Mandolinist Butch Baldassari died on January 10th in Nashville, at the age of 56. A Pennsylvania native, Baldassari’s varied career took him from a college-years job as a croupier in Las Vegas to a position on the faculty of Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music. Best known as a virtuosic mandolin player, Baldassari’s style was rooted in his love of bluegrass music, but explored many other musical forms, from baroque music to jazz.
