News: Current events, recent gigs, new releases…..
April 2, 2024: Monteleone Mandolin Registry
Fans of mandolin-family instruments built by master luthier John Monteleone now have a great source for information: the Monteleone Mandolin Registry. This website is curated by Jim Richter; the site contains articles, pictures, links, stories, anecdotes and much more that are related to John Monteleone's instruments. I just added my own Monteleone Mandocello (No. 140) to the Registry - along with pictures and a bit of history. That's the mandocello I played in the Modern Mandolin Quartet from 1989 through 2000.
More about John Monteleone can be found at: https://monteleone.net/
March 21, 2024: Good legislative news out of Nashville, as reported in the NY Times on March 21, 2024: "Tennessee Makes A.I. an Outlaw to Protect Its Country Music and More"
"Gov. Bill Lee on Thursday signed a first-in-the-nation bill to prevent the use of artificial intelligence to copy a performer’s “voice.”
Musicians, singers, and songwriters have their own distinctive voices - and this legislation is a good start towards protecting their rights. Protecting one's own distinctive voice and brand from theft should be a no-brainer, but often one's rights in this regard must be fought for. This is a step in the right direction.
Let's get the ball rolling nationwide - and worldwide! Tennessee is the first state in the nation to enact such legislation; who'll step up next?
January 1, 2024
Taps 2023
Jeff Beck, Harry Belafonte, Tony Bennett, Dennis Budimir, Jimmy Buffett, Burt Bacharach, Dix Bruce, David Crosby, Jerry Dodgion, Patty Hoelle Drury, Daniel Ellsberg, Astrid Gilberto, Sheldon Harnick, Maurice Hinds, Ahmad Jamal, Al Jaffee (Mad Magazine), Barry Koron, Gordon Lightfoot, Dave Martell, David McCallum (Illya Kuryakin), Sinead O'Connor, Don Sebesky, Wayne Shorter, Tom Smothers, Alice Stuart, Tina Turner, Jan Volkert, Andre Watts, Jack Wilkins (jazz guitarist), Cindy Williams.
September 30, 2023:
NEVER use an EC ATM when traveling in Europe; it's always better to get your cash withdrawals from ATMs that are directly affiliated with a bank.
Recently in Cologne, Germany, I needed some cash and the only ATM nearby was an EC Geldautomat. I withdrew €150, which was worth $158.70, according to the official exchange rate on that day.
I had requested a receipt, as I always do when banking. The EC ATM spat out €150, but no receipt.
Later that afternoon I logged into my U.S. bank account, and I discovered that EC had charged me $194.82 ( a 23% fee over the actual value on the withdrawal! ) for the privilege of using their ATM. To compare: using a bank-affiliated ATM (UBS, Targo Bank, Deutsche Bank, etc.) the fee is somewhere around 1.0-2.0 %.
The EC atms are owned by Euronet - an American company based in Leawood, Kansas. Their services are a complete rip-off; stick with bank-affiliated ATMs!
July 4th, 2023:
Capathia Jenkins at Shoreline Amphitheater
I had the honor and pleasure this past 4th of July to play once again with Capathia Jenkins (vocalist extraordinaire!) and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. The SFSO regularly celebrates July 4th with a concert at Shoreline Amphitheater, and this summer (2023) Capathia Jenkins joined the orchestra for a program of Aretha Franklin tunes. The set list kicked off with Chain of Fools (which starts with solo electric guitar playing the tremolo intro lick, originally recorded by guitarist Joe South). The Capathia kicks it of f with "Chain, chain, CHAAAAAAIN.......chain of fools" and we're off and running!
I Say a Little Prayer, What a Friend We Have in Jesus, Climbing Higher Mountains, Nobody Does It Better, Natural Woman, Respect, and Think to close out the set. The orchestra played a Doc Severinson arrangement of Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely" in the middle of the set.
Playing Aretha's music is a terrific experience for the rhythm section: The soulful grooves were originally played by the Muscle Shoals session players (aka The Swampers):
Aretha Franklin – lead vocals, piano
Chips Moman, Jimmy Johnson, Joe South - guitars[1]
Tommy Cogbill – bass guitar
Roger Hawkins – drums
King Curtis – tenor saxophone
Charles Chalmers – tenor saxophone
Willie Bridges – baritone saxophone
The Sweet Inspirations, Carolyn Franklin, Erma Franklin & Ellie Greenwich - background vocals
Our rhythm section at Shoreline had Artie Storch on drums, Scott Pingel on bass, John Wilson on keyboards, me on guitar, and the entire SF Symphony to fill things out. Capathia had 3 backup singers as well. A wonderful night from start to finish!
