International Jazz Banjo Newsletter

Received the sad news that Ralph Martin passed away this morning. Ralph was a legend in the 4-string banjo community having started the Southern California Banjo Band, taught many kids to play banjo at his banjo camps, hosted several Banjo Spectaculars in Los Angeles and at he Hollywood Bowl that featured many of the worlds top banjoists including Eddie Peabody and a young Buddy Wachter many years ago.
One of his most well-known pupils was Howard Alden...know one of the world’s most renowned jazz guitarists.

Ralph attended many banjo events including our Banjo Jam here in Pittsburgh. His son Dick Martin and Helen Wick Martin
are well known on the banjo circuit. The Martin Family moved to Oregon a few years ago and hosted a 4th of July banjo bash at Ralph’s home in Sweet Home, OR every year attracting banjoists from around the nation and overseas.

Ralph was inducted into the National 4-String Banjo Hall of Fame in 2003 in the category of promotion. I had the opportunity to attend his induction ceremony in Guthrie.

He was a good friend and will be missed by the banjo community. Our sympathy goes out to the Martin Family.

Frank Rossi

Liebe Kollegen, eine traurige Mitteilung.

Heute am frühen Morgen ist Ruedi Horath nach langer Leidenszeit von uns
gegangen.

Gruss Günter

Banjo feest en jam in Breda tijdens Jazz festival 2009


Beste Banjo-liefhebber,

Tijdens het Breda Jazz Festival (van donderdag 21 - zondag 24 Mei 2009) is er iedere middag van 12.00 - 18.00 uur een Banjojam, ge-organiseerd door Hans de Roon die dit al vele jaren doet. Deze banjojam wordt gehouden op het terras van Chinees Eethuis Gantau Village, (Tel 076-5208929), Boschstraat 19 in Breda. Het is altijd een feest om dit bij te wonen. Iedere banjoist is welkom. Het muzikaal wordt omlijst met uitgenodigde blazers en andere jazz muzikanten.

met vriendelijke groeten

Fetze Pijlman

info@jazzbanjo.nl

www.jazzbanjo.nl

De jaarlijkse banjodag in Soest is op zondag 8 November ! Zet in je agenda !

SHEP’S BANJO BOYS DVD in concert videoed in Manchester on 26 November 2008.
1hr 53mins – programme includes some of the following:
“St. Louis Blues”, “It Had to be You”, “Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square”, “That’s a Plenty” “Those were the Days,” Georgia, “Melody in F”, “Pasadena”, “Alexander’s Ragtime Band”
E15/£12 or $20 (incl P&P) cash or sterling check - made out to O. Shepherd
Address: 7 Aldwick Avenue, Manchester M20 6JL, UK or email: HowardWShep@aol.com

We are all saddened by the untimely and unexpected loss of Dale Small, Alba MO.

One of the great banjo builders of this era, and a man that many could call hard to get along with but nevertheless he meant a lot to me and took time to yell at me about things when no one else could, or would when I got some hair-brained idea about building, and he praised me when I did something right.

I will miss him being available at 4 am in the morning, to talk banjo.

He was craftsman and had visions of "out of the box" building, and his custom banjos will always be a treasure to the banjo community.

Go in peace Dale, Im gonna miss you.

Vinnie Mondello

This years Festival will be held on 26/27/28 of June at three venues –
St James Wine Vaults, the Little Theatre in the middle of Bath, and
the American Museum, which is on the outskirts. The programme of
concerts is enlarged to 3 and there are one or two extra events.
Eventually we (myself and the American Museum) will have a week-long
festival at a number of venues.

The programme is as follows:
Friday 26th
Concert in St James Wine Vaults (an atmospheric cellar) with We Banjo
3, featuring Bath's own Leon Hunt, Enda Scahill and the two brothers,
Martin and David Howley.

