Mark O'Connor/Chris Thile Live CD in stores 11/11/03

[ERinSD]

From www.markoconnor.com

Mark O'Connor Thirty-Year Retrospective, a double-cd package celebrating Mark's 30 years as a professional player. Recorded live with Nickel Creek's Chris Thile on mandolin, acoustic virtuoso Bryan Sutton on guitar and respected doublebassist Byron House, Thirty-Year Retrospective contains repertoire chosen from every era of Mark's career. IN STORES NOVEMBER 11.

[NCLuver333]

So do you think that Chris is as involved with this CD as he was with Into the Cauldron, or is it like his Dixie Chicks encounter? (I bought the Dixie Chicks CD cuz Chris was in it, but I thought that it was going to be more than that...I wasted $15 on it...Though I can never spend enough money on Chris:rolleyes: )

[ERinSD]

Originally posted by NCLuver333
So do you think that Chris is as involved with this CD as he was with Into the Cauldron, or is it like his Dixie Chicks encounter?

I'm not sure, it's Marks' music, but from the announcement it sounds like Chris is featured as one of the main players.

[headgear]

wow - this is from *ages* ago (well, maybe only a year ago). if you want to find out a little more about it - click here:
http://www.nickelcreek.info/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=491&highlight=mark+oconnor

and also

http://www.nickelcreek.info/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=335&highlight=mark+oconnor

[Guesswho_Chick]

WOOHOO!!!

thanks for the info! this shall definately have to be added to my must buy SOON! list.... [noise]

[David Royko]

Originally posted by NCLuver333
So do you think that Chris is as involved with this CD as he was with Into the Cauldron, or is it like his Dixie Chicks encounter?

Not as involved as ItC, since that is a duet project, and this is a Mark O'Connor project (I received an advance copy yesterday). But Chris is an integral part of this set, and it is an absolutely incredible album. He doesn't solo on every track, but he does on many of them. And being a quartet, he's pretty prominent in the arrangements. 29 tracks over 2 discs, 152 minutes of music, covering a wide range of styles, and in many cases, I prefer these versions to earlier ones (especially Stone from which the Arch was Made, and Caprice #4, among others). The sound is exquisite (the musicians played unamplified).

I would imagine that many fans of CT are also fans of MO (and Bryan Sutton, and House too), so I'd classify this as a must-buy for most readers of this board.

Dave Royko

[Guesswho_Chick]

they played unamplified?? interesting! should be a nice pure sound then...wonder if that presented any recording difficulties??

[matt the fiddler]

i will be getting the cd soon- it has been in the mail for a few days now...- i will let you all know what it is like once i get a chance to listen- and what you can expect. i allready know several of the songs on it- some mando violin renditions of strength in numbers stuff. this one i think is going to be a great great rare recording ;-)

[banjochickie]

Originally posted by NCLuver333
So do you think that Chris is as involved with this CD as he was with Into the Cauldron, or is it like his Dixie Chicks encounter? (I bought the Dixie Chicks CD cuz Chris was in it, but I thought that it was going to be more than that...I wasted $15 on it...Though I can never spend enough money on Chris:rolleyes: )

Aww, I wouldn't call it a waste... I think Home is a really good CD!

[NCLuver333]

See, the thing is that the only thing that I listen to is NC, so after a while, Home seems very repetitive and not...well...very musical. Sorry if I offended you. However, you have your opinion and I have mine...And just for the record, my opinion has nothing to do with what Natalie said, because, just like everyone else, she does have her own opinions, and the right to state them...Anyway, I think Chris' part on Home was very good, but he was just not featured enough...So, I'm hoping that this role will not be as small of one as it was on Home. That's all that I meant...Sorry.[guilty]

[banjochickie]

aww don't appologize! You can feel however you darn well please! ;) I was just surprised that someone didn't like Home, 'cause it's one of my favorite CDs. But you're right, it would be cool if Chris' played more on the CD.... however, one of the Chicks (Martie) plays mando too, so I guess they already had a plethora of mando, hehe...
so you ONLY listen to the creek? doesn't THAT get repetitive? ;) I mean they're my favorite band and probably the band that I listen to MOST, but I'd get sick of anybody's music (awesome though it may be) if that was ALL I listened to!
oooh speaking of albums that Chris has played on, does anybody have Jennifer Knapp's Lay it Down? She's been one of my favorites since before I'd even heard of Nickel Creek, and my favorite song on that CD was always Diamond in the Rough 'cause it's got mandolin in it... it wasn't til recently that I found out that's Chris rockin' out on that song... I was all oooh THAT'S why I like that song so much! heheh ;)

[NCLuver333]

Originally posted by banjochickie

so you ONLY listen to the creek? doesn't THAT get repetitive? ;) I mean they're my favorite band and probably the band that I listen to MOST, but I'd get sick of anybody's music (awesome though it may be) if that was ALL I listened to!

