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Jamie Masefield plays Acoustic and Electric Mandolin,
Charango, and Tenor Banjo. Stacey
Starkweatherplays Electric and Acoustic Bass,
Effects, and Mellotron. Gabriel
Jarrett plays drums and
percussives.
All compositions written by
Jamie Masefield, published by © Lenapee Music ASCAP
except Nozani Na (H. Villa Lobos and Roquette Pinto).
Produced by Jamie Masefield.
Engineered, Mixed, and Mastered by Dan Archer at Dan
Archer Studios, Colhester, VT. Recorded live in the
studio January and February of 1996. ADD Recording.
Layout and Production: Katherine
Lucas. Photos: Laury Shea. Artwork: Tom Pichler.
Jamie was nice enough to give us
a short description of each tune and how it evolved. Read
on:
THE COUNTRY OPEN - This
is the oldest tune in the set (1992?) It popped out as I
was starting to experiment with this thumb technique of
strumming. It was supposed to be a feel good, country
thing that would be a good way of starting sets (thus the
title) but instead it became the way we often close sets.
This is one that started off being just a little groove
and got added to as time went by. Stacey added the great
Eleanor Rigby quote a long time ago, and other things got
added too. It's a lot of fun to play.
MONKEY BLAKE - Stacey
named this one. At the time we were learning it he
thought its influences were somewhere between Monk and
Art Blakey but I don't know if any of us would think of
it that way now. Its an odd swing tune, the way it jumps
around. We often start sets with it.
MANDONEON - This is a
tribute to Astor Piazzolla who is one of my biggest
heroes. His style of tango/jazz compositions is such a
thrill and being a mandolin player I have felt an
affinity with his music. So I set out to identify the
characteristics of his pieces and try to write my own
tune with that style. The climax at the end is pure
Brahms. Piazzolla played an instrument that is similiar
to an accordian but is actually called a bandoneon.
BALLAD FOR TRIO - This
tune was originally written for another group that I play
in, The Gordon Stone Trio, but we started playing it in
the JMP too. Stacey plays upright in it and overdubbed
his great solo on electric.
THE OPERA - This is
another tune that Stacey named due to the piece's epic
nature with so many different sections. It took a long
time to figure out how to make this tune work with all
the modulating from one mood and groove to another. In
the middle there is an open section where I work on a
thumb and pinky technique which Gabe now accompanys me
playing the drums with his hands that is always a lot of
fun.
NOZANI NA - This is the
only tune that is not ours. I came across it on a Milton
Nascimento album called Txai (I think thats it). But our
version is very different. Theirs is an all vocal
arrangement of the melody (rather short). I thought it
would make a good line to base an open jam thing from.
This is another tune that has developed a lot over the
years. Gabe starts it by playing all kinds of percussion
intros (simultaneously) which I wish we could do at
shows.
THE GOURD - We debuted
this tune at our regular gig at the Last Elm Cafe (the
experiment lab) in Burlington, it didn't have a name but
the night we played it there was an art exhibit of huge
gourds everywhere-on the wall and hanging from the
ceiling, all kinds of curious sizes and shapes, they
dominated the evening so of course after we played it
someone in the audience yelled out in a bizarre voice-the
goooourd. Page McConnell's mellotron was left in the
studio while we were recording so Stacey couldnt resist
adding a couple sounds.
MILESTONES IN THE SUNSHINE - This is one of the older tunes and was
inspired by the beginning of Cannonball Adderly's solo on
Miles Davis' tune, Milestones. The first part plays
around with that theme and then we do a loose thing on
the Milestones riff that I also love.
CONTOIS - In 1994
Burlington's Discover Jazz Festival had a show called a
guitar summit, which featured a bunch of local guitarists
with different styles. I played the tenor guitar in it
and wrote this tune for that show. The name of the
auditorium at city hall where it was held is called
Contois. I decided to tack swany river (Old Folks at
Home, Steven Foster) on the front as its always been one
of my favorite quotes, that's with the tenor banjo, the
instrument I started on (a little homage to roots).
LITHOGRAPH - This tune
sticks out like a sore thumb. Its a different sort of
thing that is a result of my composition studies. Its the
first tune that I ever wrote on the piano (that is
writing every note on paper) and then learned on
mandolin. It was one of those exercises where you would
develop something and then after hours and hours throw it
away because it didnt work, in fact it was a work in
progress for a year. While I was working on it there was
a Picasso exhibit in Burlington featuring a series of
lithographs that I really liked. Picasso liked the medium
because he could paint something, record it, then change
it and develop it, record it again and continue until the
last one was completely different than the first. There
was a connection with this piece that I struggled with. I
finished it the week before recording it.
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