The Jazz Mandolin Project | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Burlington, Vermont, U.S. |
| Genres | Jam band,experimentaljazz,jazz fusion |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Past members |
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| Website | www |
The Jazz Mandolin Project was an acousticjazz fusion group formed in Burlington, Vermont, by Jamie Masefield in 1993.
Masefield played banjo withdixieland bands, including thePreservation Hall Jazz Band, before switching tomandolin.[1][2] In 1996, the debut album consisted of Gabe Jarrett on drums and Stacey Starkweather on bass. The following year the group broke up, and Masefield kept the name with different musicians: bassist Chris Dahlgren and drummer Jon Fishman fromPhish.[2] They recorded the next album,Tour de Flux. Masefield described the band's music as " very contrapuntal stuff, like a three-way conversation."[1]
The Project's next album,Xenoblast was onBlue Note Records, though it was less a jazz album and more improvisational jazz rock, featuring the guitaristTrey Anastasio of Phish.[3]
In 2003 they released adrum & bass-influenced album calledJungle Tango, which included Ari Hoenig and Danton Boller. In 2005 Masefield returned to a more acoustic sound withThe Deep Forbidden Lake, which features cover versions of songs byRadiohead,Tom Waits,Leonard Cohen, andDjango Reinhardt.