No, not really...:D See, I trade, so I'm always getting new shows with different versions of songs, and I love to listen to really old shows from like 1998, and then really recent ones from like a month ago, and compare the 2 with how NC has changed and stuff...[noise] But, I mean, everytime that I listen to them, I always hear something different. For Shoulda Known Better, I just realized that Chris does that *slide scrape slide* thingy that he does at the beginning of the song at shows during the entire song for the album version. I just hear something different for every track.:D That's why I listen to them all the time.

[matt the fiddler]

a little off topic.. but i am allowed to do that-
if you don't have a pair of $700 studio monitors.. and you want to hear new things in the mix and what is going on in cds like this side and other deeper mixed cd's switch speakers or systems that you listen to the stuff on- or find some one with high definition speakers... you will be suprised

[banjochickie]

Very cool! I just recently got into trading, and I just got my first live show via B&P... it's so freakin' awesome!! :D So I have that one, and then I listen to their live stuff that they have online (the links to it are posted on their official site... like the Sessions at AOL, and the one at the Kennedy Center... awesome shows by the way)...plus I've seen them live once... you're right, it is super cool to compare the differences in their live shows. [noise]
(if you ever do decide to listen to someone other than Nickel Creek ;) ... check out Lay it Down by Jennifer Knapp. Awesome lyrics, and Chris plays some awesome mando on 3 or 4 of the songs. :D

[Guesswho_Chick]

Originally posted by matt the fiddler
a little off topic.. but i am allowed to do that-
if you don't have a pair of $700 studio monitors.. and you want to hear new things in the mix and what is going on in cds like this side and other deeper mixed cd's switch speakers or systems that you listen to the stuff on- or find some one with high definition speakers... you will be suprised

is there that much of a difference with This Side on hi-def speakers?? It would be worthy trying to find someone with some to lemme listen to the cd on for that then...hmm...I love noticing new little music extras on songs!! [noise]

[matt the fiddler]

well. itdepends
i tested a lot of speaker out, and altec alnsing has a 5.1 system around $100 that comes pretty clsoe to higher end sound.. so it is more the system than the $ in it.. i did the mahler 1st symphony test to it heh heh .. and was pleasantly suprised..

every cd is worth listenign to on as good of speakers/ monitors as you can find. if you have sound engineer dork tendaniciaes like me- you might even try to find out what monitors/ mics/ mic setups were used in recording/ mastering- and get to those to listen or demo record something.

[Guesswho_Chick]

$100? That's not bad at all! I might have to consider getting that...right now I just have my comp and some cheap twisted headphones on a portable cd player - doubt I'm getting true sound through those...hehe

I didn't even THINK of looking up the equipment used to listen to a cd...that would be so cool! how hard is it to find most of that info? I used to go crazy trying to find out the kinds of amps and things people used on records - I thought it should be a federal law that bands had to include their equipment used on the liner notes :p

[matt the fiddler]

usually it is a phoen call to the engineer or a talk with the artist- if they know technical information..

[Guesswho_Chick]

hmm...so how realistic is it to get in touch with engineers? I'm guessing they'd be easier to contact than artists...

[matt the fiddler]

that or engineering magazines. that post mic setups etc.
.. ask a local engineer you know if they know _______, the guy who did the session [listed in the cd booklet], do your research and network/ don't know any local engineers- find musicians who record, and ask for an introduction- good networking never hurt nobodoy...

matt

[NCFan4Ever]

Are there vocals on the Mark O CD? Or just instrumentals?

[matt the fiddler]

what i hear it is an all instrumental cd..

[TenaciousDLover]

It was given to my brother this weekend and it is a great CD but for those that are anticipating blazing solos from Chris or Bryan, it is very limited ( understandably I guess, being it is a Mark CD). Just thought I'd let you guys know

[Guesswho_Chick]

Originally posted by matt the fiddler
that or engineering magazines. that post mic setups etc.
.. ask a local engineer you know if they know _______, the guy who did the session [listed in the cd booklet], do your research and network/ don't know any local engineers- find musicians who record, and ask for an introduction- good networking never hurt nobodoy...

matt

hadn't thought of engineering magazines - I'll have to look into some of those...and trying to find local engineers is definately a good idea - such a small area, I'm hoping to meet most people involved in music here...probably would be a good idea to startr networking with some engineers - bet it's difficult to find someone decent at it you'd be able to work with...hmm

[lilolme]

How do you people get advance copies of these CD's? I was at the live recording sessions and have been aching to hear the music again.

