Thursday October 25, 2001

Some say originality is a rare commodity in American entertainment today. Movie studios and TV networks try to come up with fresh ideas, and the music industry seeks talented people who do not sound like their predecessors.

Maybe that is why mandolin player Jamie Masefield, of the touring band The Jazz Mandolin Project, is so bent on sounding different.

"Our goal is to make sure we are playing things as interesting as possible," Masefield said. "I want to move away from formula music and do something unique."

The uniqueness comes from a departure from typical jazz elements. For instance, Masefield said the band's influences range from rock to classical to Irish jig. Jazz, however, remains the band's main influence, and is the reason why they are labeled a jazz band.

However, Masefield is quick to point out that labels don't mean much when applied to the band's ultimate goals.

"We don't draw any lines," Masefield said. "Our mission is not to be concerned with how we are categorized. You have to have some structure set up, but there are a lot of different directions we can get into."

For instance, most current jazz bands do not incorporate a mandolin into their performance, let alone let it lead the entire band.

"I have a fairly unique approach," Masefield said.

At age 11, Masefield started playing the tenor banjo. Since the tenor banjo and mandolin are so similar, he decided to try his hand at the unusual instrument. Masefield then started to play early styles of jazz on the mandolin in the late '80s while attending school at the University of Vermont, where another set of musicians was just getting their start.

That set of musicians is now Phish, whose drummer Jon Fishman is touring with JMP. This is Fishman's first major tour since Phish began a hiatus in September, 2000.

"Jon and I have been friends since college," Masefield said.

Fans of Phish can now check out Fishman's drumming style a little more closely than from the back of sold-out airfields.

"People are really excited to see Jon in an intimate setting," Masefield said.

However, Masefield warns that hardcore Phishheads waiting for JMP to break out into "Wilson" may be a bit disappointed.

"We are different than Phish," Masefield said.

Some fans of traditional jazz might also be disappointed, because JMP's sound might be closer to Moe than John Coltrane.

"Some jazz connoisseurs may enjoy the music; some might not," Masefield said. "Some might say, 'That's not jazz.' One of the underlying elements is a lot of improvising that's closer to jazz than anything else."

The current JMP lineup is made up of Masefield on mandolin, Dante Boller on bass, and Fishman on drums. The band has seen many changes over the years, with a new drummer and bassist for almost every album. Fishman is featured on the Tour de Flux album. Overall, the band has released three albums so far, the self-titled Jazz Mandolin Project in 1996, Tour de Flux in 1998 and Xenoblast in 2000.

Chris Friday, the band's tour manager, said that so far the tour is a complete success.

"The tour is going unbelievable," Friday said. "Everyone is having a great time and morale is really high."

Masefield added that anyone who might have never seen the band perform or even heard the band is in for a special experience.

"If they have never seen the band, it will be nothing they would have ever expected," Masefield said. "People come to me and say that they never imagined it would sound that way."

The Jazz Mandolin project plays an all-ages show at the Rialto Theatre tonight at 8. Doors open at 7. Tickets are $12 in advance and $14 at the door. For more information, check out the band's Web site at www.jazzmandolinproject.com.