More on Capathia Jenkins here.
January 1, 2023:
Taps for 2022 - we lost many creative, iconic, and influential people last year. These are some of the people who were influential and important to me: Marilyn Bergman, Robert Clary (LeBeau), Aline Kominsky-Crumb, George Crumb, Lamont Dozier, Julie Ann Giacobassi, Anne Heche, Howard Hesseman, Conrad Janis, Angela Lansbury, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ramsey Lewis, Radu Lupu, Loretta Lynn, Gerry Marsden, Christine McVie, Meat Loaf, Monty Norman (composer of the James Bond theme), Olivia Newton-John, Nichelle Nichols, Sidney Poitier, Mimi Reinhard (typed up Schindler’s list), Ned Rorem, Bobby Rydell, Pharaoh Sanders, Lucy Simon, Ronnie Spector, Alan White, Don Wilson (the Ventures)
August 9, 2022:
Recording Rhapsody in Blue with the Classical Tahoe Orchestra at Skywalker Sound
Ken-David Masur, conductor
Aldo López-Gavilán, piano
I had the great fortune to play banjo on this recording with the Classical Tahoe Orchestra at Skywalker Sound.The original Gershwin score, orchestrated by Ferde Grofe, has two different versions: the small-group version, originally played by George Gershwin himself, with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra (1924), and the full-orchestra version. The full-orchestra version was the one we recorded yesterday.
Aldo Lopez-Gavilán is a terrific pianist. This was my first experience working with him, and also with conductor Ken-David Masur. The orchestra sounded great; they'd been playing together for 3 weeks at the Classical Tahoe Festival prior to the recording session. On Monday they recorded López-Gavilán's piece Emporium for Piano and Orchestra. On Tuesday banjo was added to the mix and we recorded Rhapsody in Blue.
The Classical Tahoe Orchestra includes musicians from all over; many players are members of the NY Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Several local players from the SF Opera, SF Ballet, and other freelancers were on the session as well. Here's the lineup:
https://classicaltahoe.org/orchestra/
Aldo Lopez-Gavilán’s website: https://www.aldomusica.com
López-Gavilán is a prodigious improvisor, and he brought those skills to the recording. I'm looking forward to hearing both Rhapsody and Emporium once they're released. Stay tuned!
March 18-19, 2022:
Pixar movies with live music at the San Francisco Symphony - always one of my favorite gigs! Toy Story (March 18-19, 2022) was quite fun to play. Randy Newman's song "You Got A Friend In Me" is great: Lyle Lovett and Randy Newman singing while the orchestra plays the accompaniment. Kids in the audience (both young and old) singing along....a lovely evening all around. And there are some neat slide guitar licks written into the end title reprise of that tune. Filling out the rhythm section was Pat Klobas on bass, Artie Storch on drum set, and Marc Shapiro on the synthesizer, and the entire San Francisco Symphony.
March 5, 2022:
Ukraine update - organizations currently doing critical work and collecting donations:
The San Francisco Symphony has announced its solidarity with the Ukrainian people; they’ve listed these four organizations that are doing relief work:
Direct Relief: Donate - Direct Relief
Mercy Corp: Crisis in Ukraine: Give now | Mercy Corps
Ukraine Humanitarian Fund: Fundraiser by GoFundMe.org : Ukraine Humanitarian Fund
World Central Kitchen: wck.org
The links below were previously posted; I’ll update this list as more information becomes available.
March 3, 2022:
The Ukrainian National Anthem (Words by Pavlo Chubynsky; Music by Mikhail Verbytskyi)
No one should have to endure aggressive warfare.
Until a couple of days ago I was unfamiliar with Ukraine's national anthem; I did some research and put together this track. Normally I work on tunes and arrangements for quite a while before posting anything. But time is of the essence right now; the Ukrainian people are suffering and the more that people become aware of the situation, the better. I can overdub, re-arrange, and work on this arrangement later. Right now I just want to draw some attention to what's going on.
Some Russian friends / colleagues of mine have family that live in Russia; according to them their access to the news and to the reality of what's happening in Ukraine is extremely limited. Any questioning or dissent is met with harsh measures. It appears that the Russian people are not being told the truth by their government.
My hope is that many, many people around the world will put enough pressure on the Russian political apparatus (and Vladimir Putin in particular) to end this needless conflict as soon as possible. There's a list of charitable organizations below; please help if you can. Spreading the word is a good start. I'll update this list as more information becomes available.
