Butch was a true leader in the mandolin world – as a player, composer, instructor, entrepreneur, and fierce proponent of musical literacy for mandolinists. He had performed with seminal bands like Weary Hearts and Lonesome Standard Time and was instrumental in the formation of the Nashville Mandolin Ensemble.

He was diagnosed with an inoperable brain cancer in June of 2007, and fought long and hard against what would be a formidable and ultimately invincible foe. Butch’s wife Sinclair continues to run the company and manage Butch’s musical legacy, and she was very pleased to be able to announce the release of the new CD.

The Road Home – A Tribute To Butch Baldassari contains 20 tracks of music from Butch’s many friends in the bluegrass and mandolin worlds. There are contributions from Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, Sam Bush, David Grisman, Tim O’Brien, Mike Compton, Roland White and many others.

Proceeds from the sale of this album will go to a college fund for Butch and Sinclair’s teenaged son, Blake.

They are available now for $15 from the Sound Art web site. Buy several, and share them with your friends. It is a fitting tribute to a great artist and a fine, funny and lovable man.

The interview covers a lot of ground in the life of this young bluegrass singer and songwriter. Brandon talks about his reasons for leaving the band, why he returned, and what he was up to in the interim.

"…everything happens for a reason and when I came back I had grown a lot as a writer, as a singer, as a producer – everything. When we went in the studio (for the recording of No Turning Back) this was the first time that I can say that I jumped in there and was as big a part of it and as involved as you could possibly be."

The new issue also has an interview with Williams & Clark Expedition’s Kimberly and Blake Williams, a DJ Profile with Bill Hensley, a look at the bluegrass side of Charlie Daniels, an interview with Canadian bluegrass legend Eddy Poirier, and a remembrance of Butch Baldassari.

Regular features include Shop Talk with Alan Munde, Bluegrass Favorites with Rickey Wasson and Darren Beachley, a Promoter Profile on C.R. Wilson, and a Songwriter Profile on Stan Keach.

More information on BMP can be found online.

The prayer service will be at 11:00 a.m. this Saturday (1/31) at the Blakemore United Methodist Church in Nashville. The family will greet visitors at a simple reception following the service.

Sunday afternoon at The Station Inn will de given over to a musical celebration for Butch, starting at 1:00 p.m.

Sinclair’s note mentioned special arrangements for out-of-town visitors who would like to join them this weekend.

“The Holiday Inn (2613 West End) is offering a bereavement price of $98 per night.  It is about a mile from the church and less than 5 miles from The Station Inn.  If you want that price, you need to ask for it when you make your reservation (1-800-465-4329).  If they ask, it’s the Baldassari service at Blakemore.”

The show airs from noon to 3:00 p.m. (PST), and has been a staple on KBCS for almost 25 years. They feature a format of bluegrass mixed with old-time and vintage country, co-hosted by Pete Goodall, Dave Long, Christine Linde and Tom Keeney.

This afternoon’s show finds Keeney joined by recently retired KBCS host Susan Madden for the Baldassari tribute from 1:30-3:00 p.m., west coast time.

KBCS broadcasts from Bellevue, WA at 91.3 FM, and via online streaming at www.kbcs.fm.

According to the obituary published in the Scranton Times-Tribune, the family has requested that in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions be made to the church: 634 Genet St., Scranton, PA 18505.

In addition, a college fund has been established for Butch and Sinclair’s son, Blake. Tax-deductible contributions may be sent to:

Mandolin Cafe has a good roundup of news about Butch, including the note sent by Sinclair Baldassari earlier this week to all Butch’s friends in the mandolin world.

If you would like to see all the various tributes his fellow mandolinists and musical friends have left here on The Bluegrass Blog, just click on the Butch Baldassari tag below the title of this post.

Butch’s passing has sort of caught me off-guard really. He seemed like he was actually going to just outlast the situation and come on back around. I meant to get over and see him again. Well, I put that off too long too. The last thing Butch said to me was that he wanted for me and David Grier to come over and play, me and Grier and ‘a bass,’ as he put it. Now I feel like a heel for not making it over and fulfilling his request. Can’t undo that now.

I met Butch back around the time Nashville Bluegrass Band got together. We crossed paths with the Weary Hearts ever so often and I was introduced to him then, seems like. I thought Butch was about as spit and polished as they came and I really didn’t get to know him very well for a long time. I so remember giving Butch a lot of grief about his hair, mainly because he had a good head of it and I didn’t. I heard he had played in Vegas, ran a pinball company back in Pennsylvania. A multi-faceted man all around.

