About Gratitude

Gratitude is the extraordinary new recording from world-master guitarist and composer Steve Mullins with his ensemble Rim of the Well. A bold, deeply personal statement, the album blends flamenco traditions with Balkan colors, African rhythms, and classical textures to create music that is both timeless and urgently of the moment. Highlights include the searing Insurrection Tangos, written on January 6, 2021 as history unfolded on live television; the luminous title track Gratitude, a guajiras that radiates hope; Ruben and the Rain, a poignant remembrance of a friend during Colorado’s storm-filled spring; and Claudia’s Wings, a soaring tribute to Mullins’ mother and the gift of music she passed on. Traditional works are reimagined with daring originality—Barrios’ Las Abejas and the Mexican classic La Llarona take on new life through flamenco fire—while intimate pieces like Lullaby for Quinn Rose and the restless Suenos de Vuelo reveal the breadth of Mullins’ imagination.

Recorded in Octave Records’ world-class DSD studios by Paul McGowan, with Terri McGowan and Jessica Carson assisting, Gratitude captures the full richness of Mullins’ artistry across a collection of fine Spanish guitars, each selected for its voice. The result is an album of breathtaking sound, emotional power, and global reach—an audiophile-grade experience that belongs in every serious collection.

About Steve Mullins

Steve Mullins is a guitarist, composer, and ethnomusicologist of rare depth and versatility. A scholar-performer, he holds degrees in American Folk Music, Musicology, and a doctorate in Ethnomusicology from the University of Colorado, where his dissertation, Flamenco Gestures: Musical Meaning in Motion, cemented his reputation as both a cultural historian and a master practitioner. He has taught World Music at CU and the University of Wyoming, and has been featured in a cover story in World Rhythm Magazine.

Mullins has shared the stage with some of flamenco’s most respected artists—including Chuscales, Rene Heredia, Jeanette Trujillo, and Pablo Rodarte—while his compositions have appeared in television, film, radio, and multi-media productions. He has performed with ensembles ranging from the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra and Boulder Philharmonic to Fiesta Colorado, Flamenco Denver, and the Barbelfish Balkan Band. International tours have taken him across Europe, Mexico, and Spain, while his recordings—solo projects, collaborations with The New Mandolin Quartet, Ojaleo, Laughing Hands, and Rim of the Well—showcase a lifetime devoted to musical exploration. A columnist for Mandolin Magazine throughout its 16-year run, Mullins has published over 55 articles and authored the first banjola instruction book.

With Gratitude, Mullins brings together a lifetime of scholarship, performance, and passion, offering a masterwork that celebrates memory, resilience, and the transcendent power of music.