sunflowerpub.com
33
winter 2012
The “what’s that?” reaction led to another musician joining the group in 1993 when Jeff approached violinist Mike Stewart. “Jeff knew I played violin and asked if I could play mandolin,” recalls Mike. “‘What’s that?’ I said, and then I played in the first Mandofest.” Beth Dearinger, the fourth current member of the quartet, was the only add-on who didn’t have a “what’s that?’ reaction. A musician who played the piano and the flute, Beth took up the mandolin in 1974 and passed a mandolin aptitude test to join the group. Two years later, she and Jeff were married—a romance she attributes in part to the instrument. “I am convinced that Jeff married me partly due to my dedication to the mandolin.” A true mandolin convert, Beth’s license plate reads “Tremolo,” a reference to the mandolin technique of rapid, pitter-patter playing. “The mandolin has a unique and magical sound,” says Beth. “There is nothing like the sound of a group of mandolins tremoloing together.” By 1985, the group was playing almost exclusively as a quartet, and Jeff, who does all the arrangements for the group, was adapting scores not just for the instruments, but for the skill level of the instrumentalists: Beth and Mike on the mandolins, Charles on the mandolo and himself on the mandocello. “Typically the second mandolin part is less difficult,” says Jeff, “but since we have two good players, I can give some good stuff to each of the instruments.” Playing regularly as a small group has also tightened Uptown’s sound. “It’s a community feeling, it’s not just about the music,” says Jeff. “When we sight-read a new piece, I swear we have telepathy,” adds Beth. “We will interpret a phrase the same way.” Over the past four decades, the quartet has grown its repertoire while staying very much rooted in classical works. Think Mozart and Bach rather than Monroe and Scruggs. Speaking about the particular types of mandolins that the quartet plays, Jeff says they “were built to play classical music. I don’t think people realize that. Now mandolin is enjoying another renaissance, for both classical, bluegrass, jazz, Celtic and lots of different styles that the mandolin can adapt to. There are good luthiers who are LEFT Members of the Uptown Mandolin Quartet include, from left, Mike Stewart, Charles Higginson, Beth Dearinger and Jeff Dearinger.
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