[matt the fiddler]

i am good friends with marks publist, plus since i kinda run things here- they thought it would be a good marketing call for me to take a listen and give some feedback to you guys as to what to expect.... rather than jsut talking about a cd i haven't heard...


dave royko, well- he is a free lance press guy.. he writes some killer articles for the chicago tribuine..
as far as the others, i am not sure...

matt

[TenaciousDLover]

We have it because Byron House gave it to my little bro at MagFest this past weekend

[Adyn]

And I got to hear with with Josh & Savannah :D

Bryon is soooooooo nice!!!

I liked it quite a bit... but yeah, it's definately not focused on mandolin or Chris, which makes sense considering the project LOL. There are no vocals.

It's not as experimental sounding as into the cauldron, it's more consistant over both CDs I'd say. Whereas ITC bounces all over the place. Just as a comparison. It seems much more traditional to me (though admited I don't know how many of the songs are tradional).

[matt the fiddler]

the cd is pretty much a pie slice form marks career- it has songs sampling most every period and style he has been in.. now, even though it is marks cd, there is major chris all over the cd. people are saying that there isn't tons, and - well, he is a member of a quartet, but definatly this cd is enough to get your fill of a lot of playing over it. [realize while he dosn't solo in every song.. he plays in almost the whole cd- .. chris not taking solos and bcause of that saying he plays a minor role.. is like saying sean is barly on this side, because there are only 3 guitar solos on the whole thing..

the cd is special to me, because i was at the jam session 5 years ago [discused in the liner notes] the first time chris and mark ever played. had 15 peopel sitting around the front porch, and the blacksmith jam lasted an hour. man was that sweet the liner notes talk about how chris pushed mark as far as mark could go, bringing up tunes from marks carreer that had impacted chris..
this cd is definatly worthwhile for chris's playing, brian., byron, mark, and the music made inbetween...- if not for the reason alone, mark oconnor is probably the person [child prodigy , folk raised, current genious] most like chris that exists.

matt

[Guesswho_Chick]

so would you consider this album a good introduction to Mark's style then?? I know I want Heroes, and the Hot Swing Trio album, but this sounds like it may be a good one to get started with...

[Adyn]

Just to be clear :) I don't think either David, Savannah or myself intended to state the Chris plays a minor role in the album, nor belittle his contribution to it in any way :) ...

I think the general idea was the fact that the album does not feature Chris nearly as much as some of his other collaborative work that most of us think of. And it makes sense, in this project he plays a much more supportive rather than leading role. Which was probably really fun for him I'd imagine ;)Though there are some fun solos here & there which say THILE :D

It'd be fun to know more of the history of the different tunes on there. It seems like it would be a great introduction to Marks style (though Matt would be the better one to answer that question, I reckon ;) )

[TenaciousDLover]

I also did not intend to belittle the album and I'm sorry if my comment was misconstrued, but I was sending out a forewarning in a sense to all the Nickel Creek/Thile fans that might have expectations of a big Thile-featuring-all-out-soloing extravaganza.. which is not the case in an album pretty much featuring Mark and his work and also in a quartet setting.. as Matt brought out. Again like I said in my first post..it is CD with some very talented musicians on it. Heather (Adyn) and I were discussing this when we first heard it :)
oh and by the way GuessWhoChick.. I would say this album is a good way to get introduced to Mark's different styles.. but I also would check out his much earlier stuff, when he was in his teens like with Benny Thomasson, and when he was with Dave Grisman. I personally like his style then alot but of course as to be expected his tastes have changed and matured, but thats one of the cool things of following a long standing artist is watching that process ;) JMO

[Guesswho_Chick]

Oh! I meant to post this article some time ago!

Mark O'Connor Thirty-Year Retrospective Celebrates Fiddler's Career with
Guest Bluegrass Virtuoso Artists Chris Thile, Bryan Sutton, Byron House


NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 3, 2003--
O'Connor Returns to His Musical Roots with OMAC Records Double-CD Package
in Stores Nov. 11, 2003


Grammy award winning violinist, fiddler and composer Mark O'Connor returns to his fiddling, bluegrass and newgrass roots celebrating three decades as a professional musician with the release of Mark O'Connor Thirty-Year Retrospective, a live concert recording featuring fellow virtuoso instrumentalists mandolinist Chris Thile, guitarist Bryan Sutton and doublebassist Byron
House. The OMAC Records release (OMAC-5) will be in stores November 11, 2003.

