Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12
Results 26 to 49 of 49

Thread: Chris Thile in London Interview

  1. #26
    Site founder Scott Tichenor's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    Lawrence, KS
    Posts
    5,220
    Blog Entries
    103

    Default Re: Chris Thile in London Interview

    Here's a not-so-great scan of another image of the orchestra that was apparently part of one of the early Gibson catalogs. From it I don't think we learn anything. Most interesting part of this is that there is someone in the Loar community that thinks their instrument also came out of this orchestra which would then account for all three Loars in the other photo that was a part of this interview. This is supported by someone well known to the community that has similar information separate from this interview. Over the weekend I had conversations with the granddaughter of the Semisch Loar owner and after showing the photo to her elderly mother I'm afraid we didn't get a firm identification, but are now following a couple of other names of people in the photo, a married couple. All interesting. No telling where this ends but I'm having fun with it. Also beginning to pick up the possibility there was an orchestra in Augusta, Kansas, which is maybe 15 miles from there. This being an area that had (and still has) a fairly major oil industry it's not surprising that some of the best instruments Gibson had available at the time might have ended up here. And then there's Wichita just down the road. No telling what the mandolin/guitar orchestra scene there may have held.

    If only we could find the original sales logs of the instruments from this period, but it's doubtful they still exist.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Click image for larger version. 

Name:	FischersGibsonOrch3.jpg 
Views:	439 
Size:	121.5 KB 
ID:	84640  

  2. #27
    Gilchrist (pick) Owner! jasona's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    Calgary
    Posts
    2,933
    Blog Entries
    38

    Default Re: Chris Thile in London Interview

    Great interview for sure--thanks for asking the questions we mandoholics would appreciate!

    Also I am fascinated by this historical turn of events and am looking forward to leaning more as Scott digs it up!
    Jason Anderson

    "...while a great mandolin is a wonderful treat, I would venture to say that there is always more each of us can do with the tools we have available at hand. The biggest limiting factors belong to us not the instruments." Paul Glasse

    Stumbling Towards Competence

  3. #28
    Searching for the Sound
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Milwaukee, WI
    Posts
    323

    Default Re: Chris Thile in London Interview

    Quote Originally Posted by BradKlein View Post
    Yes, nice job Dan and Scott.

    Having listened to an advance copy of the CD, I can confirm that the production does indeed mark a very big change for the P-Bros. As Chris points out, the first recordings were about capturing the well-honed acoustic sound of the band. The new disc is unlike anything I've heard before, and very unlike the experience of hearing the band live in recent years. It took me a few listenings just to adjust my expectations, but I'm diggin' it now.
    I got the vinyl at the first show of this tour in Milwaukee ... stunning production values.....

  4. #29
    Site founder Scott Tichenor's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    Lawrence, KS
    Posts
    5,220
    Blog Entries
    103

    Default Re: Chris Thile in London Interview

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	virgil_bisango.jpg 
Views:	25608 
Size:	115.0 KB 
ID:	98784

    His name is Virgil Bisagno.

    He's pictured above in this news article holding the mandolin now owned by Chris Thile. The photo on the left is the original photo Chris provided for this interview. The photo on the right is from the 1925 El Dorado yearbook. I have several pictures of him from 1925 and one from 1924. I first noticed him in the 1924 yearbook and was pretty convinced I'd found him but once I saw the Senior pictures, no doubt.

    I'm in El Dorado, Kansas at a coffee shop after spending a good part of the afternoon at the Butler County Historical Society researching Fisher's Gibson Mandolin Orchestra of El Dorado. I have a gig here tonight at a small concert hall so took the opportunity to come down early to do this research. Special thanks to the two ladies at the museum who spent a couple of hours assisting me. Pretty exciting to put a name to a face that'd been haunting me for some time. I probably won't post more pix today as the coffee shop is about to close. El Dorado isn't New York City or L.A. 5:00 p.m. in this town is closing time.

    A bit about Virgil: president of the Library Club his senior year, Treasure of the French Club his junior year. Apparently did not partake in any sports or other clubs at school. He married Zelda Emma Crommet, November 5, 1927, also a senior the same year. She appears to be in the Library club as well his senior year. Interestingly, in scanning the orchestra picture, there's one young girl that looks strikingly like her and she's seated directly in front of him. More on her but not now. He was born November 27, 1907 and died March 6, 2006 in Siskiyou, California (Siskiyou is a county I've now been told).

    Found advertisements for Howard Fisher in some phone books, various addresses for his studio and home, none of which exist now. The address for his Gibson studio is now a vacant lot, not surprisingly.

    More on this later. Dug up a bunch of other information about Virgil, his wife and the Fisher orchestra but don't have time to share it right this moment. Too much to process.
    Last edited by Scott Tichenor; Feb-23-2013 at 7:01pm.

