Book Review & Feature
Microjazz for Mandolin by Christopher Norton,
edited by Barbara Pommerenke-Steel
The first thing to say about this book
is it has a marvellously non-specialist
feeling about it. The second thing to say
is “hurrah!” For here is a major publisher
adding to an established mainstream
series, and including mandolin. This, fellow
mandolin lovers, is a little milestone worth
three cheers before we even open the
cover.
So what do we find inside? This first
of 2 volumes of ‘Microjazz for Mandolin’
contains 20 accompanied pieces for
mandolin ranging in difficulty from First
Steps to Grade 4. The ‘jazz’ in the title
should be understood in a very loose sense
– the music draws on a wide range of
genres including Latin, rock and pop, folk
and country. Some pieces are adapted from
previous Microjazz books while others have
been written especially for mandolin. All
have been skilfully and painstakingly edited
so the music always feels authentic to the
instrument.
The accompaniments are for guitar and editor Barbara
Pommerenke-Steel is to be congratulated on the fine job she
did to ensure the music is playable and ‘feels right’ on guitar.
Teachers and pupils will surely appreciate having such a nice
range of music written for this combination of instruments and
playable at a simple technical level. In some situations (e.g.
school concerts) there may not always be a suitable guitarist to
hand. However the backing CD included with the book has all
pieces recorded as duets and as music-minus-one by Barbara
(mandolin) and Mirko Schrader (guitar). Also, piano versions of
all accompaniments can be downloaded separately – an excellent
idea as it keeps options open without cluttering the book.
I thoroughly enjoyed playing both
mandolin and guitar parts; there is always
a clear sense of contemporary style, but
the music is not afraid to make its own
rules when the situation demands it –
these are compositions inspired by popular
styles, not pastiches of popular styles.
There is a group of pieces in the middle of
the book - Cloudy Day, Fly Away, Becalmed
and Seascape which I would pick as
standouts in this respect, but the comment
applies to all material in the book.
I do have one technical cavil with
the backing tracks; they were recorded in
such a way that the mandolin sound spilled
onto the guitar microphone (so when you
play the music-minus-one version you
faintly hear the mandolin melody). I found
this distracting but on the other hand it
means the full recording has a nice live
sound which might otherwise be lacking.
Throughout the book there are
plenty of fingerings and pick markings which are nice and
clear, as are dynamics and articulations. Some might find the
markings a little over-prescriptive for this kind of music, but
bearing in mind the purpose of the book I think most teachers
and pupils would rather have music liberally marked, even if
they eventually decide to play it differently.
Overall this is a marvellous contribution to the pupil
repertoire for mandolin (with added advantage that many
pieces will feature in the new London College of Music and
Victoria College of Music grade syllabi). The collaboration of
Christopher Norton and Barbara has clearly been a fruitful one
as another more advanced Microjazz for Mandolin book is in
the pipeline – I very much look forward to it!
Aphrodite and the Banjo
Since arriving on the island of
Aphrodite (Cyprus) six years ago,
I have been fortunate to continue my
interest in the banjo and play with other
musicians. My initial involvement in a
weekly music night held at a restaurant/
bar in a lovely mountain village was the
beginning of several enjoyable years
playing in bands, duets, trios and some
solo performances. A chance meeting
with a guitarist at a friend’s BBQ later
resulted in many hours of practice
sessions together leading to weekly
appearances at music nights and other
venues playing a mixture of folk, Irish,
country, bluegrass and some of my
finger style banjo pieces. After about a
year we were joined by
two guitarists/singers
and an Irish singer and
became the Hoots House
Band. We played several
charity events as well
as at the weekly music
nights. After eighteen
months, circumstances
dictated a change in line
up; we lost two members
14
Hugh Boyde
and the Hoots House Band was no more.
The arrival of a violin player at
our weekly music sessions gave us
opportunity to create another band
offering varied styles of music. It was
then that Stringfellas was formed;
we practised weekly for several hours
learning to play jigs/reels, gypsy jazz,
Latin American, country, Russian,
bluegrass, Cajun, Irish, folk and my
finger style banjo pieces. We became
very popular over the next three years
playing at private functions, charity
events and music festivals. As we had
no work permits we always performed
free and throughout the summer played
at various private outdoor Stringfellas’
Mike Redman
evenings with audiences of sixty upward.
Certain restrictions on musicians and
performers and the loss of our fiddle
player who moved to France proved
to be the end for Stringfellas. Our last
performance was at the Savoy Hotel in
Kyrenia celebrating the Queen’s Diamond
Jubilee.
The saying goes, as one door
closes another one opens; this has
certainly been the case with my musical
experien ces in Cyprus. Another chance
meeting with a lady pianist has given
me further opportunity to continue
playing my finger style banjo solos with
piano accompaniment. We played at
a few events and put together twenty
music hall songs for a
two night production
in January. I do miss
the UK banjo events
immensely and of
course the many
players I met over
the years but music is
universal and Aphrodite
has helped me to
continue my love for
the banjo.