The two compact discs feature more than two and one-half hours of music with repertoire drawn from virtually every era of O'Connor's career. Mark O'Connor Thirty-Year Retrospective includes tunes from his fiddle contest years as a 12-year-old star on the festival circuit and from his first six albums on Rounder Records during his teen years; music from Strength in
Numbers, the legendary gathering of some of bluegrass and newgrass' finest acoustic musicians; selections from his years as a Warner Bros. artist -- years that produced his landmark Heroes album and his Grammy winning New Nashville Cats recording, a CD that featured 57 of Nashville's greatest session musicians and artists.

From his most recent years as a solo recording artist for the Sony Classical label, O'Connor reworks music from Appalachia Waltz and Grammy-winning Appalachian Journey, his projects with cellist Yo-Yo Ma and doublebassist Edgar Meyer, as well as from his soundtrack album for Liberty! the six-part documentary
on the American Revolution. He also includes repertoire he performs with his Hot Swing Trio.

Chris Thile, widely heralded as one of the finest mandolin players in the world, is leader of the award-winning band Nickel Creek. At age 12, he released his first album, Leading Off. He regularly tours with Nickel Creek, winning awards and media attention from publications including the New York Times and Time magazine.

Bryan Sutton burst on the music scene as a member of Ricky Skaggs' Kentucky Thunder band, but left in 1999 to devote himself to recording work. One of today's elite session guitarists, his work is heard on recordings by the Dixie Chicks and Dolly Parton.

Byron House, an in-demand bass player on the Nashville recording scene, has contributed his talents to recordings by Amy Grant, Nickel Creek, Emmylou Harris and the Dixie Chicks.

In recent years, O'Connor has worked largely in the classical arena, composing and performing his own symphonic works with orchestras in the United States and abroad, as well as performing with his Hot Swing jazz trio, his Appalachia
Waltz Trio and in solo recital.

His first jazz album, Hot Swing! (OMAC Records - 4), a tribute to his friend and mentor Stephane Grappelli reintroduced him to today's jazz audiences and led to the recording of In Full Swing (SK 87889), released in 2002 on Sony's Odyssey label.

In recent months, O'Connor has performed two world premieres of his work: The Fallen is a composition he premiered at the prestigious Bridgehampton Festival in New York in August, and in September in London, he premiered his Concerto No. 6: Old Brass with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
at Royal Albert Hall.

----

and Tenacious - thanks much for the insight on Mark's cds!!

[David Royko]

Originally posted by Guesswho_Chick
so would you consider this album a good introduction to Mark's style then?? I know I want Heroes, and the Hot Swing Trio album, but this sounds like it may be a good one to get started with...

I'd say the new set is now the best introduction to Mark. It hits his entire range of composing (excepting the largerer-scale classical stuff), so stylistically, there is a huge range. All but a couple of the tunes are originals of Mark's (or co-compositions), and they include everything from his early, fiddle-contest type tunes from his pre-teens to his present work. And the band is, well, state of the art. To my taste, several numbers, such as Stone from which the Arch was Made, are a huge improvement over their original versions, with the new arrangement and instrumentation working better than some of the original production decisions Mark made in his post-Rounder, early Warner Bros days. And some of the original versions of these tunes are on albums that have not yet made it from LP to CD.

My other favorite albums of his are New Nashville Cats, Heroes, Markology (his guitar album), most of the early Rounders, and the two Hot Swing Trio albums. Even the albums which, to me, are uneven, like On The Mark, Meanings Of, or Stone fwtAwM, have some wonderful tracks. He's never made an album that doesn't have at least a few terrific cuts.

But the new one is a real knockout, pretty much from start to finish. And if what you are looking for is to hear some incredible, inspired soloing from Mark, Chris and Bryan, you will. Not neccessarily every track, but often enough to make it an essential purchase from that standpoint alone.

