That's The Spirit

Originally, I was going to come up with something clever about musical New Year's resolutions, but I only came up with one. My resolution is to give more exposure to lesser known talent, people who play for the love of the instrument, who focus on dedicating themselves to the craft and forgetting about recognition. The validity of this resolution was amply illustrated by the last live music I saw in 2007, a performance by my friend, mandolin player Will Melton.


He appeared as part of Bright Lights Providence, the successor to First Night, playing with a segment of the Providence Mandolin Orchestra, a group called L'Esperance (Hope). Will is more or less dedicated to the mandolin, having played since he was a teenager, but he is also a walking encyclopedia of early Delta blues and old timey jug band music (He sings well, too, but that's another story!). This is the context in which I typically view the mandolin - raunchy, funky, bluegrassy - so the concert was a real ear-opener.


The first piece was the overture to an opera by a lesser known nineteenth century German composer. It was surprising to hear a group of mandolins mimic a full-fledged orchestra, right down to percussion. Will and one of the other players contributed both the melody and the "tremolo" effect, strumming their instruments to give the song a sort of Neapolitan flavor. The band then tackled a series of dance tunes, each with a slightly different character, but the overall impression was stately and formal, making the mandolins sound as if they had been expressly for the purpose of entertaining royalty. The dances were followed by an Oriental piece that again illustrated the diversity of the instrument, the strings painting a delicate musical tapestry. L'Esperance wound up with their own version of the theme from "Ghostbusters" (Who you gonna call? The mandolin players!). I knew it was familiar but the only tune I could come up with was "Lady Madonna" until Will explained over coffee after the concert.


I've seen incredible blues and jazz shows, major rock concerts, produced two major concerts and seen a lot of club performances, but the enthusiasm and dedication of these individuals was much more impressive than watching the so-called "supergroups" . It had depth and texture and a unique quality that stayed with me. Besides , what better way to enter the new year than with a little hope?

Will Melton speaks:
L"Esperance is grateful for your coverage of our Bright Night performance in Providence. It is fitting that we featured some classical mandolin compositions because Providence has been an important center for the study of the mandolin since the instrument's introduction to America. When Giuseppe Pettine (1872-1966) arrived in Rhode Island from Isernia, Italy in 1888, most Americans had never heard the instrument played. Soon he was recognized as the most successful mandolin virtuoso of his time, teaching, performing, and composing for the instrument. Our most senior member of L'Esperance was a student of Pettine's in 1947. Today most people think of the mandolin only as a bluegrass instrument because of legendary mandolin player Bill Munroe, who invented the "high and lonely" country sound that became known as bluegrass. But don't overlook the mandolin as a blues instrument. The great blues mandolinist Yank Rachell (1910-1997) came out of the Memphis jug band scene and composed many country blues classics including She Caught the Katy and Divin' Duck Blues. He was also the first to record blues classics like Milk Cow Blues and Poor John Blues. He played with dozens of blues legends including John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson and Big Joe Williams. Some of his most important work was done with guitarist Sleepy John Estes who was his partner in the 1920s and 1930s. When they were reunited as a duet in the 1960s, they made the rounds of the college scene during the blues revival, also touring Japan and Europe and all the American folk festivals. Like Rachell, Estes enjoyed a long career, finishing as a featured artist of the Jefferson Airplane spin-off Hot Tuna. Much of Rachell's work is available on CD so check it out!