“Jim McNulty has given us one of the most enjoyable and creative collections of original tunes I’ve heard in some time. Several are bluegrass tunes informed by the playing of Bill Monroe, but are uniquely McNulty’s own, with inventive and sometimes unconventional twists. In addition to the bluegrass numbers there are some beautiful, Latin-inspired melodies, as well as a nod to his Irish heritage. Jim has assembled an excellent group of collaborators to bring these tunes to life, anchored by his solid, expressive mandolin playing.”
- John Reischman
I bought my first mandolin in 1974, when I began a 36-year career as a newspaperman in Windsor, Edmonton and Vancouver. Working as a reporter, editor and national affairs columnist, music was my side gig, with stints as a bluegrass disc jockey and artistic director of the Granville Island Bluegrass Festival in Vancouver. And always playing the wily mandolin, so fortunate to be under the guidance of renowned mando maestro John Reischman from the early ’90s.
My attraction to instrumental music and melody began as a youngster in Hamilton, listening to the dazzling soloists in my father’s jazz record collection — the Count Basie and Benny Goodman orchestras, Louis Armstrong, the Firehouse Five and many more. When I later discovered the mandolin, I was drawn to the brilliant instrumental work of all-time greats Bill Monroe, Frank Wakefield, Jethro Burns and Tiny Moore, and their modern disciples Andy Statman, Sam Bush, David Grisman and my teacher John.
Listening to a wide array of genres from bluegrass to newgrass, rock ’n’ roll to western swing, klezmer to gypsy jazz, I began composing instrumentals in the mid-’90s. As an arts writer and radio host, I was musically motivated by interviews with bluegrass legends Monroe, Jimmy Martin, Mac Wiseman, Don Reno and more, from the ‘Queen of Country’ Kitty Wells to three memorable days on the roads of West Virginia with Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians. Booking acts for the Granville festival in the later ’90s introduced me to yet more influential artists, from the storied Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerrard to banjo innovator Tony Trischka. It was and remains a great musical melting pot to draw from.
This album was recorded in two sessions 15 years apart, using different instruments and studio setups with some tonal variations. On the First Session tracks, I play John’s mighty 1924 Gibson ‘Loar’ F-5. On the Second Session, I play a Red Diamond ‘Reischman Replica’ F-5 on all tunes except Tyrone — a 1923 Gibson ‘Snakehead’ A-4, and Spanish Banks — a Stan Miller mandola. John plays a Jayson Bowerman octave mandolin here.
I’m honoured to have so many great players join this project and power it up with their exceptional takes on the tunes. I couldn’t have done it without them — a big thank you to all.
