How Much Land Does a Man Need?

That great question was posed by The Jazz Mandolin Project last night at Mercyhurst College.

The timely Earth Day performance combined literature, video, and live musical accompaniment. Leo Tolstoy's (author of War and Peace) short story, "How Much Land Does a Man Need?" was retold through narration, composed music, and video footage that mandolin player Jamie Masefield collected while touring the country in 2005.

The Jazz Mandolin Project (JMP) is a quartet of talented men who play music described as acoustic-electric funk, Celtic folk, and quiet balladry.

How Much Land Does a Man Need? is an 1886 short story by Leo Tolstoy about a peasant man, Pahom, who, in his lust for land, forfeits everything. The story follows his journey across the land, illustrating his greediness. Pahom tries to obtain as much land as possible, not content with what he already has.