Sweet Georgia Brown jam
Dark approaches, and people start to fade away. Before everyone leaves, however, there is the final task of recording Will Kimble’s mandolin. The consensus is that John Relph should do the honors. I grab my minidisc player equipped with a single-point stereo mic, hold it a foot or so in front of the mandolin, and signal go. John chooses a remarkable little piece called “Going Places” and nails it on the second take. You can hear it here: JohnRelph.mp3

As Larry and I head back to the City, we agree that we don’t want to wait too long to repeat the experience, and he’s talking about hosting something at his condo. Inspired by the day’s events, I practice for almost two hours after I get home. Only another 1,000 hours or so and I’ll start to have an inkling. This time it’s gonna happen, though, because it’s now or never.

Somebody called for “Sweet Georgia Brown,” but before they started I said I wanted to record it (note minidisc recorder on the table), and they gamely agreed. Click here: SweetGeorgia.mp3. From left, clockwise: John Relph, Ted Silverman, Deirdre Donovan, John Williams, Paul Ebersman, Banana. Bob Loomis is playing the shaker. John, Ted, Deirdre, and Paul have their own bluegrass band called West of Kentucky.
©2002 Jon Sievert
Here’s Another Jam!

SoldiersJoy.mp3
One of the best parts of this event was meeting formerly faceless CoMandos. In the foreground is Dave Zimmerman, a hot picker from Marin County playing his Kentucky KM-1500. The deer caught in the headlights behind him is Bob Loomis (aka Grampy Geezer). Bob easily won the prize for the cheapest mando there—a $300 Suzuki A-model. His McIntyre pickup cost more. Dave Zimmerman & Bob Loomis
Here’s a nice little 4-minute jam on ”Soldier’s Joy.” Dave Zimmerman thinks the order of solos is: Ted Silverman, Dave Zimmerman, John Relph, John singing, John (again), Larry Berger, Dave (again), and then John closing it out.
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