Marilynn on Mandolin #30 – Sept/Oct 2008

By Marilynn | Published: October 31, 2008

BACK FROM RIO

Yes, I am. And well immersed in the RWU fallsemester. I do realize this newsletter is late, but fall packed a bigger wallop than predicted– both good and bad.So I’m just poking my head out from under the music and hurricanes to send you this update.

NEWS FROM SUMMER

My week teaching @ Summerkeys in Lubec,Maine was great fun, and since it was also harp week– the small wooden ones– we had some cool ensembles and played @a local pub as well as in concert. The Cape Cod Mandolin Camp is just past, and I had excellent classes, including one on my method book, and coached the Brazilian ensemble who played my arrangement of “Asa Branca” & “Benzinho” w/style. I also got to perform choro in the faculty concert w/ the fabulous Jim Dalton on guitar. Last week I played w/ Irish mandolinist & NYU professor Mick Maloney and led a roundtable discussion @ a symposium on New Media & the Global Diaspora @ RWU. And just a couple of days ago, I recorded 5 tunes w/ the Sao Paulo trio AguaMarina, and played in their concert @ the University. Arismar doEspirito Santos on 7-chord, Vinicius Dorin on sax & flute, and Rogerio Boccata on percussion– what a treat to play w/ them! We recorded & performed my own choro “Siga emFrente,” [Go Straight Ahead] as well as pieces by Jacob, Evandro, and Laulo do Bandolim. Muito legal!!

The AGUA No FEIJAO CD is DONE!

Yes, the debut CD by my Brazilian regional Agua No Feijo, titled “Roda no Rio,”is out and looks & sounds great! It will be for sale soon on my website, but if you can’t wait, email me directly.You can also see the cover & hear a couple of tracks @ the band’s MySpace page. And I discovered to my surprise, googling that address, that there’s a YouTube video of us jamming @ a party @ Romulo’s apartment. We recorded a variety of music for the CD, including “Por Que Nao”[Why Not?] that I wrote for the band. I can’t wait to get back down to Rio to play w/ them again!

UPCOMING IN NOVEMBER

There are lots of events for you to hear if you live close to me. On the first two Sundays in November, the 2nd and 9th, I’m playing concerts w/guitarist/composer Robert N. Martel, one @ RWU and one in Milton MA. The title of the program is “Evening Sky,”named after one of Bob’s compositions, and we’ll be playing our own music, music of the last century, and music of Brazil. I love to play w/ Bob and this is a program that’s unique to us, so come hear what we have to say musically.

Also, my octet Enigmatica is performing for the “Arts in the Village” series in Rehoboth MA on Saturday, November 22.We’ll play Baroque, Brazilian, and Contemporary music, as always, with a splash of Cuba and Argentina as well. We’re also including music by our friends Will Ayton and Oz composer Ann Carr Boyd.

LIVE/WHIRLED, 2008-9

The 3rd season of my Live/Whirled Series @ Perishable Theatre also begins in November, specifically Sunday, November 16, with “Avant-Whirled,” featuring the ever-eclectic Gillen Street Project, led by the irrepressible Bert Crenca. In December the bluegrass band The Pegheads will be featured in “Trad-Whirled.” The series continues in February with “Brazil-Whirled,” featuring Choro Democratico from Boston, and finishes up w/ “Mando-Whirled” in March featuring me & the debut of my now-in-progress interactive music/photo/poetry composition.

All the Live/Whirled concerts feature a great band for one set, and then weave interested members of the audience into the performance for a 2nd set. I’ve attached the flyer for complete info, and posting on your refrigerator. This year I’m fund-raising for the first time, to help support the series, so read the info on the flyer and consider becoming a “Friend,” “Fan,” or”The Coolest,” by donating to the cause. Thanks in advance for your support of this most adventurous music series, and live music everywhere!

AMGuSS 2009

Well we’ve had our sabbatical, and missed you all, so Ralph & I & the faculty are planning to be back in action this June. Hopefully I’ll have specific dates cleared @ RWU soon enough to put them in the next newsletter, but pencil us in on your calendars.

The next issue of “MARILYNN ON MANDOLIN” will be out in November, including info on December gigs and a link to a new online project that I’ll be initiating v.soon.

Today is as crisp and bright as a new Macintosh apple, and I am so looking forward to the turn of the leaves here in New England.I hope to see some of you at some point in the next month or so, but if not, be sure to do your part to mitigate the energy crisis on these increasingly chilly evenings by picking a few hot tunes on your mandolin/bandolim and/or sticking close to you favorite live musicians wherever you may live.

ate novembre~
mm

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  • “Marilynn Mair performs Brazilian mandolin music… she plays the mandolin as an instrument for all occasions.”
    – Vaughn Watson, The Providence Journal (USA)

    “A sparkling concert… absolutely brilliant!”

    – Guitar Magazine (England)

    “A lovely concert! We estimate your spell-bound and enthusiastic audience at close to 1800 people…”

    – Lincoln Center Out-Of-Doors (USA)

    “She’s a fabulous player with a wonderfully clear and lyrical sound.”

    – The Ottawa Citizen (Canada)

    Bring a talented ensemble of gifted musicians together playing some of the great concertos and chamber music pieces of the 1700s, present the extraordinary classical mandolinist Marilynn Mair front and center, and you have a rare combination of the right musicians performing the right music at the right time.

    – David McCarty, Mandolin Magazine (USA)

    “Smudging the lines between folk and classical is an intrepid endeavor… Mair’s a superb mandolin player who has brought the instrument to unexpected places…”

    – Jim Macnie, The Providence Phoenix (USA)

    Marilynn Mair on mandolin…touches the deepest and most engaging reaches of the ancient and passionate ‘Latin soul’.

    – Carlos Agudelo, Billboard Magazine

    “Mair displays an exceptionally gifted approach to this music, using her formidable mandolin technique with grace and sensitivity… It’s the next best thing to a trip to Rio.”

    – David McCarty, Mandolin Magazine (USA)

    “Mair is unstoppable… capable of evoking any landscape, past or present, you’d care to conjure.”

    – Mike Caito, Providence Phoenix (USA)

    “A brilliant concert from beginning to end…The performance was extraordinary.”
    – La Rioja (Spain)

    “The final repeat of the melody transmitted a strong feeling of peace and tenderness that escaped no one in the audience. It is this sensitivity and subtleness that characterized the overall performance.”

    – Brian Hodel, Guitar Review (USA)

    “Marilynn Mair é uma bandolinista americana de formação erudita”

    — Paulo Eduardo Neves, Agenda do Samba Choro (Brasil)

    “Stepping back to the 18th-century masterworks gave her the opportunity to highlight her technique with a fresh light… her playing is thoughtful, vibrant and a delight to listen to.”

    — Terence Pender, Mandolin Quarterly (USA)

    “Marilynn Mair acquits herself very well indeed, a most accomplished player, able to deal with the many intricacies the repertoire demands of her.”

    – Chris Kilvington, Classical Guitar (England)

    “Mair travels by mandolin to Brazil and brilliance… her commitment to the music shines through.”

    – Rick Massimo, The Providence Journal

    “Marilynn Mair lives up to her reputation as an excellent mandolinist, with clear tone, a beautiful tremolo, and creative expressiveness.”

    – Zupfmusik Magazin (Germany)

    “Marilynn Mair has always had the keen ability to balance classical mandolin traditions and repertoire, while constantly breaking new musical ground…a superb and versatile mandolinist and composer.”

    – – Butch Baldassari, Mandolin Magazine (USA)