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All Recordings Now Available on Bandcamp
Now available --Books: Two Volumes of Original Music by Phil Lawrence in Standard Notation
Phil's Music Books of Original Compositions Sample of Volume 1
| Home |
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All Recordings Now Available on Bandcamp
Now available --Books: Two Volumes of Original Music by Phil Lawrence in Standard Notation
Phil's Music Books of Original Compositions Sample of Volume 1
NEW CD's & Singles
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2019
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New December 2020 with Special Guest David Grisman |
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(Single) 2022 |
(Single) 2022 |
(Single) 2022 |
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Original featuring David Grisman |
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With Special Guest David Grisman |
With Special Guest David Grisman |
Previous Recordings with Various Bands
Sample Audios
(Most of which are available on the Mandolin Heaven CD)
With David & Linda LaFlamme from It's a Beautiful Day on Violin & Vocals
Elegy with Valerie Marshall on cello and Sonia Tubridy on piano
Recorded November 2011
Phil Lawrence Plays Mandolin and Guitar
(1981)
This is Phil Lawrence’s first recording. It
was issued as a cassette in 1981. It opens with the original composition
"Trans Siberian Express", a powerful new-grass type fiddle tune that
features Tony Marcus on violin and
Jean-Jacques Vergnaud on guitar.
Michael
Berst plays hammered dulcimer on "Over the Rainbow" and "Golden
Slippers". Carlos
Alden, who now plays with The Celtic
Nots, also plays guitar. "Over the Rainbow" and "Tulip
Blossoms", an original composition, also appear on the Mezzotint CD.
Recorded by John
Blakeley, whose band, The
Sandals, performed and composed the soundtrack for the movie The
Endless Summer. John Blakeley also performed with Stoneground,
Van Morrison, and he appears in
the Martin Scorsese film The
Medicine Ball Caravan along with B.B. King.
This recording is now available on CD in combination with
The Brooklyn Rag.
Listen to Samples from This Recording
The Brooklyn Rag
Available Directly from Phil Lawrence
(1984)
This 25 minute mini-cassette was issued in 1984.
It has five original compositions, all different in style. It begins with
the title track, "The Brooklyn Rag", which again features Tony
Marcus on violin. Bruce
Stelter plays guitar and Piper
Heisig from Catz and Jammers
plays bass and percussion. The last composition "Esperance"
has a chamber ensemble:violin, cello, and viola, providing an classical-sounding
background ambience. The lyrical waltz, "Hava's Tune, also is included
on the Mezzotint CD. Two Latin-style pieces also add flavor to the
recording. Also recorded at John Blakeley's Duncan
Street Studio in San Francisco. This recording is now available on
CD in combination with the above recording.
Listen to Samples from this Recording
Spontaneity Thrilled the Cat
(August 2007)
Dalton Dillingham III--6-String Upright
Bass
Phil Lawrence--Mandolin/Harmonica
Stephen Tamborski--Guitar/Vocals
The DLT 3 Together from 2004-2008
Play It Cool, Play It Hot
(June 2007)
This acoustic jazz trio is Phil’s former musical project from 2005 to January 2009. It produced two CDs. Play It Cool, Play It Hot and Spontaneity Thrilled the Cat. The first has 73 minutes of music and the second has just over 70 minutes of music. Stephen Tamborski plays guitar and sings and Dalton Dillingham III plays six-string acoustic upright bass. The band plays some original Phil Lawrence tunes and a variety of jazz standards. The trio formed in February of 2005 in Stephen’s garage studio. The DLT 3 recorded most of their garage rehearsals and jams and these two CDs represent selections from those spontaneous sessions. The playing is tasteful and sophisticated. Dalton has over 50 years of professional experience, having played with Louis Armstrong, Bill Monroe, and Tom Waits, to name only a few. Stephen recorded with Maria Muldaur and David Grisman on Ms. Muldaur's On The Sunny Side.
Listen to The DLT 3 Jazz Trio
Queen Bee (Original Composition by Phil Lawrence)
Gee Baby Ain't I Good to You (StephenTamborski--vocals, guitar)
When Mandolins Weep (Original Composition by Phil Lawrence--dedicated to Chip Dunbar)
Elegy (Original Composition by Phil Lawrence)
Devorah's Swing (Original Composition by Phil Lawrence)
Softly As In A Morning Sunrise
Sweet Amnesia
(1987)
This cassette features the vocalist Katie Carleton. Ron Gersten plays guitar and he also composed some of the songs. This San Francisco based trio played in North Beach cafes in 1986 and 1987 until Katie became ill with bone cancer. The band continued to record even while Katie received treatments for her illness. On the opening track, "Reach Across Heaven", by Ron, Katie adds several harmony parts to her melody line; the result is a deeply emotional and beautiful vocal tapestry. She also adds four part harmony to her version of the Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit." Phil and Katie co-wrote the music to "Mojave Reverie" with Harvey Rich (formerly with Steve Seskin); the lyrics were written by the Grammy Award nominated Roberta Donnay. They describe a mysterious dream leading the dreamer to an unknown country. Katie Carleton induces the listener into a mystical trance with her passionate vocals.. Recorded at John Blakeley's Duncan Street Studio. This recording is now available on CD in limited numbers.
Listen to Samples from this Recording
Ragtime Annie
(1981)
This cassette recording features Michael Berst on hammered dulcimer. It contains old-time American square dance tunes played in a style common Michigan and the Midwest around the early 1900's. It was recorded in March 1981 and sold on the streets of San Francisco at Fisherman's Wharf as Michael and Phil played as a duo. This is Phil's first foray into professional recording and his introduction to old-time American music.
