Playing Time – 1:04:44 (CD)-- To call their duo album “New Words” is very indicative of the creative cross-cultural musical conversations that Mike Marshall and Hamilton de Holanda engage in during this generous hour-long set. There are some pieces that start with whispering sentiments (“Valsa em Si”), while others convey much more heated and fiery exchanges (“Desvairada”). With a healthy portion of five original pieces (Egypt, Ham & Mike, New Words, Pra Sempre, Valsa em Si), this album also illustrates the exceptional songwriting abilities of the pair.

Mike Marshall’s innovative playing has been well-documented in the past with such bands or artists as Psychograss, Chris Thile, Edgar Meyer, Darol Anger, Jovino Santos Neto and Choro Famoso. At the 2004 Lunel, France Mandolin Festival, another artist-in-residence was 30-year-old Brazilian music master Hamilton de Holanda. The collaborative communication of Mike’s “new words’ with Ham’s “novas palavras” illustrate a fluency that results in smoothly flowing, expressive music. Why, there’s even some verbal scat to close “Sao Jorge.”      

Mike adeptly plays mandolin on all but three tracks where he picks mandocello or tenor guitar to convey different moods. Hamilton plays the 10-string bandolim except on three tracks where he picks Irish bouzouki. Without any low end or percussion in the mix, it’s hard to say how radio-friendly the dialogue is, and that may discourage some DJs from spinning such a disc. However, in such an artist collaboration, the sparsity of sound actually provides much of its spark. It allows us to focus on the masters bantering and hear all the new words clearly. Take “Ham & Mike,” for example, with the two voices having a rather sparkling discussion. It was perfect motivational background music for a busy day at work. At times, there are so many words (notes) being exchanged, that the conversations become a tad difficult to comprehend. The sheer extent of this body of music, that also includes a 3-track DVD recorded at the 2005 Savannah Music Festival, is somewhat mind-boggling. Being a good listener will allow you to appreciate how a standard fiddle tune like “Blackberry Blossom” can segue into Ernesto Nazareth’s classic choro “Apanhei-te Cavaquinho.” It’s a small world now, and taking a trip from Appalachia to Brazil is not that hard to fathom. But then throw in stops along the way in Mike Marshall’s “Egypt,” Bela Fleck’s “Big Country,” or on the beautiful Azorean island of “Sao Jorge,” and you’ll appreciate both the worldy and wordy aspects of this album’s healthy musical and innovative discourse. (Joe Ross, Roseburg, OR.)
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