мирний ("Peace" in Ukrainian)
John
Doctors Without Borders; Médecins Sans Frontieres
March 1, 2022:
My latest piece, Amanda Lynn and Wendy, is now available on Spotify and iTunes. This song was inspired by my good friend (since 1972!) Wendy Dunn, and features a musical dialog between electric guitar and mandolin. We start out in a bluegrassy vein, and then morph into some back-and-forth electric slide guitar. Things ultimately come back down to earth and wrap up with the mandolin getting the last word.
Pat Klobas played bass, and Kelly Fasman played the drums. You can listen to the preview clip here:
January 10, 2022:
Many people who were important figures in my life passed away during 2021. They will be missed very much:
Ed Asner, Byron Berline, Leslie Bricusse, Beverly Cleary, Chick Corea, Michael Collins (Astronaut), Dottie Dodgion, Don Everly, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Dave Frishberg, Bernard Haitink, Slide Hampton, Roger Hawkins (of the Swampers), John W. Heard, John Hickman, George Horn, Pat Martino, Michael Morgan, Michael Nesmith, Christopher Plummer, Harry Reid, Mort Sahl, Debbie Scheidler , Dr. Lonnie Smith (played w/ George Benson), Stephen Sondheim
Desmond Tutu, Charlie Watts
Bette White, Mary Wilson
October 19, 2021:
Waltz for Debby, Ghost Riders in the Sky, and Somewhere (previously released) are also now available for streaming and/or purchase at iTunes and Spotify.
October 7, 2021:
Sandrine and Cubano Chant are now available for streaming and/or purchase at iTunes and Spotify.
You can hear previews of both these songs via the links below:
September 20, 2021:
Update: Helsinki, Finland
I've just gotten acquainted with a guitarist from Finland named Vesa Anttila. He's a session musician from Helsinki. He found me through my website; he was scheduled to play West Side Story this past September (2021) and he was interested to speak with someone who'd already played that guitar part (which is very challenging....but incredibly good music - well worth the effort). He discovered on the web that I had played guitar and mandolin on the San Francisco Symphony's 2014 recording of WSS. I'm glad he reached out.
We exchanged information, discussed the various techniques needed to play the part, and shared a few gig stories. His run with West Side Story was 3 weeks. That's enough time to settle and really have fun with the music. There's some great nylon-string sections (America and I Feel Pretty) that utilize classical guitar technique, and there are other tunes (such as "Cool") that have a swing jazz groove that go all over the fingerboard. Lots of solo bits, and the ensemble passage work is formidable.
I always enjoy playing this show. The orchestration by Leonard Bernstein, Irwin Kostal, and Sid Ramin is some of the best I've seen and had the opportunity to play. Vesa shared the book with guitarist Markku Kanerva. Together they split up the performances over the 3-week run.
Petri Hakala (mandolinist) is the only other Finnish musician I've encountered prior to meeting Vesa. I met Petri at the Rudolstadt Tanz und Volksfest in the summer of 1995 (picture below). Petri is the tall guy in the red shirt in the back row (R). Lots of other mandolinists were there as well.
Left to right, top row: Siggi Busch, Radim Zenkl, Wolfgang Meyering, Mike Marshall, U. Srinivas (RIP), Mauro Squillante, Paul Binkley (RIP), Patrick Vaillant, Petri Hakala, ?, ?
Left to right, bottom row: U. Rajesh, Dana Rath, Hilary James, Simon Mayor, John Imholz, ?, ?
September 3, 2021:
UPDATE: New York Metropolitan Opera Orchestra labor negotiations
The New York Metropolitan Opera Orchestra is now back at work. This was a long and difficult year for the musicians. You can read about it here in the New York Times: Met Opera Reaches Deal With Orchestra, Paving Way for Reopening
Labor negotiations are complicated and require all parties involved to act in good faith. Union representation is a tremendous asset for the individual workers, regardless of the profession. One lone employee has very little leverage when negotiating wages and working conditions with a huge, well-funded organization. Strength in numbers helps level the playing field somewhat.
Kudos to the members of the Met Orchestra and to all who worked on their behalf for reaching a workable deal. This includes the American Federation of Musicians Local 802, the Stage Hands Union (Local One of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees), and the American Guild of Musical Artists (representing chorus members, soloists, dancers and stage managers).
Read what the met Orchestra Musicians have to say directly at their Facebook page: MET Orchestra Musicians
June 15, 2021:
I've had the good fortune to work with engineer John Cuniberti on many projects. He was recently interviewed by Tape Op magazine; he discusses his One Mic series of recording sessions. A very interesting read for recording engineers and musicians alike!
