Customer Reviews

Into The Cauldron

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have been absolutely playing the spots off of this CD.... I'm becoming addicted. I won't repeat what others have written about the credentials of Mike Marshall and Chris Thile - they're two mandolin virtuosos FAR beyond any who ever recorded to my knowledge and let's leave it at that.

The whole dad-gummed thing is almost painfully good, but here are a few highlights...

Charlie Parker's Scrapple From the Apple - they play so cool and funky.... you know how you hear a good jazz player diddlin' around and you think "Man, I'd like to hear this guy just cut LOOSE on something?" Well.... this song is these two cut LOOSE at their cool, funky, jazzy best.

Fisher's Hornpipe - Alison Krauss also plays this on the Mark O'Connor, Yo Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer CD Appalachian Waltz..... BUT with all due respect to those four fine musicians (and I love MOC, Yo Yo, Alison, etc).... You've just got to hear this recording to believe it - you remember that album Marshall and Darol Anger did 20 years ago, The Duo? Well, THIS album, and this cut in particular is like Marshall has been practicing for 20 years and waiting for someone who could keep up.... and along comes The Kid (the family nickname for the prodigiously talented barely 20-something Chris Thile) with his mandolin loaded for BEAR.

Their Fisher's Hornpipe isn't just good, it isn't just hot.... it absolutely crackles with sizzling intensity. They alternately glide gracefully along the strings, then put in mind-teasing syncopy then play sizzling, raging passages.... the only thing that comes to mind to compare is Eric Johnson' Masterpiece "Cliffs of Dover".

I agree with others who have said that this recording just whets your appetite for the potpourri of styles that Mike and Chris are absolute masters of. Classical? Check out the Goldberg Variations.

How good can a recording of two guys playing mandolins be?

This good.

This CD is a collection of original works and covers by diverse artists. The styles include classical, jazz, celtic and unique variations on progressive acoustic forms. Once you've sorted out who is playing (Chris on the left, Mike on the right), you begin to recognize the elegant, frenetic and a bit more subdued playing of Chris Thile and the louder, less precise and some would argue fuller tones of Mike Marshall. Many of the compositions are exceptional. However, the acoustics feel a bit distant as if you were in a room with too many echoes to be optimal for acoustic listening. I felt there was too much strumming, but this is a slight gripe. Also, in the interest (apparently) of trying everything you can do with mandolins, there is an excessive amount of banging and thudding. Some of this works. Some of it seems like noise. Overall, there is a lot of genius to enjoy on this progressive acoustic collection.

Genius meets genius. No other way to describe it, and the unbelievable result of its "sum being greater than its parts" will leave virtually every mandolinist recovering from bruises on the jaw from hitting the floor. The rendition of "Scrapple from the Apple" itself is enough to own this CD. If their isn't a Grammy nomination in the hopper on this, their truly is no justice.

I'm an addict of all things mandolin, so I was eagerly anticpating this CD like none other. I picked it up at a Mike Marshall show, and WOW. The chemistry and interplay between these guys is stunning, and their range of musical styles and compositions is certainly deep and wide. Be aware that the entire recording is simply two mandolins (Mike picks up his mandocello for one track). This really isn't for background music, in my opinion: it's for enthusiastic if not intense study at least at first, and exhilarating and inspiring listening for years to come.

For whatever reason, it took me a while to get around to getting this one. Been meaning to grab it since it came out but just never did. I think my recent pre-order of Sam Bush and David Grisman's Hold On We're Strumming finally pushed me to get this one. Now that I have it, I really don't know why I waited so long.

Actually, I am enjoying the fact that I got these 2 cds at more-or-less the same time. They are an excellent contrast to one another. Two cds, both featuring two mandolin greats playing together... similar? Not at all. First off, this disc is a true duo. No guests, just Thile and Marshall. The Bush & Grisman disc with all its guests frequently has a group sound. The overall vibe is that the Bush & Grisman comes across as being more roots-oriented, even when Bush is doing his funkier stuff. Into The Cauldron somehow seems to be this sort of completely progressive album. Previous people have mentioned technical ability and that sort of thing, to which I'd still say that Radim Zenkl is the most technically outrageous, jaw-dropping, dazzling mandolinist I've ever heard (plus he has a massive gift for melody), but really, who is counting? Thile and Marshall are mind-benders themselves and they play wonderfully together. Also be sure to check out Burma (Myanmar) for 2 fantastic mandolinists!

I still think Thile's tone isn't as full and round as Mike's is, and Mike tends to have a more melodic flair to his playing, but when both guys are playing together it's easier to forget that Thile still leans more towards the technical side while Mike hits you right in the heart. Quite often I do love what Thile does, but sometimes I do get the feeling that he's doing this or that for no other reason than to make sure you know he can do it. In the big picture though, it's certainly not often enough to detract from this cd.

I happen to love HEY HO! If you have Mike and Darol Anger's semi-recent The Duo Live: At Home And On The Range disc then this tune will seem familar to you. HEY HO is basically Big Mon From Syracuse, but with some other sections arranged into it. It's as if Mike superimposed another composition onto (and in between) parts of Big Mon. It works wonderfully! Stuff like this, Fisher's Hornpipe, Scrapple, Shamrock Shore, and Desvairada make this an excellent cd.

