Manifesting Magnificent Mandolin : Ethan Setiawan’s Encyclopedia Mandolinnica Soars

As I get older and this publication falls more and more onto the wayside for me (kudos to Ken for still kicking up the dust from time to time) I find myself needing something deeper from music and records I want to dedicate my time to. Even more so for what I am willing to come out of writing retirement to spend time regurgitating words about.

My wife and I have begun to listen to records on the weekends over coffee and tea. The intentionality of which is something long overstated by many others aside from me. It’s all just to say, I need more from my listening experiences nowadays. I want music to move me in certain ways and for records to take me on a journey rather than just be playing in the background.

I’ve said many things about Ethan Setiawan’s work in the past. Ranging from utilizing words like “virtuosic” to being like a “…master painter. The 8 strings of his mandolin as his brush…”. All of those things ring true on his latest effort, but there is something so intensely personal about this project that seeps deep into the listening experience and takes you for that journey that you are looking for.

There is such a sense of exploration and deep appreciation for the mandolin in this project. A culmination of years and years of long labored practice and influence by mentors and peers. The first two tracks off the record being collaborations with heroes for many of us.

“Forecast” featuring Matt Flinner, is a delicate and flowy dance between two mandolins. The interchange between melody and chording ever so intertwined, almost becoming one. Dueling mandolins at their best can be transformative and at their worst can be…well, lets not go there, but just say that it’s an easy dynamic to get wrong.. Ethan and Matt take the potential of the instruments together to soaring heights.

The depth by contrast of Setiawans’ collaboration with Joe K. Walsh on “Mount Holly” is immersive and resonant and magnetic. It pulls you down into the warmth and playfulness of the mandola and octave mandolin. Having been very accustomed to mandolin family instrumental work from both them, its exciting to see this choice for the two of them. That journey aspect of music rears its head again. Winding roads, ups and downs and corners that resolve themselves in moments of reprieve and beautiful sonic overlooks.

I would be remiss if I didn’t say it brings me back to my earliest memories of loading tapes into my walkman and dazing out behind my headphones, unfurling the insert to read liner notes and quips from artists. This is a veritable catalog of mandolin greatness. A capsule containing notes about microphones and instruments and those little chestnuts details of how songs came to be. You can check all of that out on Ethan’s website right now.

When entertainment news is bombarded by Spotify execs bankrolling genocidal war machines and AI bands taking over the airwaves, this is what we need. Music that harkens back to the heart of why we create music in the first and why we fall in love with melody and song. This record is why I love music.

Pre-order Encyclopedia Mandolinnica today from Bandcamp.