Read the interview in Tape OP #55 HERE
Go directly to John Cuniberti's One Mic page
The aforementioned cool T-shirt I received from the AFM. Photo by Kathryn MacDonald.
March 22, 2021:
Regarding Union organizing at the Amazon facility in Bessemer, Alabama:
Collective bargaining is the way to go. Thanks to the AFM, I receive royalty payments from previous work, a pension, good working conditions, as well as support and representation when an employer tries to skirt the rules. And a cool T-Shirt!
No Amazon purchases for me until they allow their workers to unionize. My feelings about this issue began to develop many years ago; I made 1 purchase at a WalMart in Missouri back in the early 1990s. At the time I was on the road playing on the Windham Hill Winter Solstice concert series. I realized I'd left my running shorts at home. WalMart was the only store around, and no mom-and-pop stores, either...no alternative place to buy activewear anywhere nearby.
I found the shopping experience quite different from what I was used to, in ways that made me feel somewhat uncomfortable. Once I finished my run and got back to the hotel I began looking into WalMart's business practices, corporate governance, and I read articles about them. I decided that a non-union anti-collective bargaining business model was not one I was comfortable supporting,
That was my first and last visit to WalMart. And now I always verify the contents of my luggage before traveling!
Here is a copy of the letter I sent to Jeff Bezos and the Amazon Board of Directors. I'll post any replies that I receive. In the meantime, let's send good wishes to our fellow workers in Bessemer!
Regarding the Metropolitan Opera outsourcing gigs:
The New York Metropolitan Opera hired a pickup orchestra while furloughing the actual members of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Read about it here: https://www.npr.org/2021/02/19/969397479/metropolitan-opera-backstage-workers-without-people-the-opera-is-nothing
This is an excerpt from the above article:
The pandemic forced the Met to cancel the final months of the 2019-20 season, as well as the entire 2020-21 season. That's a loss of 276 performances and the ticket income from them. The Met has offered free archival video on its website and has produced a series of pay-per-view recitals, "Met Stars Live in Concert." Two of those recitals, broadcast from Europe, raised the ire of the AFM, because Met management hired instrumentalists who were not members of the Met Orchestra.
John speaking here: I understand that all of us, from large business entities to individuals, are impacted and suffering under Covid - both financially and personally. But this situation does not justify acting in bad faith.
The Met Orchestra members are world-renowned, highly experienced professionals who give 100+%. I firmly believe that if the Met needs musicians for a project during Covid, they should start with their in-house orchestra...they should not hire an out-sourced orchestra to save dollars. If there's not enough money to do things the usual way, then negotiate!
Opera, like all musical endeavors, is a collaborative situation. Everyone is important - and there are lots of behind-the-scenes people upon which such productions depend - stage hands, cleaning crew, set builders and painters, designers, electricians, sound crew, maintenance workers, box office workers, and many, many more. It is due to their combined efforts and ability to work together that the end result is way more than the sum of the parts.
Whatever short-term financial gain gained by the MET management tactics is not worth befouling the collaborative and trusting working relationship that must be in place for such artistic endeavors. It will take quite some time for trust to be regained between management and the orchestra, as well as with everyone else who is involved with staging these operas.
The AFM has taken a firm position on the Met management's behavior regarding this particular issue. Strength in numbers will help bring this situation to an agreeable conclusion....much more quickly and efficiently than without Union representation.
Go Union! Collective bargaining is the way to go.
Photo of the Metropolitan Opera House in New York by Mateusz Majewski on Unsplash
On a lighter note, I had the good fortune and opportunity to play with many of the Met Orchestra members at the Napa Valley Summer Festival in 2018. When I got the call to play the banjo part for "I Got Plenty o' Nothin'" I figured it was going to be a locally-sourced ensemble (i.e. the "Freeway Philharmonic"). It turned out to be more than just a local gig.
Members of the Festival Orchestra NAPA under the baton of Joel Revzen were doing a summer residency there, and a shortened version of Porgy and Bess was on the concert schedule. Even with an abridged form of Gershwin's score, it would be folly to exclude IGPONothin'; it's a great song, and it features the tenor banjo. What's not to like? (Please hold the banjo jokes for the moment).
When I arrived at the venue and began setting up, I realized that aside from a few local reed players (Hello, Dave, Dale, and Kevin!) I didn't recognize anyone. The banjo chair was directly in front of the conductor's podium. Insert a bit of tongue-in-cheek: Conductors as a rule like keeping a close eye on the "extra" players. That particularly applies to musicians who most likely have had more experience playing on the porch than in orchestra pits of opera houses. However, I did have my tux. (I had left the overalls, the moonshine, and the shootin' iron back in the holler).
