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Terry Pender – mandolin –
Terry Pender – mandolin –
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Chelsea Strings
Chelsea Strings is a versatile swing trio consisting of mandolin, archtop jazz guitar and double bass. Chelseas Strings prides itself in tightly arranged, concise versions of classic swing tune.
Mandolin Quarterly
Explore my interviews with the world’s best mandolin players as printed in Mandolin Quarterly Magazine.
Sheet Music
Historic Mandolin Sheet Music and Replicas, The Italian Mandolin Volume 2, Mick Moloney - Irish Mandolin Transcriptions and the music of Terry Pender
East of Chelsea
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East of Chelsea *
Introducing my latest recording project
Liner Notes
East of Chelsea is a showcase of contemporary mandolin music, featuring works in two different but complimentary styles. While the mandolin is often associated with folk and bluegrass music, my goal was to show that it is quite capable of holding its own in any genre. I’ve spent more than four decades exploring the subtleties of this ancient and venerable instrument, and this project continues that journey.
The first portion of the album consists of seven arrangements of compositions by Richard David James, aka Aphex Twin. The first time I heard these pieces in their original form, I was captivated by their haunting beauty – so much so that I was inspired to re-arrange them for the mandolin. I see these pieces as modern-day classical miniatures that harken back to the minimalism of Erik Satie. A colleague recently told me that he thinks “lovely” is the new “loud.” I hope these arrangements add a bit of loveliness to all the loud that surrounds us.
The second part of the recording includes several of my favorite swing tunes, which I arranged for mandolin, jazz guitar and acoustic bass. It follows in the footsteps of jazz mandolin pioneers like David Grisman and Don Stiernberg. These pieces were recorded live by Eric Elterman at Eastside Sound, and I was fortunate to be joined by two of the finest jazz musicians in New York City – Félix Lemerle and veteran bassist Thomas Hubbard. I can’t thank them enough for the superb artistry they contributed to this project.
I recorded almost all of the instruments for the Aphex Twin arrangements in my home studio, and I added tracks by bassist Mark Kelley, who plays in The Roots and on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Vitor Gonçalves and Roberto Giaquinto were recorded on piano and drums at Eric Elterman’s Boomtown Studio in Brooklyn. Eric played viola and some of the piano parts on these pieces, and he mixed and mastered the recording as well. I couldn’t have brought this project to fruition without him. Thank you, Eric, for making it sound better than I could possibly have imagined.
I’d also like to thank Aaron Weinstein – my mentor and one of the best jazz violin and mandolin players living. You spent hours helping me develop my swing technique, and this recording would never have happened without you.
Finally, I’d like to thank my wife, Amy, for her invaluable input on this project and her never ending support of everything I do.
Track Listing and Credits
Terry Pender - East of Chelsea
Part 1 - Aphex Twin arrangements for mandolin and guitar
1) Avril 14th composed by Richard David James aka Aphex Twin, Arranged by Terry Pender
2) Piano Un10 it Happened composed by Richard David James aka Aphex Twin, Arranged by Terry Pender
3) Nanou2 composed by Richard David James aka Aphex Twin, Arranged by Terry Pender
4) Hy a Scullyas Lyf Adhagrow composed by Richard David James aka Aphex Twin, Arranged by Terry Pender
5) Kesson Daslef composed by Richard David James aka Aphex Twin, Arranged by Terry Pender
6) Aisatsana [102] composed by Richard David James aka Aphex Twin, Arranged by Terry Pender
7) Flim composed by Richard David James aka Aphex Twin, Arranged by Terry Pender
Tracks 1 to 7 - Terry Pender - played all instruments (mostly mandolins and guitars
Tracks 1, 3, 5, 7 - Mark Kelley - bass
Track 3 - Vitor Gonçalves - piano, electric piano, Roberto Giaquinto - drums
Track 3 and 5 - Roberto Giaquinto - drums
Tracks 4, 6, 7 - Eric Elterman - viola
Track 7 - Eric Elterman - piano
Initial Recordings August and September 2023 Terry Pender’s Home Studio
Additional Recording Boomtown Studios August to October 2024
Recording Session Producer: Terry Pender and Eric Elterman
Recording Session Engineer: Eric Elterman
Editing, Mixing, Mastering: Eric Elterman
Part 2 - Chelsea Strings
8) Medley: My Little Suede Shoes/St. Thomas, My Little Suede Shoes composed by Charlie Parker, St. Thomas composed by Sonny Rollins, Arranged by Terry Pender
9) Poinciana, composed by Nat Simon, Arranged by Terry Pender
10) Lucky Southern composed by Keith Jarrett, Arranged by Terry Pender
11) Blue Monk composed by Thelonious Monk, Arranged by Terry Pender
12) Lullaby of Birdland composed by George Shearing, Arranged by Terry Pender
13) Sous le ciel de Paris (Under Paris Skies), composed by Hubert Giraud and Jean Drejac , Arranged by Terry Pender
14) Don’t Get Around Much Anymore, composed by Duke Ellington and Bob Russell, Arranged by Terry Pender
15) Gee Baby, Ain’t I Good To You, composed by Andy Razaf and Don Redman, Arranged by Terry Pender
Tracks 8 to 15 were performed by: Terry Pender mandolin, Félix Lemerle – guitar, Tom Hubbard - bass
Recorded July 27, 2024 at Eastside Sound Studios in New York, NY
Recording Session Producer: Terry Pender
Recording Session Engineer: Eric Elterman
Editing, Mixing, Mastering: Eric Elterman at Boomtown Studios in Brooklyn, NY
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Terry in performaning with Pradeep Ratnayaka at Carnegie Hall.
