Comment by marc dalmasso on January 27, 2012 at 16:51

yes you didn 't choosed the more simple to play  ; a good performance ; on more tune to link in front of the score ; bravo Mike ;

Comment by Adam on January 27, 2012 at 16:56

Hey Mike - great job; I think this might be my favorite recording of yours ...

Comment by Trapdoor2 on January 27, 2012 at 18:27

"Mazeppa" was an opera by Tchaikovsky...which premiered in 1884. Maybe Joe saw it when it came to England. Now I gotta go find the opera and see if he purloined anything offa Pete Tchaikovsky...

Well done, btw. I like that you're willing to allow us in on your tour of obscure and difficult pieces.

Comment by Mike Moss on January 27, 2012 at 18:46

Thanks, Marc, Marc and Adam!

The Tchaikovsky opera seems to be the only logical explanation; some passages might sound a little like a Cossack dance (it's a stretch, I know), but it doesn't sound very Ukrainian and I don't think Joe was much of a history buff.

I like discovering obscure stuff too... I tend to be biased towards solos I've already listened to but it's definitely an extra challenge to tackle something directly from the sheet music without having heard it.

Comment by Mike Moss on January 27, 2012 at 23:32

Well, it looks like there is a TBj recording of Mazeppa out there somewhere (along with Popinjay Polka on the other side). The website doesn't specify the label, though.

8392	Tarrant Bailey Jr	Popinjay (Joe Morley) - Polka - Banjo solo with Piano	94775 *dp
8392	Tarrant Bailey Jr	Mazeppa (Joe Morley) - Banjo solo with Piano	94773 *dp

Comment by Adam on January 28, 2012 at 0:01

Clifford Essex sells a CD on which it's listed as on of the pieces:

http://cliffordessex.net/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=321

And, next time I'm in Utah, I'm eating here:

http://www.joemorleys.com/

 :)

Comment by thereallyniceman on January 28, 2012 at 7:30

Brilliant performance Mike. You and I play in two distinct ways!  You make the hard ones look easy, and I make the easy ones look hard ;-)

Just how much practice do you do???  Do you ever get time to sleep?

Comment by Sylvia on January 28, 2012 at 9:27

I was wondering about the practice too,  he said he was a beginner when he joined.   Nice going Mike.

Comment by Mike Moss on January 28, 2012 at 11:14

@Adam

Joe Morley's BBQ, excellent! If you do go there perhaps you should have a mixed grill.

@Ian and Sylvia

Thanks for the kind comments. Well, the hat does serve the purpose of blackening up one's face (cheaper than burnt cork!) and hides the gurning ;-)

I don't practice all that much, though to be fair I've been struggling with this one since september... so that's about five months before I could record Mazeppa with three mistakes!

One thing I have noticed on other instruments and which also applies to the banjo is that tackling pieces which are far too difficult for your skill level tends to act as a catalyzer as it forces you to learn daunting techniques early (or die trying).

Comment by thereallyniceman on January 28, 2012 at 12:48

Mike Moss aka "Don Diego de la Moss",  master swordsman and banjo player...

Mike, I didn't recognise you without the mask !

For those who like pain..  The score for "Mazzeppa"  is now in the Music Library

;-)

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