So there I was, sandwiched between the celli, violas, and basses to my left; the rest of the violins to my right, woodwinds directly behind me, as well as the rest of the orchestra. And sitting next to me on my right was Kay Stern, the SF Opera's concertmaster. The last time we'd been in the pit together was during the SF Opera's run of Showboat (another great banjo gig). And now here she was, sitting next to me at the back of the second violins...not her usual spot in band, to be sure. She was hired as an extra as well, just like me. We chatted briefly, and at that point it became obvious to me this wasn't the Freeway Phil!
Enter the Concertmaster, who gestured to the oboist to give the A. When it was time for the strings to tune I played my A as well, which has a slightly different timbre than a gaggle of Villaumes, Strads, Landolfis, et al. As often happens when I do that, much chuckling ensued! Nothing like a solid banjo "plunk" in the middle of 30 or 40 bowed violins, violas, celli, and basses to tickle one's funny bone. I don't know how other banjo players handle it, but I want to check my pitch before downbeat just like everyone else. I think sometimes extra players prefer to keep a low profile in high-profile situations. One wants to fit in with the group, not stand out like some greenhorn. But hey: it's a banjo; I like to think the conductor wanted to know what he was in for. And now we've all had a tension-dispelling laugh, and we're all pals, partners in crime. At least the banjo player knows why the concertmaster gave the A. Maybe he's not going to crash and burn when the heat is on!
It was a great gig. The soloists were Lester Lynch and Angel Blue; they knocked it out of the park. IGPONothin' went great. And it's not everyday that a banjo player gets to play great music with a killer orchestra, and gets a bow along with a world-class singer in front of a big audience.
Here are links for further reading:
The New York Times: Met Opera’s Music Director Decries Musicians’ Unpaid Furlough
The Met Opera Official Facebook Page
New York Post: Metropolitan Opera allegedly ‘outsourcing gigs’ to cheap, non-union musicians
And finally, pension relief: how political leadership and decision-making can directly help workers (and another good reason to promote Union membership and participation).
The AFM is one of many pension plans that has suffered in recent years due to aging demographics, declining participation, reduced contributions, and many other factors. The recently passed American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) has brought some relief: most importantly: our pension benefits, to which we have contributed for our entire careers, now will not be reduced.
On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021. Within this $1.9 trillion relief Bill, Congress extended certain previously enacted COVID-19 stimulus package provisions and expanded on previous measures, providing more relief and creating new obligations.
Here's the section of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) that directly helps pension plans:
Butch Lewis Emergency Pension Plan Relief Act of 2021
The ARPA also aims to provide certain struggling pension plans “special financial assistance.” To qualify for the special financial assistance the plans must meet certain requirements showing the plans' critical and declining status. If a plan qualifies, assistance will be provided in a lump sum with no obligation to pay it back.
Read all the fine print here: https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/the-american-rescue-plan-act-how-the-7035111/
And here is commentary from Ray Hair, President of the AFM:
On Wednesday, March 17th, AFM-EPF Trustees agreed to withdraw the pending Multiemployer Pension Reform Act (MPRA) application. With the passage of the Butch Lewis Emergency Pension Plan Relief Act in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the need for proposed AFM-EPF benefit reductions in the forthcoming years has been eliminated.
The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) legislation has created a special financial assistance fund under the Treasury Department from which the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) will be able to make grants to financially troubled multiemployer pension plans. Our AFM-EPF pension plan is one of more than 100 multiemployer union pensions in critical status because of aging demographics, declining participation, and reduced contributions. As a result of the newly passed legislation, these plans will not have to repay this financial assistance.
Working people around the country fought to be heard by our legislators, and we won a huge victory in putting our pension plan back on level footing. We are now able to avoid proposed benefit reductions and can offer members a solvent pension for the next 30 years.
While we can breathe a sigh of relief that our fund is no longer at immediate risk, we must all work together going forward to ensure our pension not only survives but thrives. This means increasing pension contributions in our existing contracts, securing pension contributions in new contracts, and including pension in our local wage scales for single engagement work. Make no mistake: employers and naysayers will continue to attack our union and our pension fund to resist further contributions. It is crucial that we all stand together to ensure our fund grows and prospers not only for ourselves, but for all those who will come after us.
Again, I want to thank you for all of the emails, calls, and other ways that you made your voice heard with your elected officials, especially over the past several weeks. We would never have achieved this historic victory without the unified legislative lobbying efforts of our members, fund participants, locals, and player conferences.
