Mandolin Orchard

1. Andiwayne

2. Grayson County Line

3. Hickory Springs

4. O.A.I.

5. Hobert & Rhue

6. Mandolin Orchard

7. Seed City Stomp

8. Jaelee Swing

9. Believe It or Not

10. Old Paths

11. Bonaparte's Retreat

Mandolin Orchard,Danny Roberts,Rcr / Cbuj Ent.,Bluegrass,Country,Folk,Pop

Average customer rating:

Roberts is a picker of breathtaking ability

Mandolin Orchard
Danny Roberts
Manufacturer: Butler Music Group
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Country | Styles | Music
General | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music
General | Folk | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B00068WRD4
Release Date: 2004-10-12

Tracks:

Andiwayne
Grayson County Line
Hickory Springs
O.A.I.
Hobert & Rhue
Mandolin Orchard
Seed City Stomp
Jaelee Swing
Believe It or Not
Old Paths
Bonaparte's Retreat

Customer Reviews:

Roberts is a picker of breathtaking ability.......2005-01-07

Playing Time - 40:49 -- Equally comfortable with many musical styles, mandolinist Danny Roberts is a picker of breathtaking ability. "Mandolin Orchard" shows that a variety of fresh musical produce grows in his garden of notes. The title cut reminded me somewhat of David Brubeck's "Take Five," and the song's title is actually the perfect answer for someone suffering from mandolin acquisition syndrome. With all original material (except "Bonaparte's Retreat that he arranged), Roberts can be orthodox (e.g. his Monroe-influenced "Old Paths" or "AndiWayne") or rather unconventional (e.g. "O.A.I."). One minute he's full of steam, and the next he might be taking a slightly more leisurely approach to his music (like on the waltz for his grandparents called "Hobert & Rhue".)

Danny hails from Leitchfield, KY. but now lives in Nashville. He works as the mandolin department manager at Gibson USA in Nashville. He was an original founding member of The New Tradition, which toured extensively from 1982-2000. He wrote many songs for that band (perhaps the best known is "Grandpa's Way"). Now a member of The Reno Tradition, Danny is a first-rate musician, songwriter, artist and entertainer. Picking with a vengeance, "Mandolin Orchard" is executed with great skill. I want to emphasize how Danny uses this project to entertain us also. He does this by recruiting some nimble-fingered artists that are masters in their own right. The other musicians are Tony Wray (guitar, banjo on 5 tracks), Jimmy Mattingly (fiddle), Charlie Cushman (banjo on 5 tracks) and Andrea Roberts (bass). Roberts works with Tony Wray at Gibson and holds him in very high regard as an amazing and inspiring multi-instrumentalist. A little jam they had at work resulted in the jazzy composition, "O.A.I," a tribute to Gibson O.A.I. - Original Acoustic Instruments. Tony and Danny also serve up a red hot banjo/mandolin duet called "Believe It or Not."

To determine how Roberts gets his fantastic mandolin sound, we should check into his instrument, strings and picks. Over the years, Danny has played many types of mandolins from Aria to Gibson, Gilchrist to Dearstone until he settled on his new Gibson Sam Bush model that he absolutely loves. His strings are GHS medium gage phosphor bronze, and his picks are Dunlop 1.5 or tortoise shell.

Playing in a smooth, relaxed and controlled style, yet still with good attack, is the skill apparent on this CD that sets Roberts apart from many other technically proficient mandolinists. A little research indicates that he comes from a contest background where it's tantamount to not make any mistakes. Roberts' philosophy is to play as cleanly as he can. He won't play licks unless he can pull them off without error. And now he's not only able to play cleanly, but he does it with some very technically difficult material of his very own. Perhaps the most technically impressive pieces on this album are "Hickory Springs" and "Seed City Stomp."

Bill Monroe, Adam Steffey, David Grisman, Sam Bush, Wayne Benson, Chris Thile are a few of his inspirational players. Listening to "Mandolin Orchard," it also becomes apparent that Roberts has appreciation and understanding of the mandolin as both a lead, as well as rhythm, instrument. This is an instrumental album that strikes gold. (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)

Music Album:

Music Album