By Ted Silverman Photos: Ted Silverman

See also Ted's Frank Wakefield Concert Report

T: I could sense there is a little bit of a classical melodic strain in your writing but not a purely classical state of mind in the way you approach the music. It seems more rooted in the Appalachian bluegrass style. But the melodic ideas I can see you're pretty heavy on minor keys which isn't as frequently used in bluegrass.

F: Right. Yeah I'm also doing an album with Jim Moss where I get down to earth and play some real hard-core fiddle stuff. The classical stuff I wrote is hard to do without the other instruments, you know those cellos and stuff. I remember when I played that time with Leonard Bernstein in New York...

T: That was at Carnegie Hall?

F: No. This was at the Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs and I did a couple of tunes then. When I got out of time with them I forgot. 'Cause I don't read music and they wrote my music down. And I forgot that you have to do everything the same way that you wrote it down and if you don't it won't work for you 'cause you get everybody out of time with you.

T: Right! Well that leads to a question. How much of your basic performance is improvisation? And how much is structured? When you're up there on stage and you've got the band that you've rehearsed with. You've got Jim and Steve and whoever else is with you does it vary from gig to gig? Obviously you're gonna improvise at any gig? You're going to create on the spot?

F: That's exactly what happens. You know the only time I play the same thing the same way is to let the band know that I'm playing the right tune. So they don't get confused.

T: Well aside from the writing aspect,in general, do you still learn things when approaching the mandolin? Is there anything left to learn?

F: Yup, you'd be surprised. I've been up here with these students for the last three days and I come up with stuff I never did before. And they can verify that. It happens like that and it's amazing what comes up like that and you're not even aware that you know. And I don't know what you'd call that? I forgot about doing all this stuff with my fingers and the pick until I got into hearing some stuff up here and it sounded like four of us when there's only one of you. In fact I'm gonna do some of that stuff tonight now that you've reminded me that I can do it. 'Cause it's really… I'm doing some mandolin solos where it's outrageous. I don't mean because it's me playing it. When I say it's outrageous it's 'cause it's something I didn't realise I could do. And that's gonna be a lot of fun. And if you boo me I'll trade you in. (Laughs)

T: Don't expect any boos out of me! F: Well, I hope not!

T: So it's clear to me that music is still a big stimulant or you wouldn't do it?

F: You're exactly right. It really is. 'Cause if Jim hadn't had these students out here I wasn't gonna come out 'cause I don't like to travel too much anymore.

T: Where do you live these days?

F: I live in Saratoga Springs, NY.

T: Well, that's a beautiful place!

F: Oh, you know about it?

T: I'm originally from New York City and I've been up there a few times.

F: Is that right? 'Cause usually if I play down South they say "Where you from?" an' I say "New York." They say "My god, you ain't from there are you?" They think every place up in New York is like New York City and they don't realise that if you go to New York City that it's actually a nice place.

T: Well that's very much of a classical music heartland there as well as a culturally insightful place...

F: It really is and I enjoy playing there as much as I do playing anyplace. I used to love playing in Greenwich Village.

T: What part was you from?

T: I was from the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

F: Is that right?

T: And I always felt like a kid who wished he grew up in the country but grew up there in the city.

F: Yeah that's the way Marsha... I don't know if you know about her. Me an Marsh have been together about 20 years and she's originally from Long Island. And she used to always want me to go out in the country. You know when you're raised up at the bottom of a mountain and carry water and you use them cold outhouses I said I always loved the city. I really do and now she's getting where she really likes the city again too 'cause she tired of that stuff. You know going out and using the cold outhouse and all this stuff, you know? Walking a mile to the store?

T: When you're playing more and more of these festivals, you say you don't like to travel much but I imagine you usually do things like Bean Blossom and a few other events?

F: Yeah, I like to travel provided I ride in an airplane. 'Cause years ago I didn't like to ride an airplane but when you get older, you know you don't be scared any more it's gonna wreck. I said, you know I hope that airplane wrecks so I'll get rich and famous. (Laughter.) - I even said that now. If they knew I was an entertainer they'd probably put me in jail. And that pilot said "You don't want to say that. You probably wouldn't get to spend the money." I said "Yeah I would 'cause the Lord is scared of me!" He wouldn't let nothing happen to me.

T: There it is

F: I'll tell you on him. If you notice any mandolin player… any notes you hear on the mandolin, it will either sound like Jesse McReynolds, Bill Monroe or me, one of the three. 'Cause when Bill told me round about 1962 I was playing in front of him you know and I was trying to impress him. 'Cause he's responsible for me getting my mandolin in 1960 and he said "Now you can play my style as good as me what you got to do is get your own style." And when he told me that, that's when I started writing all this music, even classical and stuff. And that really helped me so I combined his style, my style and Jesse's style and I guess that' what David (Grisman) does to? He sounds like he has his own style.

Photo and article: Ted Silverman, San Francisco

(To be continued in November...)

Ted Silverman is a freelance writer and mandolinist in the Bay Area bands The Chazz Cats (swing) and Belle Monroe and Her Brewglass Boys (Bluegrass)

28 June 2000