Butch Baldassari, a beloved mandolinist in the bluegrass community, has died, according to Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., where he was an instructor.

According to the school, Baldassari died Jan 10 at a Nashville hospice. He was 56.

Baldassari was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor nearly two years ago, according to the Vanderbilt Web site. In 2007, some of his friends including musicians Ricky Skaggs, Bela Fleck, Mark O’Connor and Dierks Bentley, participated in a benefit concert at the university to help defray his medical expenses….

Canadian fiddler April Verch’s new release, Steal The Blue, is chalk full of bluegrass artists.

Her seventh CD, Steal The Blue, is the first to feature her touring band and includes several familiar names, including Tim Stafford, Steve Gulley, Craig Market, Larry Cordle, Ron Block, Melonie Cannon, and Patty Mitchell among the songwriters and harmony vocalists.

Second Season, Kristin Scott Benson’s second solo album, will be released today, January 13, on the Pinecastle Records label.

It’s milestone No. 3 in just a few short months. In October, she was named the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Banjo Player of the Year for 2008. A month later, she became a member of two-time IBMA Entertainers of the Year, The Grascals.