  5. The Following 12 Users Say Thank You to Scott Tichenor For This Useful Post:

    + Show/Hide list of the thanked


  6. #30
    Site founder Scott Tichenor's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    Lawrence, KS
    Posts
    5,220
    Blog Entries
    103

    Default Re: Chris Thile in London Interview

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	fisherstudio.jpg 
Views:	22132 
Size:	139.2 KB 
ID:	98788

    This is an advertisement for Fisher's studio from a town directory. Found two different home addresses for him and the studio address but those locations had all been demolished and replaced by pretty modern newer structures clearly not from the same time period for the residences. The studio was an empty lot. Was hoping of course to find the home the orchestra picture was taken in front of but assumed it to be long gone and it was.

    Like the "Threaded Instruments" reference. Interesting.

  7. The following members say thank you to Scott Tichenor for this post:

    hank 

  8. #31
    Site founder Scott Tichenor's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    Lawrence, KS
    Posts
    5,220
    Blog Entries
    103

    Default Re: Chris Thile in London Interview

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	virgil.jpg 
Views:	22332 
Size:	299.4 KB 
ID:	98789

    Another picture of Virgil as President of the Library Club. He's in the center with light sweater and tie. Believe the girl top right in the back row may be his future wife. There's a better photo I have of her from the yearbook and as already stated I believe she may be in the orchestra seated in front of her. Inconclusive though, speculation.

    Also found reference today to the Semisch family, owners of the Loar recently discovered near where I live and in the possession of Mass Street Music in Lawrence, KS for awhile before being sold. Something on my to-do list to pursue further at a later time.

    The museum is in the process of getting a new microfilm reader so won't be available for another two weeks so that's a future project and where I think I'll ultimately find the original photo and hopefully the names of all members of the orchestra which is my ultimate goal.

  9. The following members say thank you to Scott Tichenor for this post:


  10. #32
    NY Naturalist BradKlein's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Lehigh Valley - Pennsylvania
    Posts
    2,276

    Default Re: Chris Thile in London Interview

    What a great project, Scott! I can almost feel the unique eye-strain of a day at the microfilm reader!
    BradKlein
    Morning Edition Host, WLVR News
    Senior Producer, Twangbox®
    Twangbox® Videos

  11. #33
    Site founder Scott Tichenor's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    Lawrence, KS
    Posts
    5,220
    Blog Entries
    103

    Default Re: Chris Thile in London Interview

    Quote Originally Posted by BradKlein View Post
    What a great project, Scott! I can almost feel the unique eye-strain of a day at the microfilm reader!
    Brad, didn't spend a single moment looking over microfilm. The museum doesn't have a reader at the moment but has new ones arriving in two weeks. Got lucky on my own finding him in the yearbook. All of the dots connected on this one. I'll head back down in a few weeks once the new tools are in place. I'd bet good money right now that photo of the orchestra appeared in the paper and I'm hoping the names of the members were included. Still have quite a bit of information but may hold onto it for awhile.

  12. #34
    Gilchrist (pick) Owner! jasona's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    Calgary
    Posts
    2,933
    Blog Entries
    38

    Default Re: Chris Thile in London Interview

    Well done Scott!
    Jason Anderson

    "...while a great mandolin is a wonderful treat, I would venture to say that there is always more each of us can do with the tools we have available at hand. The biggest limiting factors belong to us not the instruments." Paul Glasse

    Stumbling Towards Competence

  13. #35
    Registered User William Smith's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Sugar Grove,PA
    Posts
    3,371
    Blog Entries
    1

    Default Re: Chris Thile in London Interview

    Quote Originally Posted by jasona View Post
    Well done Scott!
    Man I really do love this kind of history,well done and keep it up because with a little knowledge these instruments can do even more talking.and well who don't like that!

  14. #36
    Site founder Scott Tichenor's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    Lawrence, KS
    Posts
    5,220
    Blog Entries
    103

    Default Re: Chris Thile in London Interview

    Here's the Senior photo of Zelda Crommet, Virgil's wife to be. The yearbook had small quotes about each senior, hers was:

    Zelda Crommett, the lucky girl,
    Has hair she doesn't have to curl.

    It was 1925 mind you...

    I think there's a possibility she is in the orchestra sitting just in front of Virgil but I'm far less certain of that. Also have another photo I think is her in the Library Club of which he was the president. No surprise if they married they were following each other around the school activities.

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	zelda_crommet.jpg 
Views:	22322 
Size:	318.7 KB 
ID:	98816

  15. #37
    Site founder Scott Tichenor's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    Lawrence, KS
    Posts
    5,220
    Blog Entries
    103

    Default Re: Chris Thile in London Interview

    A photo of the local town directory showing Fisher's entry which doesn't particularly tell us anything new.

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	h_d_fisher.jpg 
Views:	22110 
Size:	178.7 KB 
ID:	98817

  16. #38
    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    Westchester, NY
    Posts
    30,753

    Default Re: Chris Thile in London Interview

    Wonderful, Scott. It is very exciting to attach the people and their history to the instruments we love. I have been lucky to have that experience with a few of mine. Keep up the good work.
    Jim

    My Stream on Soundcloud
    Facebook
    19th Century Tunes
    Playing lately:
    1924 Gibson A4 - 2018 Campanella A-5 - 2007 Brentrup A4C - 1915 Frank Merwin Ashley violin - Huss & Dalton DS - 1923 Gibson A2 black snakehead - '83 Flatiron A5-2 - 1939 Gibson L-00 - 1936 Epiphone Deluxe - 1928 Gibson L-5 - ca. 1890s Fairbanks Senator Banjo - ca. 1923 Vega Style M tenor banjo - ca. 1920 Weymann Style 25 Mandolin-Banjo - National RM-1

  17. #39
    Innocent Bystander JeffD's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Upstate New York
    Posts
    24,807
    Blog Entries
    56

    Default Re: Chris Thile in London Interview

    Oh man, this stuff is great.

