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Phil Lawrence has been playing mandolin since 1978 when he bought his first round back mandolin on a whim. He began studying with Rudy Cipolla, the San Francisco Italian-American composer and mandolinist. He quickly learned to play all different styles of music—bluegrass, folk, rock, jazz, reggae, and even klezmer. Phil produced and published independent recordings of his original compositions in the 1980’s and 1990’s under his own label, Mandolinimal Productions. In 2004 Phil was invited by David Grisman and Mike Marshall to work as an assistant instructor at David Grisman’s Mandolin Symposium in Santa Cruz, Ca. and he performed on stage with David Grisman, Mike Marshall, Chris Thile, Mike Compton, Don Stiernberg, and Radim Zenkl. His Mandolin Mezzotints CD is still available. Phil plays a 1916 vintage Gibson F2 mandolin, a 1988 Martin D-28 guitar, and blues harmonica. Currently he performs with The Phil Lawrence Band , an acoustic jazz quartet featuring David LaFlamme from It's a Beautiful Day on violin, and with Jubilee Klezmer Ensemble. He also has recorded Mandolin Mandalas with Lisa Sangita Moskow, a fusion of Americana and Indian influenced improvisations. Phil makes his home in Sonoma County, California, one hour north of the Golden Gate Bridge, where he teaches mandolin between gigs.
Download Phil Lawrence recordings at Amazon.com and iTunes