Album Notes
Virtuoso mandolinist Mike Marshall is joined by some of today’s finest musicians playing choro music, the high-spirited instrumental style from Brazil.
Artist's Bio
Mike Marshall's touring and recording career began over 20 years ago as a member of the original David Grisman Quintet in 1979. Since those days Mike has been at the center of acoustic music scene and can be heard on hundreds of recordings of acoustic music. His mastery of mandolin, guitar and violin and his ability to swing gracefully between jazz, classical, bluegrass and Latin styles is rare in the world of American vernacular instrumentalists.
Mike has performed and recorded with some of the top acoustic string instrumentalists in the world including Stephane Grapelli, Mark O'Connor, Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer and Joshua Bell.
In 1983, Mike formed a partnership with violinist Darol Anger and together they created the Montreux band with pianist Barbara Higbie, bassist Michael Manring and steel drum virtuoso Andy Narell. The group released five recordings on the Windham Hill label and toured extensively throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe and Japan from 1984 to 1990.
In 1986, while still a member of Montreux, Mike founded a classical string quartet of mandolin family instruments -- two mandolins, mandola and mandocello. The Modern Mandolin Quartet released four recordings for Windham Hill Records that redefined the mandolin in a classical music setting. In 1995, the Quartet made its Carnegie Hall debut. They received a "Meet The Composer" grant from the Lila Wallace Foundation in 1996.
Meanwhile, Mike had traveled to Brazil and begun his love affair with Brazilian choro music. He embarked on an in-depth study of the style which resulted in the CD "Brasil (Duets)". This recording showcases Mike at the top of his form as a mandolinist in duet settings with many top instrumentalists such as Andy Narell, Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer, Michael Manring and Jovino Santos Neto.
Mike has continued to push at the boundaries of acoustic instrumental music. After tapping Fleck and Meyer for the "Duets" project, he collaborated with the two masters on a 1997 Sony Classical release titled "Uncommon Ritual."
The album charted on the Billboard Top Ten Classical Chart where it remained for over three months. Mike worked with Meyer yet again on the 1999 "Short Trip Home" a another Sony Classical recording with Joshua Bell and Sam Bush.
Darol Anger has also remained an important collaborator for Mike. Together they have recorded under the moniker Psychograss with guitarist David Grier, banjo player Tony Trischka and bassist Todd Phillips. Another ensemble, The Darol Anger- Mike Marshall Band, showcases the outer reaches of the duo's improvisational skills in a jazz-inspired setting. With bassist Derek Jones and drummer Aaron Johnston, The Anger-Marshall Band released "Jam" in 1999.
Mike has two holiday recordings to his credit: In 1998, he released "Midnight Clear", a solo guitar recording. He has also recorded "A Christmas Heritage" with Alison Brown, Darol Anger, Tim O'Brien, Todd Phillips and Phil Aaberg. As New Grange, this same line-up has released an eponymous CD on Compass Records.
Currently Mike is working on further collaborations with Darol Anger, performs intermittently with Edgar Meyer and is planning a CD project with pianist Jovino Santos Neto. Mike is a creative partner in the soon-to-be launched Adventure Music label.