Butch really got my attention when he started giving mandolin seminars in Nashville. He even let me audit one so that I could take notes on how to go about putting points across. I remember saying something about learning to read music again and he gave me a book called ‘I Can Read Music.’ It has notes in it the size of a butterbean. Then he gave me an entire Cristafaro Method book. The point is, he helped me a lot and went about it right away and asked for nothing in return. And then, there was the night I took in the Nashville Mandolin Ensemble. I’ve wanted to be in that group ever since.

Seems to me Butch was always working on something, looking for a way to ‘make it.’ He told me once, regarding business and finding more business, that he just ‘kept throwing things against the wall to see what stuck.’ Anybody can check Butch’s discography and see how productive he was. I always envied Butch’s ability to focus and stay on course. I don’t think he ever understood why I was doing more talking than getting stuff done. He just laughed and shook his head.

I don’t know, I reckon the main thing is I’m sort of bummed out that he’s gone on ahead of us. It’s hard to watch friends and acquaintances go, especially those who are vital in the community one circulates in. I hope that if nothing else, Butch’s example will stay with me and keep prodding me along to excel in my own right.

I miss you already, Butch. You’re hardly even gone and I feel the gap you’ve left. Hopefully the rest of us will be able to take up the slack. I’ll catch up with you later.

Mike Compton

Chris is not only an accomplished bluegrass singer, songwriter and bandleader, but also a popular radio host. His weekday show on Sirius-XM runs from 3:00-9:00 p.m. on Bluegrass Junction (XM 14 and Sirius 65).

Jones will open today’s show (1/13) with a musical tribute to Butch.

“I’d never heard of Butch when he called me out of the blue one day in 1988 and asked me if I was interested in joining a band in the southwest called Weary Hearts. I did, and that band changed the direction of my life and career, and I’d say that’s probably true for the other members at the time, Mike Bub and Ron Block. Butch’s mandolin style and tone helped define the band sound, and it was his business sense and discipline that helped us grow and eventually move to Nashville together.

Butch managed to combine a dedication to the business side of music with a love and understanding of the art of music that’s rare in a single individual. I’ll miss not only Butch’s music, but also his unique perspective and humor. There have been many times since Weary Hearts were together when I’ve thought to myself, ‘what would Butch say in a situation like this?,’ and it’s likely he would have said something insightful and funny. He had very little use for the cliches and standard assumptions of the business, instead creating his own ‘conventional wisdom’ (or maybe ‘Baldo’s Wisdom’), which often enabled him to see things more clearly and pinpoint  the heart of the situation.

I feel privileged to have known him and played music with him.”

Butch was someone I admired and respected. What he did in his short, sweet life amazed me! He was always working on something or was trying to “get something going.”

From the first time we met, when I was just a teenager, until the last time I saw him, I felt he was always trying to help me in any way that he could. I listened to his opinions and suggestions and I used them and still do! I’ll miss his phone calls asking “What’s going on? What’s happening?”

He played and presented the mandolin with tone, taste and class. He was a true Master of the mandolin and mentor. From one PA boy to another…until we pick again! Rest in Peace!

Your ole friend, Ronnie

p.s. I’m still working on that “mailbox money,” Butchy!

It has been nearly 20 years ago that Butch and I moved to Nashville with Chris Jones and Ward Stout to pursue our musical endeavor in Weary Hearts.  I have known Butch since I was probably 15 or 16 and that is just shy of 30 years.  We’ve played alot of music and traveled many miles together before our musical paths took on new directions in the early 90’s.  He was a great player known for his taste and beautiful tone on the mandolin.  He was a sharp businessman, and involved himself in all aspects of the music business as it related to the mandolin: recording artist, session musician & sideman, performer, producer, label owner, arranger, bandleader, booking agent, instrument collector and designer as well as teacher.  Butch’s music covered alot of varied genre’s and he played it all with great ability and respect.

Butch’s fight with brain cancer has lasted over a year and a half. Saddened to see him go, I am relieved that he is no longer having to suffer with this terrible and painful disease.  His fight has been valiant and inspired due to his wife Sinclair and son Blake at his side the entire way.  Keep them in your thoughts as they struggle through these toughest of times.

Rest in peace my friend..

Mike Bub

 

I was DEEPLY saddened to hear of Butch’s passing. I’ve known Butch for over 20 years and have had the opportunity to play with him on many occasions. He will always be remembered by me as a total professional and gentleman. His playing speaks for itself, but if you ever had the opportunity to just sit and visit with him for a while, you know that he was a caring and charming fellow with a quick wit and smile. This time is one of sadness, but the legacy that he left with us is one of complete joy. Joy in music, and joy in life and family. My deepest condolences to his family who will be in my prayers.