In Unity,Ray Hair
International AFM President
January 11, 2021:
We lost many musicians last year, as well as people from many other walks of life - many of whom were very important to me. I'd like to mention names of those (many of whom I knew personally) who were important to me and who played significant roles in my life. We will miss these people very much, not just for their artistic and other contributions, but for the warmth, hope, fun, and good feelings that they brought to our lives.
This list is by no means comprehensive.
Randall Craig Fleischer
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Michael Grebanier
Angela Imholz-Worschitz
John Lewis
Craig McAmis
Jim Moran
Richard Penniman
Francis Rocco Prestia
Susan Skaggs
Robin Sutherland
Eddie Van Halen
Chuck Yeager
December 4, 2020:
Ghost Riders and Waltz for Debby are now live! Both are available for purchase on iTunes; Ghost Riders is available on Amazon Music as well.
Click here for more information on Ghost Riders.
Click here for more information on Waltz for Debby.
October 28, 2020:
Ghost Riders in the Sky are a' comin'! Hopefully they'll arrive before winter sets in.
Waltz for Debby is also just over the horizon. Sarah Isen sang, Kelly Fasman played drums, John played the guitar and electric bass.
These songs will drop shortly!
May 5, 2020:
NEW MUSIC: Several new projects are in the works: Waltz for Debby, Tonight (from West Side Story), Blackbird, Bolero, a mash-up of Ghost Riders in the Sky meets Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, and a few other tunes still in the early stages.
Waltz for Debby features local vocalist and American Idol contestant Sarah Isen.
Release dates and more information to be announced soon. Stay tuned (generally at A = 441)!
NEW PROCEDURE TO PURCHASE SONGS: CDBaby and iTunes have changed their format somewhat, such that the "Listen / Buy" links on the website are a little different these days...but you can still get where you need to go by following the links and prompts.
October 15, 2019:
Somewhere (from West Side Story) has just been released, featuring Molly Mahoney (mezzo soprano), Barbara Chaffe (flute), and John Imholz (guitar).
I met Molly Mahoney in Berkeley, California during the summer of 2018; we were both performing in the West Edge Opera production of Mata Hari. We reconnected in June, 2019 and began recording Somewhere. This is a smaller, more intimate version of the song, compared to how it appears in the original score for full theater orchestra. I tried to maintain the original arc and structure of the song, while simultaneously making it a tender dialog between two people searching for a safe place. Barbara Chaffe's flute countermelody adds another color, suggesting to me hope and endless possibilities.
Recorded in Oakland, California during the summer of 2019.
Music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Arranged, recorded, and mixed by John Imholz
Mastering: John Cuniberti
Links: listen, buy, more information:
September 8, 2019:
As my Evita orchestra pit colleague Paul Molloy puts it: my office on Sunday, September 8th was in Golden Gate Park, where the San Francisco Opera performed their annual Opera in the Park concert. This year a Freddy Mercury / Queen tune was featured: Somebody to Love. When I first heard about this, I thought they were referring to Jefferson Airplane’s “Somebody to Love”. Golden Gate Park, outdoor free concert….of course!
It was the Queen song, however. I got to play the song, including the Brian May solo break with the opera orchestra…a very gratifying and fun experience! A good time was had by all; thousands of listeners, stellar performances by the singers and orchestra, and a beautiful, warm day.
Here’s what the SF Chronicle / Joshua Kosman had to say: https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/music/a-sunny-splendid-opera-in-the-park-draws-in-old-and-new-fans
COMING SOON: Somewhere, from West Side Story
Featuring Molly Mahoney, mezzo soprano with Barbara Chaffe (flute) and John Imholz (guitar)
The release of this song is imminent. We’re waiting on mechanical royalty clearance (Leonard Bernstein wrote the music; Stephen Sondheim wrote the lyrics). The last step in the process is deciding on the cover art…and that’s moving along as well. As soon as all the ducks are in a row: Somewhere gets released! Somehow, someday…..you know how it goes!
August 26, 2019:
Breaking the Waves; West Edge Opera - August 2019
https://www.westedgeopera.org/2019/waves
Playing in the orchestra for Breaking the Waves was a very enjoyable experience for me. My colleagues in the orchestra and the stellar cast, led by Jonathan Khuner, did a splendid job. It's very gratifying to work with such capable and committed musicians and singers.
