Modern Mandolin Quartet – Some Great Videos 1985 / 1986 – Mike Marshall, Dana Rath, Paul Blinkey and John Imholz

Today I have watched some videos with the Modern Mandolin Quartet from the early days of this ensemble with Mike Marshall. I think those videos belong to the best videos with a mandolin quartet – composed of  two mandolins, mandola and a mandocello.

The modern mandolin quartet is the plucked strings equivalent of a classical string quartet. Quartets like this did also exist in the late 19th century when mandolin was very popular in Italy, France, Great Britain and also in the USA.

Modern Mandolin Quartet – Demo 85′

Early Video demo created by Mike Marshall, Thom Wineland and Dan Large to promote the Modern Mandolin quartet. Recorded at St Vincents church in San Rafael, Ca.

Mike Marshall – Mandolin

Dana Rath – Mandolin

Paul Binkley – Mandola

John Imholz – MandoCello

Modern Mandolin Quartet 1986 TK1 – Brandenburg Cocerto by J. S. Bach

Early concert footage of the original Modern Mandolin Quartet, at a performance at the Cafe Valencia in San Francisco, CA. Video cameras by Dan Large and Thom Wineland.

Cool, from “West Side Story” – Modern Mandolin Quartet

Modern Mandolin Quartet

Mike Marshall leads the MMQ in this broadcast of the Lonesome Pine Special’s “Mando Magnificat” at the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts in Louisville, Kentucky; producer Richard Van Kleeck; director Clark Santee; copyright 1989, KET

This video was recorded with Sam Bush and Peter Ostroushko, together with the Louisville Mandolin Orchestra – a great performance of Aaron Copland’s Hoedown:

Hoedown – Mike Marshall, Sam Bush, Peter Ostroushko, MMQ, LMO

Aaron Copland’s Hoedown from ballet Rodeo; Modern Mandolin Quartet, Sam Bush, Peter Ostroushko, Louisville Mandolin Orchestra, conducted by Richard van Kleeck; 1989 KET broadcast of the Lonesome Pine Special’s “Mando Magnificat” at the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts in Louisville, Kentucky; producer Richard Van Kleeck; director Clark Santee; copyright 1989, KET

In 2012 the Modern Mandolin Quartet has released its CD “Americana”.

Website Modern Mandolin Quartet: http://www.modernmandolinquartet.com/

A chamber group using the instruments of the mandolin family (two mandolins, mandola and mando-cello) to perform classical and contemporary compositions from around the world.

In the mid-1980s, Dana Rath and Mike Marshall, in a moment of insanity, created a quartet of mandolin family instruments (2 mandolins, mandola, mandocello) bringing back the mandolin ensemble tradition of the early 1900s. Repertoire was to achieve the standards of the great classical string quartets, but also include bluegrass and other styles (just because it could be done).

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