Saturday 27th
At the American Museum all afternoon:
Singing Workshop with Lucy Ray, 12.30-1.30
Here’s a chance to learn some traditional music including ballads,
gospel and one or two Carter family songs. Song sheets will be
provided (you can even take them home!) and all ages and abilities are
welcome – especially those a little bashful about singing.
Stompin’ Dave, 1.30-2.30pm
Old-time country, bluegrass, blues, folk, and vintage hillbilly music
performed on guitar, five-string banjo, fiddle, piano, harmonica,
vocals & tap dancing– this guy’s got it all going on. The Cornish
Bluegrass Association calls him, "A musical genius".
Applejacks Appalachian Dancers, 2.30-3.30
See this fantastic dance group in action, accompanied by their own
band. The dancers will also teach you a few steps so you can give it a
whirl!
Roots and Evolution of American Music with Rachel Harrington and Zak
Borden, 3.30-4.30
Enjoy an interactive, musical discussion including a variety of songs
and tunes from different regions and periods. Rachel is an
accomplished performer (often compared to Emmylou Harris) and Zak
holds a degree in ethnomusicology. This is sure to be a treat for
anyone interested in the hows, whys, and wheres of American musical
traditions.
‘Have-A-Go’ Hootenanny, 4.30-5.30
For anyone who’s learned something in a workshop, brought along an
instrument, or just wants to share a song, here is your chance. Groups
and individuals of all ages and abilities are very welcome to
participate – just turn up on the Terrace to join in the fun!

At The Little Theatre, Central Bath
Silent film showing in the afternoon at the Little Theatre with piano
and banjo accompaniment by Keith Nichols, Brian Masters and Julian
Vincent. In the evening we have the Grand Concert which will feature
We Banjo 3, Brian Masters, Julian Vincent, and Dan Walsh.

Sunday 28th – At the American Museum:
Banjo Master Class with Enda Scahill, Leon Hunt and Dan Walsh10.00
am-12 noon
Students of both 4 and 5-stringed banjos are invited to this two hour
master class to improve their skills and learn new techniques. The £20
fee includes full museum admission, plus the afternoon concert. For
information or to register go to www.americanmuseum.org or call 01225
823014.

Dan Walsh and We Banjo 3 with Leon Hunt, 2.00 p.m.
The UK’s finest clawhammer banjoist, plus three Irish 4-string banjo
players and Bath's own 5-string banjo legend Leon Hunt combine forces
for this very special concert to round out the mini-music festival
weekend.

Here is information for the January, 2010 JazzSea Cruise. We really had a fun time this past January, and with the new Celebrity ship, being built now, I’m sure we’ll have a great time next January.
I shall conduct the “Banjos Aweigh” band, composed of amateur players from the US, Canada and Europe. You may read about our last cruise in an article I submitted last month in this Newsletter blog. I think you would enjoy this musical Caribbean cruise.

Meanwhile, I shall perform in southern Germany in the last half of May, 2009. In my last Newsletter article, I mentioned that I will have 2 concerts in Pforzheim, May 18 and 19. You may contact Rainer Daub at +49 (0) 723-135-6500 for more information and tickets.

On the evening of Saturday, May 23, I will perform on behalf of the Munich Banjo Band at the Alte Post Hotel in Holzkirchen, a suburb of Munich. The following afternoon, I will offer a banjo workshop at the same hotel.

For information on my concert or workshop, please contact the Munich Banjo Band leader, Hans Dengler at: hans.dengler@gmx.com.
For hotel information and bookings, please email the Alte Post at: info@alte-post-holzkirchen.de.

It is with regret that I must inform you of the passing of Reg Stranks, banjoist and the organisor of the popular Midland Banjo Fest. Clem Vickery informed me today.
May he rest in peace.

Dear friends. I'm delighted to say that my new CD "My banjo...and other friends" is now available. I'm shipping some to Dave Frey at www.ultimatebanjo.com and www.cdbaby.com for USA customers, European customers can buy directly from me via www.seanmoyses.com . You can buy with cheque, paypal or cash.
This is (as always) a huge financial effort so please support me by buying a copy (or two!).
Best wishes,
Sean Moyses

www.SeanMoyses.com

Have you been thinking about taking some tenor banjo lessons but have no one near you to go too? The distance or the weather makes it impossible to go somewhere?
Well now you have an opportunity to take lessons through your computer from the comfort of your home!

Steve Caddick is giving tenor banjo lessons LIVE and in person online with a web cam.

