Banjo doesn’t get much attention at the Practice Room, but it’s not
for lack of respect. Tony Trischka has been exploring the outer regions of the
harmonic world via banjo since the 1960s, and has become one of the instrument’s
most respected players. Here’s a blurb from his bio:
“In a career
that has now encompassed three and a half decades, Tony Trischka has created an
endless array of new possibilities for that most American of instruments, the
five-string banjo. Trischka's creative urgency, instinctive curiosity, and
willingness to press beyond traditional boundaries are balanced by a thorough
commitment to the instrument and its history. One evening might find him
unleashing spiraling lydian melodies at the front of a full-throttle jazz
fusion outfit, while the next night he may be in a folk club, performing
traditional African melodies on one of the banjo's gourd-bellied forefathers.
While he has mastered nearly every element of the instrument's stylistic
history - from old-time modal clawhammer to the most intricate melodic modern
styles - it was folk music initially, and bluegrass music in particular, that
first drew him to the banjo.”
Trischka has a new CD out on Rounder Records called Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular. The
formula adds another banjo to the standard bluegrass lineup; guest banjologists
include Earl Scruggs, Bela Fleck, Steve Martin, Scott Vestal, Alison Brown and more; other players
(monsters all) include Jerry Douglas (dobro), Chris Thile (mandolin), Tony Rice
(guitar) and Sam Bush (mandolin). Tracks are available for your consideration
at the Rounder Records web site.
[TJH]
Thanks for the info. Best greetings to all!
Posted by: Sydney Johntson | May 16, 2007 at 03:51 PM