LIVE: Frank Wakefield Band @ Caffe Lena, 4/8/17

Photographs by Andrzej Pilarczyk

Master mandolin innovator Frank Wakefield is one of a kind. He played with such bluegrass greats as Red Allen, Jimmy Martin and Ralph Stanley. But he also played Carnegie Hall and fired up his mandolin with the Boston Pops and the New York Philharmonic. And he also played with such diverse musicians as Jerry Garcia, Taj Nahal and Emmylou Harris.

At the age of 82, he’s still at it. And his recent sold-out show at Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs, Wakefield and his band – Deane Lewis on banjo and Pat Mullally on guitar – fired up two generous sets that stretched out for more than two hours.