It is easy to set up to do this.
All you need to do is get a webcam, download Skype, a free video conferencing application and get a Paypal account.

E-mail me at:
banjopa1@yahoo.com
We can discuss what you want to learn.
or visit my website for more details
www.stevecaddick.com

I look forward to helping you attain your dream of playing the tenor banjo!
I use standard tenor tuning of CGDA only.
********************

thanks,
Steve
www.stevecaddick.com

We will be friends until we are old and senile, then we'll be NEW friends :)

Tim Allan’s “Banjos Aweigh” On The 2009 JazzSea Cruise

It was very smooth cruising with the 2009 JazzSea Caribbean cruise aboard Holland America’s “M.S. Statendam”, from January 3 to 10. There was lots of music to hear and to play, plus great weather in various islands - all in 7 days of fun.

These annual January cruises allow musicians to play in an organized atmosphere as well as in informal jam sessions. There were 4 popular trad. jazz bands onboard, from the U.S. and Canada, as well as a “Jammers” band, led by Dick Williams, aimed at offering playing time to mostly horn players. The Banjos Aweigh band, which I conduct, is composed of banjo players along with horns, piano, drums, and washboards, all of whom are novices. It is amazing how quickly these band members catch on and produce listenable music, starting and finishing each song very cleanly. By the way, half of these band members had my “Banjos Aweigh Song Book” along with their music stands to help them get through each hour-long performance.

The “Banjos Aweigh Song Book” contains all the songs our band played onboard. You can purchase it on my website www.timallan.com, in case you want to prepare for next year’s JazzSea cruise.

I also offered private lessons on various stringed instruments and brought along some new helpful banjo books and CDs that I had recently produced. My 2 different tenor banjo chord-diagrammed song books were popular with the tenor players, and my “Play Along-Practice Trax” book/CD combo, containing 22 banjo band songs, proved to be popular with all instruments.

If you are interested in being part of the JazzSea cruise next year, simply go online to www.jazzsea.com.

European players might be interested in knowing that I will perform again in downtown Pforzheim, Germany, on May 18 and 19, 2009. For more information on my performances, please contact Rainer Daub at (0)49-723-135-6500. I also have other concerts in southern Germany being worked on at the moment. You may contact me for more information at tim@timallan.com.

I'll be glad to tell you what I know about my uncle Eddie Collins. He
was my father's younger brother, and when my father died, I lived,
off and on, with my Uncle Eddie and his family. For that reason, I
know quite a bit about his career.

He was in Hollywood working as a studio musician in 1940 when my
father died, and his work commitments prevented his coming back to
Detroit for the funeral. As a six-year-old at the time, I recall his
absence having been discussed by my mother and grandmother with
special sadness, since the two brothers were very close. I don't know
what movie he was making then, but he did play for at least some
Busby Berkeley musicals. In fact, he stayed at Ruby Keeler's house in
Palm Springs for much of the time he spent in California. She was the
star of many of those musicals and was married to Al Jolson then. He
often told me stories of his time in California and of his close
friendship with many of the Hollywood actors of the day. Robert
Mitchum's sister was a friend of Ed's, too. He first met Robert
Mitchum when Robert was just 18 years old.

Ed was a master not only of the banjo and other stringed instruments,
but also a very proficient brass and reed player, He was a very fine
French horn player, but did not pursue a career with a symphony
orchestra. He did play with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra whenever
they needed a banjo player, however, and was officially listed as the
"Prinicpal Banjoist" with the DSO. He always apologized for the
"Principal" designation, pointing out that the title was automatic
since the DSO only had one banjo player.

I know that he did indeed perform with Eddie Peabody, but I don't
know exactly how many times or when those performances would have
been. I telephoned my Aunt Margaret, who was my dad's younger sister
(the two boys, my dad and uncle Ed, were born in 1909 and 1912, and
Margaret was born in 1924). Margaret is in a nursing home, now, and
her memory is failing. She said that she remembers her brother Ed's
leaving from the Shelby Hotel in Detroit on a band bus that would
take them for 72 one-night stands across the U.S. and that Eddie
Peabody went alongon that trip. I'm nearly a hundred percent certain
that she is mistaken about Eddie Peabody's going on that tour. I,
too, remember that road trip, and it was definitely at a time when my
uncle was with the Art Mooney Orchestra. They played gigs ranging
from the Shamrock Hotel in Texas to the Paramount Theater in New York
City and, presumably, 70 other locations in between.