I've listened to this a bunch of times since I got it and it's just seeming better and better each time. If these 2 do another duo album I certainly won't be waiting this long to pick it up. This is a great one.

One thing about this CD that takes some getting used to is the apparent journey Chris Thile is on. His early records (ages 13 and 16) are amazing and melodic to a fault. As he grows up, he is obviously experimenting and stretching his tastes to the more "progressive" side: more dissonance, less melodic. This album has some ragged edges that may be disturbing to those of us who listen to his first 25 published songs (on Leading Off and Stealing Second) and are amazed at the variety, clarity and vitality of them. "Not all that Wander" balances melodic writing with more complex forms. It is superb and a bit more "grown up." But where is he heading now? I'm going along for the ride, but I hope his more melodic composing days are not fading as he grows up.

If you're stuck in old-time or blugrass mando playing, this CD is NOT for you. If, however, you love the mandolin and are eager to hear it explored in all its facets, this IS the recording for you. Bach, Charlie Parker, and a hornpipe thrown in for good measure. And you'll love Mike Marshall's deep-voiced mandocello playing. (I've already pulled out my instrument catalogs to check the prices on this unusual instrument.) This CD will be in my player for some time to come.
To be balanced, I have two problems. First, there's a tad too much reverb or "distance" in the sound. The liner notes say that it was recorded at a studio, but then talk about "Acoustic space enhancement" being done at some Congregational church. Does this mean that they played the recording in the church, and re-recorded it as it was being played? That's goofy. If that's what they did, they should stop. Whatever they did, they should stop and give us clear, up-front sound.
Second, the total running time is 45:51. With the ever escalating price of music, I expect a full CD's worth of tunes.
But actually, if I didn't stop to write this review, I might not have thought about these problems. The CD is playing right now, and it's incredible. I WILL buy more Marshall and Thile, and I'll do it soon.

this is definitely not background music--it is the New Acoustic
equivalent of the Hellecasters or Vai/Satriani/Malmsteen etc:
Fast, flashy and technically outstanding. I find this music to be
overwhelming and don't listen to it much. The instruments are
not close mic'd as in most New Acoustic music. It sounds more
like a classical music recording (the "sound of the room" ie.
natural reverb, is very present). I think this dilutes the
sound and makes it less immediate.

First off, I was able to secure a copy of this cd about 6 weeks before today's street release date at a Mike Marshall appearance with Edgar Meyer in Atlanta. I have listened to this album all the way through dozens of times and I never seem to tire of it. It was one of those amazing works that instantly became infectious and entered into seriously heavy rotation in my player. As a serious mandolin enthusiast stuck in a banjo pickers body, I knew it would be great before I even listened to it. It didn't fail to meet expectations and in my opinion is going to be considered one of the essentials of the acoustic/newgrass/bluegrass canon very swiftly. The songs are very sporadic in their genres and give you a taste of how monstrous a whole album would be, if it were devoted to just one of the styles represented, e.g. Classical, Bop, Bluegrass, Brazilian, etc. With the exception of two tracks that showcase Marshall on Mandocello, the entire album is Thile and Marshall dueting with their mandos - all instrumental - all inspired brilliance. The liners let us know that Thile is on the left side and Marshall on the right so we can at times keep up with who is playing what. If you are reading this, then most likely you are already familiar with these two gentlemen and you know you are going to probably buy this cd anyway, and I promise you that you will not be disappointed.

Chris Thile, originally from San Diego County but now living in Nashville, has achieved considerable fame as part of the Grammy-winning trio, Nickel Creek. At age 12 (in 1993), Thile becasme the youngest winner ever of the National Mandolin Championship. His 2001 project (Not All Who Wander Are Lost) with Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer and Jerry Douglas received much high acclaim. In 2000, with Nickel Creek, Thile won IBMA award for Emerging Artist of the Year. In 2001, his "Ode to a Butterfly" nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental Recording. Also that same year, he won IBMA award for Mandolin Player of the Year. Nickel Creek also won the award for Instrumental Group of the Year.

Mike Marshall was a member of the David Grisman Quintet in the late 70s, and he has appeared on countless albums in various collaborations. In 1983, he formed the Montreux Band, a new age jazz ensemble, followed in 1987 by the Modern Mandolin Quartet. In 1995, Mike traveled to Brazil and studied Brazilian choro music. In 1996, he formed Psychograss with Darol Anger, David Grier, Todd Philips and Tony Trischka. In 1999, he recorded and performed with Edgar Meyer, Joshua Bell and Sam Bush. In 2000, Marchall recorded and performed with NewGrange.

What happens when you throw the two string virtuosos into a large new acoustic kettle and mix vigorously? The resulting musical stew includes Bach, Brazilian Choro, jazz ala Charlie Parker and original innovations. Marshall contributes two self-penned tunes (Harvest Time, Hey Ho!), Thile wrote one alone (Stranded in Kodiak), and both collaborated on the three numbers that close the album (Something Quite Trifling, What A Blast!, Shamrock Shore). The instruments that Chris and Mike feature are Dudenbostel and Gibson Lloyd Loar mandolins, and a Monteleone mandocello. Mike Marshall and Chris Thile add considerable reverb to the mix to give the project a nice, full, airy sound. Mandolin albums are in vogue, and this project by two masters performing duets is sure to please. (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)