Review links for Breaking the Waves:
https://www.sfcv.org/reviews/west-edge-opera/west-edge-opera-transfixes-with-breaking-the-waves
https://operatattler.typepad.com/opera/2019/08/west-edge-opera-breaking-waves.html
The guitar rig for this opera was fairly specialized. There wasn't a huge amount of material to play; the guitar appeared as a contrasting voice to the otherwise all-acoustic instrumentation (with the exception of an organ that made an appearance here and there). The guitar sound was overdrive / distortion (as per the composer's directions) whenever it appeared, ranging in volume from "niente" ("nothing", i.e. inaudible) to fff. These volume changes often occurred within a measure or two. Other techniques utilized by composer Missy Mazzoli included descending portamento slides that echoed the male chorus; abrupt sfz bursts, often tutti, to punctuate vocal phrases; and long power-chord crescendi that emphasized the serious drama that was unfolding over the course of the opera.
The overdriven guitar sound brought in a powerful, thunderous, often scary and bewildering heaviness when the protagonist Bess felt that she was experiencing direct communication with god. Bess would alternate between her own voice and the "voice of god" speaking to her. One such cue came at the very end of Act 1. Bess, as the voice of god, sings: "Your love for Jan...has been tested." The guitar then hits a high E with feedback that has to sound steadily for a long time, without any particular additional techniques (such as vibrato) used to help sustain the note.
I used a pedal / stomp box called the Electroharmonix "Freeze" to get that effect. The Freeze pedal enable me to sustain the high E as long as needed. Then, on cue by Maestro Khuner, I released the pedal and reattacked the note, then adding more volume, feedback, and increasingly wide vibrato to help build the crescendo along with the rest of the orchestra, cutting off suddenly into an abrupt total silence. End of Act I!
This is the TMI section, for gear-heads....anyone else may glaze over quickly while reading this section. That's my mahogany Frankenstrat, with the Hannes bridge and Kinman P-90 pickups. The amp is a 75 watt Line 6 Spider IV. The Master Volume on the Line 6 pedalboard let me control the absolute volume without affecting the amount of distortion; the other volume pedal gave me the option of increasing or decreasing the amount of distortion. The Freeze effect only was utilized once, during the aforementioned end of Act I.
Another night at the opera. No Bohemian Rhapsody, though.... : )
Breaking the Waves: pedalboard setup
Breaking the Waves: I used my home-assembled Frankenstrat (mahogany body, Hannes bridge, Kinman P-90s).
Capathia Jenkins and the SF Symphony at Shoreline Amphitheater - July 4th, 2019
Capathia Jenkins and the SF Symphony at Shoreline Amphitheater - July 4, 2019
Photograph by Chris Tuite / www.christuitephoto.com
It was quite exciting to play Space Oddity (David Bowie), Rocket Man (Elton John), Skyfall (Adele), among other tunes, featuring vocalists Capathia Jenkins and Constantine Maroulis, and conducted by Edwin Outwater.
Shoreline is always an adventure: big stage, huge crowd, great sound system, Jumbotrons...the whole magilla. That's bassist Bill Ritchen and me, seated just in front of the percussion section in the middle left side of the picture. That's Capathia in the bright blue dress, totally rocking the place.
On July 5th and 6th, back at Davies Hall, Capathia did her Aretha Franklin tribute. She was beautifully channeling the Queen of Soul: Respect, Natural Woman, Chain of Fools, I Say A Little Prayer...these songs were all in the Top Ten back in the late 1960s when I was in high school and playing in garage bands. Those songs were played constantly on the radio back then, both AM and FM. Any other Bay Area residents out there remember KYA, KEWB, KSAN, and KMPX? It was a different era. But now, almost 50 years later, I had the opportunity to play those great songs with Capathia and the rest of the rhythm section, featuring Bill Ritchen on bass, Jake Nissley on drums, and Joan Cifarelli on piano, with the San Francisco Symphony.
Capathia closed out the show with a duet: "River Deep, Mountain High", featuring vocalist Denzal Sinclaire. Bravi tutti!
This gig was particularly interesting for me because, in preparation for the show, I did some in-depth research and listening to the original rhythm section for all the Aretha Franklin hits (and many, many others as well). I'm referring to Roger Hawkins (drums), Jimmy Johnson (guitar), Barry Beckett (keyboards), and David Hood (bass), known as "the Swampers" - based in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. These guys were hugely influential; you can read about them here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscle_Shoals_Rhythm_Section
June 9, 2019:
There are two new releases available now:
Ade zur guten Nacht is a German folksong that first appeared in the early 19th century. It was originally interpreted as a song of parting ("Abschiedsgruss"). In current times it is often thought of as an "Abendlied" ("Evening Song"). This song first appeared in the early 19th century. The composer and lyricist are unknown; the song appears in songbooks from the German states of Sachsen, Rheinpfalz, Thüringen, and other parts of the Franken region.