Ed played the banjo on all of Art Mooney's records with the exception
of the first recording of Four Leaf Clover, a single for which Art
hired local NY musician Mike Pingatore for the banjo part. That was
the record that disc jockey Al Collins (no relation) played over and
over for 24 hours on a San Francisco radio station. It was a
(probably payola) stunt that made the record famous. My uncle then
played on the subsequent albums recorded in 1948 and the re-recording
of all of them around 1971. Ed mentioned these recordings on one of
the Arthur Godfrey radio programs he did 1971. Godfrey often had
guest stars on for a whole week at a time. I think it was a week in
March of 1971 that my uncle Ed and Theresa Brewer were the guests.

Ed played with all the big band pick-up orchestras at one time or
another, the earliest being that of Paul Whiteman. He also played
with a USO troupe, and I wrote a story about that in the May/June
2006 All Frets Magazine put out by FIGA (the Fretted Instrument Guild
of America). If you happen to run across that issue of the magazine,
the people in the final photo are misidentified. I'm the tall one.
McDonald is the short one.

I'll include a couple of old photos. The first of them shows my Uncle
Ed on the right, a banjo player I don't recognize on the left, and (I
think) Eddie Peabody in the middle playing a "banjoline" guitar. In the second
one, Ed is flanked by Leo Carillo (an actor friend from his Hollywood
days) and Michigan Governor G. Mennen Williams (Williams, by the way,
was 6 feet six inches tall. The next one shows Ed in front of a
billboard at Chicago's Chez Paris. Next are Louis and Ed backstage at
the Fox Theater in Detroit in a dressing room rehearsal. The final
one is the Art Mooney Orchestra at the Paramount theater in New York
City, with Ed featured at the left of Art Mooney in the photo.

http://www.thebanjoproject.org/

A delightful taste of banjo music....
A 9 minute trailer yet it seems to cover most everything we know or
just sense about the banjo (from an American perspective) What do you suppose the movie itself will cover when it is finished. Marc Fields has been working
on this for years, collecting footage and ideas.

Click on the movie window to start the movie.

Submitted by Joan P Dickerson PhD.

The 6th Holland Banjo Festival has been held on November 9 at the Jazzplace Artishock in Soest, the central town of the Netherlands. About 125 banjo players turned up all filled with great enthusiasm. The day was packed with jams and featured performances of top German Banjo players Peter Bayerer ( accompanied by Peter Rederer on the Piano) as well as Achim Hippenstiel and friends. His Group consisted of German players Achim Hafkesbrink, Rolf Quack and on the Tuba, (Dutch!)Joop Hendricks.
The audience was very impressed with the super fast playing of Peter Bayerer whose first visit to the Festival was very impressive. The Banjo jams with all the Banjo player was more or less lead by Hans Joerg Elter from Germany, who performed as guest last year but returned this year as visitor. His enthusiasm had a great impact with the Dutch Banjo players.
The next Festival has been scheduled for November 15, 2009. More information at www.jazzbanjo.nl or with festival organisor Fetze Pijlman at fetzepijlman@jazzbanjo.nl

Dear banjo friends, I am glad to announce that last Saturday we had a jolly reunion of several Italian banjoists, both 5- and 4-stringers.
It was the first official meeting organised by the Italian Banjo Guild, a Yahoo Group that gathers 137 banjoist of all styles in Italy and in the nearby Italian-speaking part of Switzerland.

