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16 Aug 23 - 01:21 PM (#4179311) Subject: Simon Mayor, English mandolin genius From: Charmion I have just returned from another session of the Goderich Celtic College in (you guessed it) Goderich, Ontario. This year, I spent much of my time learning O'Carolan tunes with the best mandolin player I have ever encountered, an Englishman named Simon Mayor. He has a website, of course: https://mandolin.co.uk His playing is clean and crisp, with a delicious singing tone even in the fastest passages, and his repertoire ranges from the usual jigs, reels and hornpipes to the Vivaldi Mandolin Concerto, which he is scheduled to play with the BBC Concert Orchestra this autumn. It's a long, long time since I last gushed like a fangirl, but Mayor's Carolan album has me quite rapt. Strongly recommended. |
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17 Aug 23 - 12:44 PM (#4179355) Subject: RE: Simon Mayor, English mandolin genius From: gillymor A great player, I've been enjoying his recent "Carolan" album. He's come up with some really interesting arrangements of those old tunes. Heckuva guitarist and fiddler, as well. |
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17 Aug 23 - 03:59 PM (#4179359) Subject: RE: Simon Mayor, English mandolin genius From: Steve Shaw He came to Welcombe village hall (20 minutes from us), must have been nearly 30 years ago, with his equally talented partner Hilary James. Utter class. |
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18 Aug 23 - 06:24 PM (#4179411) Subject: RE: Simon Mayor, English mandolin genius From: Anne Lister He's also a very nice chap. |
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19 Aug 23 - 01:37 AM (#4179448) Subject: RE: Simon Mayor, English mandolin genius From: GUEST,henryp Hilary James and Simon Mayor have other talents too! We have been grateful for their Musical Mystery Tour records, which have made many long drives with the children much more enjoyable. |
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19 Aug 23 - 06:15 AM (#4179458) Subject: RE: Simon Mayor, English mandolin genius From: GUEST,sortaottery Thanks for the rec! Always interested to hear more about folk or folk-adjacent mandolin players. Enjoying his recording of the Buttermere Waltz. |
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19 Aug 23 - 12:30 PM (#4179494) Subject: RE: Simon Mayor, English mandolin genius From: Stilly River Sage That was a nice trip through YouTube world, and this video from this year offers an introduction by the man himself. |
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19 Aug 23 - 02:07 PM (#4179507) Subject: RE: Simon Mayor, English mandolin genius From: gillymor sortaottery, you might also be interested in the recordings of Butch Baldasarri and David Surette. A couple of fine mandolinists and multi-instrumentalists of the of the folk variety who, sadly, have passed on. |
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19 Aug 23 - 02:57 PM (#4179512) Subject: RE: Simon Mayor, English mandolin genius From: Charmion On Thursday (17 August), Simon and Hilary played a house concert on a farm in Thorndale, a village just east of London, Ontario. They did the same repertoire as at Goderich, but the intimate, un-amplified setting of a large family room crowded with neighbours and friends made for a completely different and quite magical experience. As Anne Lister pointed out above, Simon is, indeed, a very nice chap as well as a musician of world-class calibre. Hilary, too. And they're both effortlessly witty. |
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19 Aug 23 - 02:59 PM (#4179513) Subject: RE: Simon Mayor, English mandolin genius From: Tony Rees Here's a photo that I took including "young Simon" (at R - actually he and I are the same age, then and now!!) 43 years ago - playing guitar in this instance. Possibly this makes me "famous by association" (but probably not!) Spredthick at Towersey Festival, 1980 - Tony |
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19 Aug 23 - 04:56 PM (#4179530) Subject: RE: Simon Mayor, English mandolin genius From: GUEST,Ray Didn’t realise you were younger than me Tony! I can possibly take the story back even further. A friend of mine claims to have been at university with him where he studied Russian. She claims that his musical career started when he went on a field trip and came back with a balalaika. How true this is is difficult to prove. |
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21 Aug 23 - 12:31 PM (#4179566) Subject: RE: Simon Mayor, English mandolin genius From: GUEST,Tunesmith I wrote to Simon years ago ( 30+) suggesting that he make a group recording of "In a Persian Market". I can't remember if he replied...or ever took up my suggestion. Anyway, it would have been a show stopper. |
