MandoIsland Blog

My favorite tune from Venezuela is the Pajarillo. This tune is typically played on the Venezuelan cuatro, a four-string instrument similar to a tenor ukulele. However the famous Alexis Cardenas and the Youth Symphony Orchestra from Venezuela do also play this tune in their concerts. In their program the Pajarillo is often one of the last pieces that adds the music from Venezuela to the mainly classical programs they play before.

So I start with this fantastic version of Fuga con Pajarillo conducted by the famous Gustavo Dudamel:

“Fuga con Pajarillo”II Parte Gustavo Dudamel “Teresa Carreño” Youth Symphony Orchestra

Everytime I listen to some Pajarillos I have the strong desire to play with them. The structure is so simple, but it is almost impossible not to move with this music. The same chord are repeated again and again, but this makes it necessary to improvise all the time to make the tune interesting.

The following video shows a fantastic version played by a string ensemble with bandola llanera, cuatro, guitar, bass guita and maracas – in this video you can see the instruments and the playing technique very good.

09 05 08 “Pajarillo” por Ensamble Venezuela

09 05 08 “Pajarillo” por Ensamble Venezuela
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Another version I like very much is the following version played by by a mandolin orchestra – the Estudiantina UNEXPO de Puerto Oradz. Again you can hear a very interesting solo on the cuator in the second part of this video.

Pajarillo y Chipola. Estudiantina UNEXPO de Puerto Ordaz

Playlist Pajarillo

In the playlist you can find the best Pajarillo videos that I have found. It starts with a very good jazz version with Huascar Barradas (flute) and Jorge Polanco (cuatro). The list includes a version by Recoveco with Alexis Cardenas (violin) and Ricardo Sandoval (cuatro) and two versions from the Berkeley College of Music with arrangements by Sandro Morales Santoro, one with a violin as solo instrument, another with a flute as solo instrument.

I have also included another videos of the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra from a Proms concert – a fantastic performance that cannot be topped  you really should not miss this video!

At the end I have added the famous Fandango for harpsichord by Antonio Soler.

Resources:

cuatro venezolano and bandola llanera in the Atlas of Plucked Instruments: http://www.atlasofpluckedinstruments.com/south_america.htm

Wikipedia about Joropo: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joropo

I found those two pieces for mandolin and church organ recently. Both pieces are taken from a recording with religious music which was recorded in the 1980s by Benny Ludemann (mandolin) and Klass Jan Mulder (oragn).

Benny Ludemann is a mandolin and guitar player from the Netherlands. He has made many appearances in radio and TV. He is teaching mandolin andguitar and has made a big contribution to the mandolin orchestra association of the Netherlands NVvMO

The mandolin part ist played with tremolo. Pleas enjoy this rare combination of mandolin and organ.

Klaas Jan Mulder (orgel) en Benny Ludemann (mandoline) – Scheepke onder Jezus hoede

Klaas Jan Mulder (orgel) en Benny Ludemann (mandoline) – Ik wens voor Hem te leven

I have found one other video with Benny Ludemann from a TV show, Benny Ludemann plays the guitar in a piece named 24 Roses.

24 rozen – Benny Luemann

Further resources:

You can find a note about Benny Ludemann in German here: http://www.mandolinen-orchester-koslar.de/Texte/jury.htm

Some time ago I have discovered the following video of an interesting composition for flute and mandolin by composer Orie Sato.

The mandolin part is played by Anna Torge. I have met Anna Torge at the international mandolin symposium in Trossingen in 2008. Anna Torge is teaching the mandolin and is developping a way to use the Suzuki method for the mandolin.

O.P.M. für Querflöte & Mandoline / Orie Sato

O.P.M. for Flute & Mandolin composed by Orie Sato http://www.myspace.com/orie… performed by Monika Olszak http://www.monika-olszak.de/ Flute, Anna Torge Mandlin, in Munich, Germany in 2008

Further Resources:

Orie Sato at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/oriesato

Anna Torge is a member of the Aramis Quartet

I first heard Bearfoot in an internet radio transmission of a concert at the 2008 Merlefest. I have recently listened again to the recording of this concert and wanted to collect some videos and information about Bearfoot for this blog.

The current band members of Bearfoot are:

The sound of Bearfoot is dominated by the twin fiddles of Odessa jorgenson and Angela Oudean and the harmony singing of the three women in the band. Some songs are also sung by guitarist Mike Mickelson and mandolinist Jason Norris, the male part of the band.

There are some fantastic sounding a capella songs, you can hear typical bluegrass songs like Sally Goodin or Molly and the Tenbrooks, oldtime and original songs, blues, a very interesting mixture of styles and sounds that I like very much.

The band was founded as a band to promote the results of fiddle camps held in Alaska by Mick’s mother. They have become a full time professional band some time ago and have produced several CDs.

The following interview is a good occasion to learn more about Bearfoot and its members:

Bearfoot Interview

There are many videos of Bearfoot available at youtube, the most popular songs are:

• Molasses
• Caroline
• Good in the Kitchen
• My Bucket got a hole in it

I have collected the videos in the following playlist, I tried to place the videos I like most at the beginning.

Playlist Bearfoot

I would like to add one special song here in this blog, a song sung by Annalisa Tornfeldt who was the lead singer and fiddle player before Odessa Jorgenson. This song is one of my favorites in the Bearfoot repertoir.

It’s a bluesy piece about a woman waiting on a train track, which has a nice arrangement and gets a lot of energy in the middle of the song, including a powerfull mandolin solo by Jason Norris.

Bearfoot AC&T 4/23/2008 – 2

Bearfoot, Alaskan bluegrass band, performs at Ashland Coffee and Tea, Ashland, VA on 4/23/2008

Enjoy Bearfoot!

Weitere Informationen

Bearfoot at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/bearfootband

Homepage with some songs of the current CD Doors and Windows: http://www.bearfootband.com/

Interview “Bearfoot lead singer Odessa Jorgenson on the band’s new album”: http://folkmusic.about.com/od/artistsaj/a/BearfootQA.htm

Annalisa Tornfelt at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/annalisatornfelt

I found the following video and as it is a very rare combination I want to present it in my blog.

Last year a special compoetition for the Baglama – an instrument popular in Turkey and played by many immigrants from Turkey in Germany as well – was included in the German competition for young musicians Jugend Musiziert. The orchestra was conducted by Dr. Christian de Witt.

Koray Berat Sari, Jugendzupforchester NRW mit Baglama

Preisträgerkonzert von Jugend musiziert 2009
Baglama mit dem Jugendzupforchester NRW unter der Leitung von Dr. Christian de Witt

There is a press release about this (in German)
http://www.jugend-musiziert.org/bundeswettbewerb/presse/pressemitteilung

Baglama

Informations about the baglama from Turkey or more precisely the baglama saz can be found in the Atlas of Plucked Instruments.

http://www.atlasofpluckedinstruments.com/middle_east.htm

This is the most well-known Turkish plucked instrument. It comes in several different sizes : the small cura saz, the baglama saz, the bigger divan saz and the biggest : the meydan saz. Nowadays you can also find an electric saz. The baglama (pronounce : bah-lahma) is the most popular. In Iran and Azerbaijan this instrument may be called chogur, choghur or çogur.

Jugendzupforchester NR

Homepage of the Jugendzupforchester NRW: http://www.jugendzupforchester.de/