Redwood Highway Live at the Freight and Salvage in Berkeley (1993)
This live recording features the powerful and melodic country singing of Karin Akin. Andy Padlo wrote all the original songs and plays guitar and sings as well. Joe Yamamoto plays violin and guitar and Phil Lawrence plays mandolin and lead acoustic guitar. It was a privilege working with Karin, perhaps the best vocalist Phil ever had the opportunity to perform with live. The live audience adds an element of excitement on this recording. Gregg Allman of The Allman Brothers later recorded one of Andy's original songs. This recording is now available on CD in limited numbers.
Listen to Samples from this Recording
Silk and Steel
(2000)
This trio features the singing and songwriting of Susanna Praetzel and her husband Michael Rosloff. They harmonize together and Phil Lawrence adds lead guitar parts on his Martin D 28 guitar and mandolin solos with his Gibson F2 mandolin. Phil also plays harmonica on a several tracks. Track 3, "I Thought I Saw You" has Phil's best recording of his lead guitar work; the guitar lines weave around Susanna's plaintive vocals. Track 1 "Edge of Your Heart" has some powerful rocking leads. The mandolin solo on Michael's song, "A High Price to Pay" is worth listening to as is the harmonica on "I'd Do It All Again" and "The Quiet Men."
Listen to Samples from this Recording
(2009)
Klezmer music is Jewish celebration music from nineteenth century Eastern Europe that was usually performed at weddings and other festive occasions. Its roots go back further in the past, perhaps as early as the seventeenth century, when many of the melodies were originally solemn liturgical prayers.
The Jubilee Klezmer Ensemble, based in Sonoma County, has played a vital role in revitalizing this unique musical genre in the San Francisco Bay Area. Paul Alexander, who plays the clarinet, is the group's musical director; Sonia Tubridy, a trained classical pianist and director of The Russian River Choir, plays the accordion; Mark Peabody of the Santa Rosa Symphony and founder of the Marin School of the Arts, plays the upright bass. Phil Lawrence plays a 1912 Gibson F2 mandolin.
The CD has eleven traditional Eastern European instrumental pieces, one American Yiddish show tune, and three original compositions by Phil Lawrence. Freilachs, Schers, Bulgars, and Horas are usually lively joyful dance tunes played in two four or three eight time signatures. The CD has two Freilachs, three Bulgars, and one Hora. In addition, there are several slow dramatic melodies that evoke the suffering of the Jewish people and the ardent desire to attain union with God. The Andrew Sisters popularized the Yiddish song, “Bei Mir Bist Du Schein” in the 1940's: here Jubilee renders this tune playfully and with some lovely improvisations. “Devorah's Swing” by Phil Lawrence, incorporates elements of swing and klezmer together; his “White Rose” is an attempt to simulate an Israeli hora; the title track, “The Rabbi's Farewell,” was written by Phil to commemorate his neighbor, Rabbi Michael Robinson, who passed away in 2005. It begins as a lament and then builds to a passionate dance tempo.
Tracks one through six were recorded live in concert in Sebastopol and Petaluma, California in 2003 and 2007. Tracks seven through fifteen were recorded at Mandolinimal Studio in Sebastopol in 2008. Jubilee Klezmer Ensemble has also recorded Chiribim Bim Bam , a collection of Yiddish songs with Alby Kass on vocals, performed live in concert in 2009 at The Petaluma Center for the Arts and at a house concert in Guerneville, California, and Raisins and Almonds from 2003.
Listen to Samples of Recent Jubilee Recordings
The Rabbi's Farewell (Original by Phil Lawrence)
The White Rose (Original by Phil Lawrence)
Freilach #12 (Live Sample)
Khusidelich (Live Sample)
Bei Mir Bist Du Schein (Live Sample)
Tkine Fun Yas Recorded 3-9-08
Video The Nayer Sher Introduction to Live Concert DVD
Video Freilach # 12 Live Concert in Petaluma
Video Meshugge Skocne Live Concert in Petaluma
Video Misirlou Wedding Celebration at the Russian River in Guerneville, Ca
Listen to Selections from the Jubilee Website Here
http://jubileeklezmer.com/ourmusicframe.html
Chiribim Bim Bam
Alby Kass with Jubilee Klezmer Ensemble
Live Concert of Yiddish Songs
(2009)
See YouTubes of Alby Kass with Jubilee Klezmer Ensemble in Concert
Jubilee Klezmer Ensemble Raisins and Almonds
(2003)
In the summer of 2000 Paul Alexander, the founder of Jubilee Klezmer Ensemble, invited Phil Lawrence to join his new Eastern-European Jewish music band. Phil has been performing and recording with this group since that time and the Raisins and Almonds CD is the result of that collaboration. The music on this CD invokes the spirit of the Old World Jewish wedding celebrations, with plenty of lively dance tunes.
The band also produced an earlier CD, Mazel Tov.
Sonia Tubridy plays accordion, Mark Peabody plays bass, and Paul Alexander plays clarinet.
Honoring Life with Jeffrey Jon and the Bear Bones Band
(2006)
Phil's longtime Sonoma County friend, Jeffrey Jon, aka White Bear, produced this CD of his original songs and Phil plays on two tracks.
Captivated Heart with Doug Closson and David Rea
(1986)
Phil plays mandolin on the last track, "The Mary Ellen Carter", of this CD, originally a vinyl LP. David Rea plays guitar on this track; he also composed the classic rock song, "Mississippi Queen." Robin Sylvester, a member of Bob Weir's band, RatDog, plays the bass.
Give Us Gibsons
Give Us Gibsons plays blues, mellow songs, funny songs, including originals, and songs by Reverend Gary Davis, Mississippi John Hurt, Jorma Kaukonen and others. Visit our website at http://www.giveusgibsons.com/
All recordings are $15 each plus $2.50 each for shipping and handling. You can order recordings:
Phil Lawrence
