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Guitarist Woody Mann Makes Musical Traditions His Own

Rod Franklin
Woody Mann

Internationally acclaimed guitarist Woody Mann doesn’t fit into neatly defined categories. He plays everything from ragtime to folk, from classical to blues, from jazz to world – and he writes his own tunes that draw on all of those influences and more. That wide ranging curiosity, coupled with stellar technique and a deep pleasure in making music, makes listening to Mann a joy.

Mann was in Milwaukee last week at the invitation of the UW-Milwaukee fingerstyle guitar program, where he taught some classes and gave a concert. But he, and his custom-built Martin guitar, managed to fit in a visit to the Lake Effect studio to speak with us and play a few tunes:

delia.mp3
Woody Mann's version of the classic folk song, "Delia."
death_dont_have_no_mercy.mp3
"Death Don't Have No Mercy"
lisboa.mp3
Woody Mann performing his own tune, "Lisboa."

When Woody Mann is not on the road performing, he teaches at theBerklee College of Music in Boston.

Bonnie North
Bonnie joined WUWM in March 2006 as the Arts Producer of the locally produced weekday magazine program Lake Effect.