Daniel Cilli - vocals
Miriam Perkoff - cello
John Imholz - guitar and mandolin
John Cuniberti - mastering
Partita No. 3 in E Major, BWV 1006: Gavotte (Arr. for Strings, Mandolins, Banjo and Mandocello)
The surviving manuscript for the Gavotte was made by Bach in 1720 in Cöthen, Germany. Sergey Rachmaninov reworked the original solo violin part for piano. This arrangement utilizes 2 violins, 2 mandolins, viola, banjo, violoncello and mandocello. An earlier version of this arrangement was recorded in the early 1990s by the Modern Mandolin Quartet (of which I was a member at the time, playing mandocello), and the Turtle Island String Quartet. The MMQ / TISQ version was an arranging collaboration between me and Paul Binkley (mandola player for the MMQ). I reworked the arrangement and rerecorded it in Oakland, California in 2019.
During the recording process, we often referred to this arrangement as the: Бах-манинов — Спасибо, Polina! : )
Nadya Tichman - Violin I
Polina Sedukh - Violin II
Emily Onderdonk - Viola
Miriam Perkoff - Violoncello
John (Джон) Imholz - Mandolins, banjo, and mandocello
Mastering: John (Джон) Cuniberti
October 4, 2016: THE RAVEN video, featuring original artwork, is now viewable on youtube. Click here to watch.
The images in this video were created by local Oakland artists, both students and professionals. The music that accompanies the images in this video was performed by members of the American Federation of Musicians, Local 6. Full credits for all contributors to this project appear at the end of the video.
You can see the original artwork and hear the instrumental version of THE RAVEN (minus the voiceover) here.
Image by Sharon Constant / Visible Ink Design
March 23, 2015: The Modern Mandolin Quartet's album INTERPLAY is now available on iTunes.
Audio clips and more information can be found at the MUSIC / ALBUM: INTERPLAY page.
March 21, 2015: THE RAVEN, a new piece written by John Imholz, and featuring the poetry of Edgar Allan Poe, has just been completed. You can hear samples on the Raven link. This piece is dedicated to the memory of William "Bill" Bennett, exceptional oboist, friend, and colleague. You will find more news, production info, and future plans for THE RAVEN right here as things develop.
January 15, 2015: The Modern Mandolin Quartet's album INTERPLAY will be re-released on February 1, 2015. The album, recorded by the Modern Mandolin Quartet in 1999 (and unavailable for several years), is finally going to see the light of day once again. The album features compositions by David Balakrishnan (of Turtle Island String Quartet fame), Utah-based composer Tully Cathey, and Terry Riley. Look for INTERPLAY on iTunes in February .
INTERPLAY - 2015
December 29, 2014: The Raven, a new composition based on the poem by Edgar Allen Poe, is being edited and mixed right now in Erfurt, Germany (as well as a few other European locations). Erfurt is the capital city of Thüringen; this region of Germany is the home of the Brothers Grimm, renowned for their eerie fairy tales. A perfect atmosphere to submerge oneself in the mysterious, picturesque, and also eerie poem by Poe.
Featuring musicians Dana Bauer (oboe), Barbara Chaffe (flute), Pat Klobas (acoustic bass), Emily Onderdonk (viola), Marc Shapiro (harpsichord), Nadya Tichman (violin), Rob Weir (bassoon), and John (guitar), this piece also has a voiceover track (with the text of the poem - 18 verses). The projected completion date should be late February...but we all know how these projects take longer than expected. It will be available on youtube and iTunes as soon as it's all finished.
November 12, 2014: I'm sad to report that my colleague and friend Paul Binkley passed away early this morning. Paul and I played together in the Modern Mandolin Quartet for many years, and along the way we shared many interesting experiences and musical adventures. Paul was a great musician and a good man. We will deeply miss him.
September 9, 2014:
SO FAR... John's new album featuring The Brandenburg Bounce and much more.
Released on September 9, 2014, with musicians Joan Cifarelli (keyboards), Mary Fettig (alto sax and flute), Kelly Fasman (drums), Louis Fasman (trumpet), John Imholz (guitars), Dave Ridge (trombone), Bill Ritchen (electric bass), and a special guest appearance by Nadya Tichman (violin), playing "The Lark Descending".
The Brandenburg Bounce....how did they DO that ? !
See the video!