    I hated history in school. It was all just this stuff that happened in books. No connection to me.

    In school I used to work on my math homework during history class, or read other small books held inside the huge history book. The ARRL license manual was a regular.

    But if this kind of history were alluded to, if I played mandolin at the time and got into where it came from and who owned it, I might never have become an engineer.
    A talent for trivializin' the momentous and complicatin' the obvious.

    The entire staff
    funny....

  18. #40
    Ursus Mandolinus Fretbear's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    Copperhead Road
    Posts
    3,136

    Default Re: Chris Thile in London Interview

    There was a mando-maniac named Tichenor
    Whose website all the eight-string pickers did adore
    Thile scored a Feb. 18, not one but two, now that’s a scene
    Mandolin Café’s the place if you are into Loar!
    But Amsterdam was always good for grieving
    And London never fails to leave me blue
    And Paris never was my kinda town
    So I walked around with the Ft. Worth Blues

  19. #41
    Site founder Scott Tichenor's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    Lawrence, KS
    Posts
    5,220
    Blog Entries
    103

    Default Re: Chris Thile in London Interview

    Still one of our favorite interviews for the "surprise" that happened ultimately after the article was published and I discovered the name of Thile's original mandolin owner with new photos I got to show him that course he (and no one else) had seen since the 1920s.

  20. The following members say thank you to Scott Tichenor for this post:


  21. #42
    Innocent Bystander JeffD's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Upstate New York
    Posts
    24,807
    Blog Entries
    56

    Default Re: Chris Thile in London Interview

    So cool.
    A talent for trivializin' the momentous and complicatin' the obvious.

    The entire staff
    funny....

  22. #43
    Administrator Mandolin Cafe's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 1998
    Location
    Lawrence, KS
    Posts
    3,835
    Blog Entries
    14

    Default Re: Chris Thile in London Interview

    Noting today's anniversary of this 2012 interview with Chris that Dan Beimborn made happen. Still enjoying the memory of digging through the 1920s El Dorado, KS high school yearbook looking for the name of the original owner of his Loar and seeing pictures of this young guy that looked an awful lot like the picture that came with the mandolin when he purchased it. And then, the Senior picture that sealed the deal.

    Name:  virgil_bisango.jpg
Views: 9219
Size:  115.0 KB

  23. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Mandolin Cafe For This Useful Post:


  24. #44
    Administrator Mandolin Cafe's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 1998
    Location
    Lawrence, KS
    Posts
    3,835
    Blog Entries
    14

    Default Re: Chris Thile in London Interview

    Noting today's anniversary of this interview that ultimately led to us discovering the name of the original owner of Chris Thile's Gibson mandolin.

  25. The following members say thank you to Mandolin Cafe for this post:


  26. #45
    Administrator Mandolin Cafe's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 1998
    Location
    Lawrence, KS
    Posts
    3,835
    Blog Entries
    14

    Default Re: Chris Thile in London Interview

    Another anniversary for a very special favorite interview that ended up revealing the original owner of Chris Thile's Loar. Thanks to Dan Beimborn for his work on this one.

  27. The following members say thank you to Mandolin Cafe for this post:


  28. #46
    Administrator Mandolin Cafe's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 1998
    Location
    Lawrence, KS
    Posts
    3,835
    Blog Entries
    14

    Default Re: Chris Thile in London Interview

    Observing the anniversary of this interview. I still have all my notes on this project and plans some day to research the individuals in the El Dorado orchestra. In particular, I want to identify the leader of the orchestra who I believe is the older man in the picture. I know the small town he graduated from in Kansas and the approximate year so should be able to find his senior photo, though it will be in the 1800s.

  29. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Mandolin Cafe For This Useful Post:


  30. #47
    Administrator Mandolin Cafe's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 1998
    Location
    Lawrence, KS
    Posts
    3,835
    Blog Entries
    14

    Default Re: Chris Thile in London Interview

    Noting the anniversary of this interview ten years ago today.

  31. The following members say thank you to Mandolin Cafe for this post:


  32. #48
    Administrator Mandolin Cafe's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 1998
    Location
    Lawrence, KS
    Posts
    3,835
    Blog Entries
    14

    Default Re: Chris Thile in London Interview

    Noting the anniversary of this feature.

  33. #49
    Administrator Mandolin Cafe's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 1998
    Location
    Lawrence, KS
    Posts
    3,835
    Blog Entries
    14

    Default Re: Chris Thile in London Interview

    Noting the anniversary of this feature where we ultimately identified the original owner of Chris Thile's mandolin which was part of a mandolin orchestra based in El Dorado, KS in the 1920s.

Bookmarks

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •