Rest in peace, John McGann

[mrmando]

Absolutely shocking. John was gracious and open and would talk to anybody who approached him. Even me. I thought of him last weekend when I heard Rust Farm on the radio. I was not prepared to imagine the mandolin world without John. I certainly didn't know him apart from a couple of email exchanges, but I'll miss him tremendously.

[Jim Garber]

So very sad... I didn't know him personally but he was a wise and solid influence throughout these forums. Condolences to his family.

[Sheryl McDonald]

What terrible, sad news! And what a loss for the music community. I only knew him here through the cafe, but I've got many of his youtube videos bookmarked... and was even inspired to transcribe one. RIP, John.

[Lee Callicutt]

Maestro . . .

[Lawrence Smart]

shocking to say the least. My dealings with John were more than positive and I'll always remember my first conversation with him when he called saying he had dreamed of the fan fret 10 string mando and he ended up with the 2nd one I made. What an inspired musician and teacher. He's made a huge impact and has really created a sensation with the Berklee Acoustic Roots program. Blessings to his family and loved ones.

[Patrick Sylvest]

So, so sad.

[Rosemary Philips]

I never met him but I feel like he was a teacher to me--I learned so much from his posts here. He just seemed like a wonderful man. I am honestly tearful about this. My thoughts go out to his friends and family.

[Bill Baldridge]

We have lost a generous teacher. R.I.P., John.

[Bill Clements]

I'm still relatively new to the mandolin, and just recently purchased Professor McGann's DVD, "Sound Fundementals" for Mandolin. I found this DVD very helpful, his expertise and clear presentation of technique impressive, and can only imagine what a wonderful teacher he must have been to his students.
My condolences to his family and friends.

[danbui]

I've had the privilege to have studied w/ John for the last 2 years at Berklee. We all knew that John was going through health issues for the last couple of weeks, but no one could have imagined this terrible news today.

John was one of the most amazing and knowledgable musicians I have ever known. My private lessons with him were some of the deepest musical revelations I've had at a school where everyone is thinking about music all the time. He would amaze me by showing me a concept that he had transcribed from Cannonball Adderley, Wes Montgomery, Eric Dolphy, or Bill Evans that he had transcribed years ago, always from memory! His knowledge of Django was vast, as was his knowledge of traditional Irish music, and bluegrass. We even had discussions about Stravinsky, Debussy, Ravel, and Anton Webern (who he especially liked!)

But more than anything John was an absolutely beautiful and caring human being, a teacher in every sense of the word. He always had a smile on his face, would stop and talk to you if he saw you on the street, and was always quick with a joke. I know I'm not the only student who realizes that the void left by John's passing at Berklee can never be filled.

Goodbye John. We'll miss you.

[mandocrucian]

[Charles Johnson]

Rest in Peace, John. The mandolin community has lost another great one. My condolences and prayers for peace and strength go out for his family and friends.

[Joe Mendel]

I am at a loss for what to say. I never knew John except here, we shared a little banter once in a while, and through his videos. What a loss for his family, and to all of us here as well. It shows that we really do touch each other's lives, even through the internet.

My condolences, May John Rest In Peace.

[JeffD]

Its just horrible.

[Dave Weiss]

Precious few will leave an impact when they are gone. Professor McGann is one of those few that will live with us long after his natural life is gone. Through his works, he'll keep teaching us. I did not know him personally, but feel like I've lost a close friend.

[pglasse]

Oh this is sad news! I just made it home from a gig and logged on ... to see this....

I never met John in person. We have a ton of mutual friends. We'd corresponded a bit through the years. We'd certainly weighed in on a bunch of the same Mandolin Cafe Forum threads -- though John was always better about posting more -- offering advice. I have a lot of respect for John as a knowledgable, thoughtful musician and educator.

The truth about his forum postings and musical advice is that I ALWAYS agreed with John. Not some of the time. ALWAYS. Just this week I told a student that if he ever saw a Cafe thread I hadn't weighed in on just check out whatever John McGann posts; it would be what I wish I had said.

He'd left me an open invitation to drop by Berklee at some point, to talk and pick and share notes. I was looking forward to doing that with him and am quite saddened that know I missed my chance to get to know him better.

My heart goes out to his family and loved ones.

[Avi Ziv]

Terrible news. I respected him a lot and was hoping to meet him in person and take some lessons too, but this will have to wait... Very sad indeed!

Rest in peace, John

[Ed Rosney]

I found this quote from John on his Berklee College of Music faculty profile:

"I truly enjoy exposing students to great music they haven't yet discovered. Opening new doors for people is one of the joys of teaching."

On a sad day such as today, it's comforting to remember how many people John touched in a positive, enduring way.

[Dan Margolis]

My condolences to his family and friends.

[Mike Scott]

There is nothing I can add that hasn't been said. He was helpful to me in answering several questions I have asked through the years. That is a rare trait in this world. I am sure he will be as helpful in the new world he has entered, although he will be sorely missed in this one. My thoughts are with his family.

[delsbrother]

So sorry to hear this.

Thank you, John.

[Bernie Daniel]

Profound sadness when such a bright light, still with a young family, goes out so long before his time. We had another great acoustic musican pass within the last week but he had lived a long life so it was "understandable". That is not at all the case here. All the best to his family and close friends.

[Pete Braccio]

Very, very sad news. My condolences to his family.

Pete

[journeybear]

Anyone interested in learning more about John McGann need look no further than this excellent in-depth interview conducted by Ted Eschliman last year. It's going to take me a while to get through it all, but skimming through it I was a bit surprised to see how few instruments he had, and how new they are. His oldest mandolin is fifteen years old. And no Gibsons or such - all small volume builders. Perhaps because they were custom built to his exacting specifications? Nice to see we agreed about pick thickness.

[Ivan Kelsall]

I was both shocked & immensly saddened to read this news today,
R.I.P. John McGann