The View From Here (Compass, 1998)

Mandolinist Matt Flinner came to the fore while listening to Judith Edelman's "Perfect World." The mandolin seemed to jump right off the CD. He has a combination of taste, tone and timing that have earned him accolades such as the mandolin championship at the coveted Winfield National Championships. Producer Todd Phillips describes this debut project as "contemporary-acoustic-string-jazz-folk-bluegrass." The project contains 10 cuts all written by Flinner.

His mandolin style is a cross between Sam Bush, David Grisman and Jethro Burns but uniquely his own. Two cuts are indicative of the diversity of the project. The song "DnA," a wonderful interplay between the "D" and "A" chords, is a straightforward, hard drivin' tune with its roots in a bluegrass fiddle tune.

Immediately following comes "Another Alley" which could have been inspired by the likes of Miles Davis. An all-star band of David Grier, Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, Daryl Anger and Tim O'Brien add their tremendous talents to the mix. Flinner has reinforced his position as one of the most respected young mandolin players in the business today.