live mp3s

By Marilynn | Published: July 31, 2010

While Marilynn has numerous CDs for sale, it’s always interesting to hear a performer live in concert. And she’s performed with many great artists in her career in ensembles that never made it into a recording studio. So here are some live recordings, and a couple of other mp3s that you may find interesting.

Goldberg Variation 1? – J. S. Bach
Marilynn Mair, mandolin; Adam Larrabee, mandocello
recorded in concert, ??, Dayton, OH
      Goldberg I played with Adam for many years and still miss his sunny virtuosity. He now lives in Virginia, but luckily we did record some tracks.

East of Here – Marilynn Mair (arr. Mitch Nelin)
New England Mandolin Ensemble
recorded in concert, January 5, 2007, Peterborough, Vermont
      East of Here
NEME was so much fun! I got a chance to improvise, as you can hear, and we did record a CD before the commute to rehearsals got too much for us all.

Fantasia – Will Ayton
Enigmatica
recorded in concert, June 21, 2005, AMGuSS
      Fantasia - Ayton
Enigmatica did go on to record this piece on their 2nd CD, but this was its debut performance and I think shows the beauty and power of Will’s composition.

Suite Galante – Hermann Ambrosius
Marilynn Mair, mandolin; Stephen Rollins, guitar
recorded in concert, March 9, 2002, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
      Suite_Galante
Steve is an excellent guitarist who I played with in Ottawa a number of times. this piece is a longtime favorite recorded on my very first LP, years ago.

Andaluza – Issac Albeniz
Marilynn Mair, mandolin; Robert Paul Sullivan, guitar
Recorded in Jordan Hall, Boston MA, on ??
Andaluza
Bob was first my teacher and then my colleague, and we play together often. His luscious guitar sound is the perfect foil for the heartfelt melody of this lovely piece.

Meu Bandolim – Luiz Simas
Marilynn Mair, bandolim; Luiz Simas, piano
Recorded in Sala Cecelia Mireles, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on ??
Meu Bandolim
Luiz is a fabulous pianist and composer, and our Duo is a delight to us both. He wrote this piece for me, and we have recorded it as well.

Wedding Hoedown (for Suzanne) – Marilynn Mair
Marilynn Mair, mandolin; Alex Wohlhueter, electric bass
Performed in the Three Dances 3rd Birthday Show in Minneapolis MN, March 4, 2004
      Suzanne's Wedding Hoedown
This is the last movement of “3-4-3,” a piece I wrote for Three Dances. Alex Wohlhueter, a Minneapolis bassist and web designer par excellence, played the show w/ me, and we recorded at a friend’s studio the next day. I include it here because, really, where else would you hear it?

Tootsie Roll – Marilynn Mair
Clean & Friendly, with Linda Neves, lead vocal, Marilynn Mair, Brinsley Davis, Ellen Santaniello, Nate Davis, Jeremy Woodward, Mark Davis
Recorded live at AS220, Providence RI, on Mother’s Day, 1996
      Tootsie Roll
This family-&-friends rock band was a fun side project for a couple of years before my daughter left for college. I wrote for the 100th birthday of the Tootsie Roll.

The Berryfields of Blair – Will Ayton
Catherine Hawkes, recorder; Marilynn Mair, mandolin; Will Ayton, viola da gamba
Recorded in the Performing Arts Center, Roger Williams University, on September ?, 2009
The Berryfields of Blair
This is the faculty trio @ Roger Wiliams University, playing an original by Will.

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  • “Mair travels by mandolin to Brazil and brilliance… her commitment to the music shines through.”

    – Rick Massimo, The Providence Journal

    “Marilynn Mair has always had the keen ability to balance classical mandolin traditions and repertoire, while constantly breaking new musical ground…a superb and versatile mandolinist and composer.”

    – – Butch Baldassari, Mandolin Magazine (USA)

    “A brilliant concert from beginning to end…The performance was extraordinary.”
    – La Rioja (Spain)

    Marilynn Mair on mandolin…touches the deepest and most engaging reaches of the ancient and passionate ‘Latin soul’.

    – Carlos Agudelo, Billboard Magazine

    “Marilynn Mair acquits herself very well indeed, a most accomplished player, able to deal with the many intricacies the repertoire demands of her.”

    – Chris Kilvington, Classical Guitar (England)

    “Mair displays an exceptionally gifted approach to this music, using her formidable mandolin technique with grace and sensitivity… It’s the next best thing to a trip to Rio.”

    – David McCarty, Mandolin Magazine (USA)

    “A sparkling concert… absolutely brilliant!”

    – Guitar Magazine (England)

    “A lovely concert! We estimate your spell-bound and enthusiastic audience at close to 1800 people…”

    – Lincoln Center Out-Of-Doors (USA)

    “Marilynn Mair lives up to her reputation as an excellent mandolinist, with clear tone, a beautiful tremolo, and creative expressiveness.”

    – Zupfmusik Magazin (Germany)

    “Marilynn Mair performs Brazilian mandolin music… she plays the mandolin as an instrument for all occasions.”
    – Vaughn Watson, The Providence Journal (USA)

    “Stepping back to the 18th-century masterworks gave her the opportunity to highlight her technique with a fresh light… her playing is thoughtful, vibrant and a delight to listen to.”

    — Terence Pender, Mandolin Quarterly (USA)

    “She’s a fabulous player with a wonderfully clear and lyrical sound.”

    – The Ottawa Citizen (Canada)

    “Marilynn Mair é uma bandolinista americana de formação erudita”

    — Paulo Eduardo Neves, Agenda do Samba Choro (Brasil)

    “Smudging the lines between folk and classical is an intrepid endeavor… Mair’s a superb mandolin player who has brought the instrument to unexpected places…”

    – Jim Macnie, The Providence Phoenix (USA)

    “Mair is unstoppable… capable of evoking any landscape, past or present, you’d care to conjure.”

    – Mike Caito, Providence Phoenix (USA)

    “The final repeat of the melody transmitted a strong feeling of peace and tenderness that escaped no one in the audience. It is this sensitivity and subtleness that characterized the overall performance.”

    – Brian Hodel, Guitar Review (USA)

    Bring a talented ensemble of gifted musicians together playing some of the great concertos and chamber music pieces of the 1700s, present the extraordinary classical mandolinist Marilynn Mair front and center, and you have a rare combination of the right musicians performing the right music at the right time.

    – David McCarty, Mandolin Magazine (USA)