Adam Steffey

Both were written by Peter Cooper, who noted Butch’s passing on Saturday (1/10) and celebrated his work with The Nashville Mandolin Ensemble on Sunday (1/11).

Mr. Baldassari was a recording artist, a producer, a writer, a bandleader and a teacher. At Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music, he served as adjunct professor of mandolin.

Beginning in 1991, he was the leader of the Nashville Mandolin Ensemble, a group that helped revive the dormant mandolin orchestra tradition that had begun in America in the 1800s. The Mandolin Ensemble’s performances and recordings featured mind-bendingly diverse music, from Tchaikovsky to bluegrass to the theme from Star Trek.

“Most mandolin players have seen pictures of the old mandolin orchestras ‚Ķ but hardly anybody today has ever heard one,” Mr. Baldassari told The Tennessean in 1996. With the Nashville Mandolin Ensemble, he worked to change that.

Both pieces can be found on The Tennessean web site.

He touched the lives of countless mandolinists, from his fellow professional practitioners, to the thousands of students he taught through workshops, books and instructional tapes and DVDs.

“Butch was a very good friend.  Never knew anyone more dedicated to educating and entertaining about, and with a mandolin. I have always been inspired by his work ethic and talent.

Saddens me deeply and just too close to home to talk about now.  Our deepest sympathies to Sinclair, Blake and all of Butch’s family and friends.”

Sam and Lynn Bush
January 10, 2009

Along with the entire acoustic music community, I’m saddened by the news of Butch Baldassari’s untimely passing. Butch was one of the rare individuals who, while adhering strictly to the Monroe doctrine, also had the artistic depth and breadth to embrace many other musical styles wholeheartedly ‚Äî with passion, grace and wit. He was a friend, a colleague and an inspiring presence in our world. Rest in peace, Butch ‚Äî you did a great job.

David “Dawg” Grisman

I hope we can all celebrate the life of a true gentleman, a great mandolinist as well as an awesome teacher. But most of all a dear friend. I had the pleasure of recording, teaching and just hanging out with Butch on many occasions.  The last time we spoke, he talked about the time he asked Don Stiernberg and I to play Monroe’s Evening Prayer Blues with him at Kamp Kaufman, and that the only thing better than two mandolins was three mandolins! I was honored he asked and feel very fortunate to have known him. We’ll continue to keep his family in our prayers.  Rest in peace my friend.

Alan Bibey

Butch had fought a long and hard battle with a pernicious brain cancer, by all reports remaining upbeat and in good spirits to the end. His impact on our music has been longstanding, and ongoing up to the point that his cancer took him from us.

For most bluegrass fans, Butch first appeared on the scene in 1985 as a member of Weary Hearts, a band which also included fellow future luminaries Ron Block, Chris Jones and Mike Bub. He had a tenure with Lonesome Standard Time before launching the Nashville Mandolin Ensemble to recreate the music of the classic mandolin orchestras in 1991.

Baldassari also founded a record label, Sound Art Recordings, which specialized in mando-centric music. His discography lists 14 titles under his name and dozens where he is featured as a performer or producer.

Butch also has a number of instructional books and DVDs to his credit, but the most lingering legacy among his many friends in the bluegrass business will be his dry sense of humor and dedication to musical excellence.

Butch leaves his wife, Sinclair, and a son, Blake.

We will have more information about arrangements when they are announced.

The book is a 64 page, hardbound and foil-embossed edition that also includes an audio CD with the music from Butch’s Evergreen album. Cockrell has assembled dozens of high quality color images and intersperses them with poems, prose, and Christmas and post card inscriptions from the Victorian era.

The CD contains stately, instrumental string versions of 16 Christmas favorites – Silent Night, Do You Hear What I Hear, O Holy Night, We Wish You A Merry Christmas among them – performed on mandolins, fiddle and guitars.

It is available for only $15 from most online and brick-and-mortar book sellers, or directly from Butch’s web site.

Here’s another…

This weekend, the Musical Heritage Center of Middle Tennessee will host a mandolin workshop with Matt Flinner at Fiddle & Pick in Peagram, TN. It will be held on Saturday (10/11) from 1:00-4:00 p.m. and students at all experience levels are welcome.

The primary focus of the workshop will be Butch’s two recent mandolin books from Homespun. Flinner will play examples from the accompanying CDs, and work with participants to learn and understand what Butch is doing.

