and autograph discs, etc., very nice, both guys. I couldn't believe I was actually shaking hands with Norman Blake...what an honor!

[Dan-0]

The term "new age" in describing some of Peter O's work was a poor choice of words by me. Maybe "eclectic" would be a better word to describe the albums I was referring to. I think "new age" might have a negative connotation to some, and I didn't mean to denigrate any of the work of this great musician. I just prefer his albums that are more scaled down, like "Duo" or "Meeting on Southern Soil" over the ones that are more orchestrated like "Pilgrims" or "Sacred Heart". But, that's one thing I admire about him, how he's willing to push the envelope and experiment with and mix so many types of instruments and musical genres. Some of his later albums seem to have more fiddle than mandolin, and he's a fantastic fiddler. I haven't bought any of his albums lately, and I need to update my collection.

[craig.collas]

there is some great stuff on youtube of peters definatly worth a look. I would link it if I was tecno savy. Blessings Craig

[Uncle Choppy]

I suppose I find the lush production on the "Sacred Heart" stuff a bit cloying to my ears.

My favourite Peter O recording is Natasha's Waltz with Norman and Nancy Blake. It's a stunning album featuring incredible tunes and playing.

Meeting on Southern soil is good but in a different way. I think it's the songs that stand out for me on that one. I think Peter's singing is great too - it really suits some of the dark laments on that disc.

I strongly second JeffD's recommendation for Sluz Duz music. I was looking for something more mando-centric and that one has it in spades. I'm amazed that I don't read more about this one as it's got some remarkable tunes and playing.

[bassthumper]

thank you all for the great replies and info...i'll be watching for the mailman to bring some c.d.s for my listening pleasure..should i start another thread or will this one suffice for ya'll to suggest other eclectic mandolinists whose music i should explore?

[Dan-0]

I was looking at his catalog on Amazon and I was wondering if anyone has heard a couple of his newer releases that I don't have; "Postcards" and "Coming Down from Red Lodge". No reviews on Amazon, does anyone here have any?

[Mark Richardson]

I have both "Postcards" and "Coming Down from Red Lodge". I have not played them recently. I recall only about half, if that many, of the tunes having mandolin. They are both nice works, but no comparison to "Meeting on Southern Soil".

[Dragonflyeye]

I have all 3 mentioned above, played Red Lodge this morning, and listen at least once a week to Poscards. Both are excellent. I'd find it hard to choose myself! Of the two, Postcards has the most numbers with mando in the forefront, and I would say has a greater variety, as its focus is the variety of music he composed for Prairie Home Companion. Red Lodge is great too, with a bit more of a celtic bent, but mostly on the fiddle tunes. I've owned Southern Soil for a few months and have not warmed up to it, but know others love it. I also love Holstein Lust from the Mando Boys (which is Peter again). Lots of serious and virtuistic playing, despite the title.

P.S. I've taken one private lesson from him and hope to have another someday!

[Michael Wolf]

Besides the fabulous albums Blue Mesa, Duo and Sluz Duz, I'd recommend Dean Magraws album "Broken Silence". There's more of Peter Os Mandolin on it than one may expexct.
Like Uncle Choppy, one of my big favorites (not only from Peter O.) is Natasha's Waltz. Some of the most beautiful music I've heared.

[Jim Nollman]

Oklahoma Redbird, a duet with Norman Blake, is about as perfect a mandolin vehicle as I've ever heard. No one else has such a light touch, which is essential with ragtime.