What do you call four old guys, playing old music on old instruments?
In Nashville they’re called The Vintage Mandolin Quartet and, as the name suggests, they perform on rare and valuable mandolin family instruments from the early parts of the 20th century. Specifically, they are Rob Haines on mandolin, John Hedgecoth on mandocello, William “Tiger” Fitzhugh on guitar, and Ron de la Vega on mandobass.
Just this week they have released a clever music video of their performance of Gounod’s Funeral March for a Marionette, with a touch of ’60s television thrown in for good measure. Gounod’s was a 19th century French composer, whose work here was repopularized as the theme music for Alfred Hitchcock Presents which ran in the 1950s.
Not bluegrass by any stretch, but great fun for anyone who appreciates the tonalities of the old, carved top instruments of the period.
The Vintage Mandolin Quartet’s arrangement is available for download purchase from CD Baby.