All proceeds from tuition and book/CD sales will be donated to the Butch Baldassari Medical Fund.

Mandolin Hymns contains 15 popular hymns and sacred songs including I Am A Pilgrim, Amazing Grace, Simple Gifts and What A Friend We Have In Jesus.

The book offers 37 pages of mandolin transcriptions and the accompany CD has the songs performed in instrumental arrangements in a string band style with Butch on mandolin. Other players include Aubrey Haynie and Andrea Zonn on fiddle, Robert Bowlin on guitar, Stuart Duncan on banjo, and Dennis Crouch and Mike Bub on bass.

The Appalachian Mandolin book includes the CD Appalachian Mandolin & Dulcimer, which featured duets between Butch and the late dulcimer legend David Schnaufer, along with mandolin transcriptions for the 14 traditional tunes they recorded.

Fans of Appalachian fiddle music will recognize the tunes, with favorites like June Apple, Sandy River Belle, Black Mountain Rag, Flop Eared Mule, Cold Frosty Morn and 9 others included.

Our regular readers will recall that Butch has been battling a pernicious brain tumor this past year. A great many of his friends and students in the mandolin world have been very generous in their support, and picking up these two new Homespun book/CD sets would be a fine way to champion Butch and all he has contributed to our music, while you pick up some fine music and mandolin arrangements at the same time.

We are delighted to pass along that Butch is currently in a clinical trial at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and is in good spirits according to his wife, Sinclair.

The Vespa Love Festival sessions was recorded in 1997 with Butch on mandolin, Jim Hoke on soprano sax, Byron House and Andy Spicher on bass, Frosty Horton, Gene Ford and John Mock on guitars, Andy Peake on drums, David Hofner on keys, Jim Hoke on recorder and Dale Armstrong on percussion.

The all-instrumental CD includes a couple of rock covers, some pop tunes and five new compositions from Frosty Horton.

Butch said that the odd and interesting title arose during session chatter, and led to the lovely retro-style cover art.

There are audio samples for two of the tracks on the Sound Art Recordings web site.

In other Butch Baldassari news… The most recent health update regarding his ongoing battle with cancer reports some very encouraging news from his last MRI.

“The results were good. The central core of the tumour was approx 19 x 17 cm in November and now measured approx 15 x 13 cm. We were told that there is also a lot less swelling in the surrounding tissues, harder to measure but less swollen. Butch’s eyes lit up like a child’s. He gave it the old two thumbs up, like Caesar letting both gladiators live or like Siskel and Ebert giving a movie good acclaim! We walked out 10 feet above the ground, our heads in the clouds, elated. It was close to freezing outside but I didn’t even feel it until a strong gust reminded me. It didn’t matter.”

Read the entire update online.

Perhaps a Christmas donation to Butch’s Medical Fund, would be a nice gesture this time of year?

I always look forward to the Christmas holiday season. I’m especially fond of Lionel Trains and Christmas decorations, indoors and out.

I also can’t wait to put up the tree and decorate it with my wife and son.

Our house is always the first and the last to have up lights.

All proceeds from the sale will go to Butch’s Medical Fund.

This is a “Fern” style mandolin, described on Gruhn’s site as follows:

This instrument (sn 70920020) was signed Sept. 20, 2007 by Dave Harvey. It features tone bar bracing, gold-plated hardware, hand-stained finish, rectangular hard case and full warranty. MSLP is $8443.

Bids are submitted by email, and will be accepted through Monday, December 3, at 2:00 p.m. (EST). Bidding details, and some additional photos, can be seen on the Gruhn Guitars web site.

Several other newly donated instruments will be offered for sale in a similar manner over the net few months, including a Collings MT, a Weber F-style and a Trinity College Celtic mandola.

With regard to Butch’s health, Mandolin Cafe has posted a very encouraging report from just before Thanksgiving.

It has been a very upbeat couple of weeks at the Baldassari household and once again, I am in the “pinching myself mode.” Butch awakened last Wednesday, sat up in bed and said, “My legs are back!” It was fantastic! He walked around fast and straight and didn’t miss a beat. That night he joined us at church supper where Blake and I go every (other) Wednesday alone. Many of our church family took note of, not only his presence but, the fact that Butch was doing laps, almost in sing-song rhythm, around Fellowship Hall!

Read the whole report at Mandolin Cafe.