Dave Royko

[flutegrl71]

WARNING--SLIGHTLY OFF TOPIC (relates to older post)
Originally posted by banjochickie
oooh speaking of albums that Chris has played on, does anybody have Jennifer Knapp's Lay it Down? She's been one of my favorites since before I'd even heard of Nickel Creek, and my favorite song on that CD was always Diamond in the Rough 'cause it's got mandolin in it... it wasn't til recently that I found out that's Chris rockin' out on that song... I was all oooh THAT'S why I like that song so much! heheh ;)

I'm a little slow on the uptake but, ME TOO!! :) I don't listen to that CD much anymore but Diamond in the Rough was my fav. when it got more reg. play. I saw somewhere that listed Chris's appearances on diff. albums. When I saw hers I about jumped out of my chair! Played it and sure enough there was that beyootiful mando! Great stuff. Overall pretty good CD too.

Kay, just had to share my two cents on that.:D

[NCFan4Ever]

Originally posted by Guesswho_Chick

Chris Thile, widely heralded as one of the finest mandolin players in the world, is leader of the award-winning band Nickel Creek. At age 12, he released his first album, Leading Off. He regularly tours with Nickel Creek, winning awards and media attention from publications including the New York Times and Time magazine.


One of the finest mandolin players in the world? Yes
Leader of Nickel Creek? No.
Regularly tours with Nickel Creek? Well, I'd say that's a given since he is IN the band. They make it sound like he's like, a guest preformer.

Anyway, that's off topic. Sorry.

[Guesswho_Chick]

Thanks Dave... :) hopefully I'll get my hands on a copy of this before too long, need to get more familar with Mark's stuff. And I'm planning on trying to get Heroes soon, too *an ever-growing list, lol* and the hot swing trio stuff will HAVE to be purchased sometime!!!! [noise]

[matt the fiddler]

also on the must get list.. the app waltz trio stuff [2 cds] wiht yoyo ma and edgar meyer. for those who don't know edgar, the best bassplayer in the world, is chris's composition teacher- and on NAWWAL

[Guesswho_Chick]

:sigh: yes I would be needing that one, too...anything with Edgar and YoYo both...I kept almost buying a few of Mark's cds at this store I used to go to; they never had heroes, and hot swing trio was always begging to be bought, but I had my little get-first list together...ugh hehe

btw Matt - found out after I ordered those Hayes cds, that they won't be here til December...I'll be getting the songbook in a few days, but the rest were special order. Running into bad luck with cds lately - picked up some of the classical ones you mentioned at the library, but the librarian forgot to put the cds in the cases...[bang] I got the White Album at the same time, and there's something so desperately heartbreaking about not being able to hear Why Don't We Do It In the Road when you SHOULD be able too...

[kmiller1610]

I've listened to this set 3 times now.

Great recording. I wish I could grasp how 4 guys in front of an audience of 500 sounds so crystal clear, but Chris and Mike's recording of Into the Cauldron has such noticeable distortion in spots.

The second CD has a lot more CT in it. He leads on a number of tracks and really rips on several. Amazing licks.

The Styles range from numbers that sound like Stravinski to some awesome bluegrass (cut 13 on the second CD gets a huge audience reaction). In between, there is a lot of variety. Some compositions are very long. Great for car trips.

Personally, I like Chris Thile's own compositions and the way he plays on them more than when he's doing someone else's stuff. He's great on this album, but the breaks he's given just seem to give him too much room at times. There's a lot of high range tinkling and strumming that don't always seem like they fit.

This is a must have album and a terrific value. You get the equivalent of 4 albums for the price of 1 and a quarter. The music is lush, original and really makes you feel like you are listening with a huge group of respectful fans.

Highly recommended and think of it this way, the instruments are the same as Nickel Creek!

[kmiller1610]

Originally posted by TenaciousDLover
It was given to my brother this weekend and it is a great CD but for those that are anticipating blazing solos from Chris or Bryan, it is very limited ( understandably I guess, being it is a Mark CD). Just thought I'd let you guys know

Man do I disagree with this thought. Listen to the second CD.

[kmiller1610]

To add to the thought. Chris playes the lead on at least three cuts on the second CD. His breaks are featured in a fairly dominant way on 2/3 of the cuts on the second CD and his layered playing with Mark (I don't know what it's called, but he plays the notes Mark is playing at the same time and pace ) are astounding and audible.

On Soft Gyration (cut 12) on the second CD, Mark and Chris play the notes together, then separately, then together again in a express demonstration (near the end of the song) that must be heard.

[Dominik]

See, the thing is that the only thing that I listen to is NC, so after a while, Home seems very repetitive and not...well...very musical.

Just wanted to say something about the little off-topic! I think that the Chicks' Home is a great album! When you think it's not musicial, you have not really listened to it! Do you think Chris would have played on an unmusicial album with people like Bryan Sutton, Byron House and Adam Steffey? [think har