Regular readers of The Bluegrass Blog will recall that Butch was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor earlier this year, and has been undergoing rigorous and aggressive chemo and radiation therapy to arrest the growth of the tumor. His contributions to the mandolin, bluegrass and music industry communities are well-documented, as a performer, composer, band leader and record label owner.

The show will feature performances from John Reischman, John Miller, Orville Johnson, John Miller, Grant Dermody, Trisha Gagnon and Nick Hornbuckle. All proceeds from the $25 tickets will support the Baldassari Medical Fund.

If you are unable to attend the show, but would like to make a contribution to Butch’s Medical Fund, you can do so online. Mandolin Cafe has set up a PayPal account where online credit card or PayPal contributions are sent directly to Butch.

If you would prefer to send a donation by mail – or simply pass along notes of encouragement – the address is:

Butch Baldassari
125 43rd Ave. N.
Nashville, TN 37209

The all-star lineup of performers who are donating their time for this show come from a wide range of musical styles, and include Dierks Bentley, Shawn Camp, Kathy Chiavola, John Cowan, Bela Fleck, The Grascals, Tony McManus, the Nashville Bluegrass Band, the Nashville Mandolin Ensemble, Maura O’Connell with John Mock, Mark O’Connor, Ricky Skaggs and Three Ring Circle.

Both general admission ($50) and patron tickets ($125) can be purchased online.

Butch toured as a member of bluegrass bands Weary Hearts and Lonesome Standard Time, and later founded the Nashville Mandolin Ensemble, to perform music written for a mandolin orchestra. He has also founded and run the Sound Art Recordings label, and has taught at Vanderbilt’s Blair School of Music since 1996.

If you are unable to attend the show, but would like to make a contribution to Butch’s Medical Fund, you can do so online. Mandolin Cafe has set up a PayPal account where online credit card or PayPal contributions are sent directly to Butch.

If you would prefer to send a donation by mail – or simply pass along notes of encouragement – the address is:

Butch Baldassari
125 43rd Ave. N.
Nashville, TN 37209

Following is the most recent update from Sinclair Baldassari (Butch’s wife) about his condition:

Dear Friends and Family,

Our doctor’s visit this week was pretty good. Butch’s blood tests show some improvement in some areas of concern. We still are working hard to gain him some weight, energy and strength. With his mother, Pat, and me waiting on him hand and foot, and with Butch eating all day long, you’d think he’d be fighting off obesity. Instead, he has lost a pound in the last two weeks. We all feel he is about to turn a corner, though. A neighbor loaned us a stationery bike of sorts. It’s set up horizontally more like a rowing machine so the fear of Butch losing his balance isn’t there. Butch has used it 15 minutes a day since getting it. Since he is not quite strong enough to start chemo, we are scheduled to have another MRI in three weeks from there, we will plan a course of action.

In 10 days, the concert of the century will take place at the Blair School of Music to benefit our family and help us with the pile of bills I constantly fight. We have been overwhelmed by the musicians clamoring to play, the fans asking where to buy tickets (mandolincafe.com or Gruhn Guitars) and the friends offering to help in any way they can. It has, in many ways, taken our attention off of the real issue and has reminded us, once again of the love and music surrounding us. Two very important things have re-entered our lives, music and laughter. About three days ago, Butch wanted to hear some music which was, well, music to my ears. I have been trying to get him to listen to some or to want to pick up an instrument. For whatever reason, my pleas went unanswered. Now, it seems, is the right time. As Butch used to list on his website what he was currently listening to, I feel I should do the same. (Remember, Butch and the guys at Bean Central started it before Starbucks was ever around!) So, he is listening to “Water Crystal Healing Music” and “Cantabile” which he did with John Mock years ago. Last night we watched a great video by Beppe Gambetta “Live in Genova”. It featured some fantastic guitar pickin’ including our very own Celtic favorite , Tony McManus, who will be performing at the Blair benefit.

All that to say, with music and laughter back in the house, things are looking up. With the loving, healing hands of the women at The Estuary in HIllsboro Village, the brilliance and patience (yes, they do know a little more than we do) of the doctors at Vanderbilt, the loyalty of the supporting musicians at Blair and the world, the steadfastness and altruism of the benefit planners Matt Combs & Company (hmmm, what have I started?), the planet-wide connection via Mandolincafe.com and our friend , Scott Tichenor, the spiritual, home-grown, love kinda support of Blakemore United Methodist Church and with family and friends like you as well as ones we’ve never met, our journey is not lonely and we all feel so surrounded by you. With overpouring hearts, until we meet next time, we send our love back to you,

Sinclair, Butch and Blake