It was an afternoon rich of fast forward and backward rolls, furious tremolos and fierce discussions on how good each of our respective banjos were.
Happily, the nearby neighbours were not affected at all because we found a former church in the centre of a beautiful city park, so the only eardrums involved by this kind of unruly celebration were our own ones!
Although that is not completely true, because at 6 P.M., we opened the doors of the auditorium for the final concert and, much to our surprise, many patrons were already waiting on line.
First we made sure that they would not have hidden baseball bats and then we let graciously them in.
Unbelievable! They even enjoyed the concert!
Italian Banjo Guild is planning a new national meeting within next Spring 2009 and we do hope to be able to extend invitations also to our European fellow banjoists: we will let you know.
In the meantime our Vega, Paramount, Gibson, B&D, Deering and OME banjos will keep on ringing all over our Country in spite of what other musicians may think of us!

Nino Frasio
List owner of the Italian Banjo Guild
www.myspace.com/ninofrasio

Technology progresses but one thing we can be sure of is that there is nothing quite like the self-made music and happiness that one can produce from the banjo. However, the digital age has so far been a wonderful way of spreading that banjo happiness around the globe. It is not difficult or complicated to use a computer and for a music fan the internet can be like finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
For example The Jazz Banjo Videos Libary that I host on www.YouTube.com has over five hundred short films of players of all varieties, both modern and vintage, including rare clips of Eddie Peabody, Harry Reser etc. Wonderful online radio stations such as Jazz Banjo Radio are unique and vital in giving our music a higher profile in this “plastic pop” driven age. Radio is changing too and the way it is delivered to the listener will change dramatically within the next few years. Internet in cars will become standard in the near future and it will be possible to tune into stations such as JBR anywhere on the planet. This is not only an advertisers dream but also a way of breaking free from the relentless dribble that is pumped out daily by a dial full of FM radio stations that all play the same songs that are sent (and paid for) by the sponsored “payola“ record company play-lists! Does anyone (apart from us Radio Hams) listen to AM, Long Wave or even Short Wave programmes these days?
Websites are of course a way of spreading your message and most modern players have them. My musical performance contracts come by e-mail these days and even the postman only delivers printed “hard copy” bills that need to be placed in front of the accountants/tax man’s eyes at the end of the year.
Buying a CD from one of your favourite players is a great way of not only helping the musician involved to pay the bills but also a way of furthering the cause of the music. There is nothing quite like having a copy of your favourite CD or magazine in your hands. However with rising postage charges, the price of getting these delivered has to be increased too. For example, it costs the equivalent of $10 to post just one of my CDs from Germany to the USA. In these financially challenged times the answer is to this problem is to use modern technology. It is called an MP3 file, a way of compressing music onto a file that can be played, sent and received to and from a computer. This in turn can then be transferred onto an MP3 portable player, burned onto a CD disk or put onto any device that can play an MP3 file.
Firms such as I-tunes, Napster, Amazon Music, CD Baby and countless others have been selling “pop” music this way for years now and the reduction in CDs sold has resulted in the modern “Download Charts” that have replaced CD sales. I’m sure the change was almost as drastic when 33RPM LPs replaced 78s in the 1950’s. I can remember when LPs stocked the shelves in a record shop but were replaced almost overnight by CDs. Times change and so must I as a professional banjo player. The ukulele community is, to a degree, a worldwide self-supporting family. If Joe Bloggs in Australia wants to buy my recordings, he is now able to do so quickly and economically by downloading either from my Website or by using one of the major distributors. Such firms that were once only the domain of “pop” stars are no longer exclusive clubs!
All of my music is now available to download. You can buy just one tune if you wish for 99c or all four albums at $9.99 each. They are easy to buy and you could have the complete collection within minutes. The excitement for me is to see "our sort of music" available for anyone to buy, anywhere in the world, on a major distribution Website.
To download my music go to www.SeanMoyses.com or enter my name in I-Tunes, CD Baby, Amazon.com, Napster etc. Hopefully you will enjoy my efforts.
In finishing up, I must also mention that you can now learn to play uke-banjo with me online by the use of web-cams. The idea was pioneered by my good banjo playing friend Dave Frey in California and I can now offer you to take a lesson with a professional player in the privacy of your own home, world-wide, on a “one-to-one” basis. Imagine if this technology had existed in Reser's day?

Regards,
Sean Moyses

www.SeanMoyses.com

Dear friends,
Just received the sad news of Cathy Reilly Finn's dad passing away. Sparky Lawton was a good friend of our banjo club and attended our banjo jams.

Here is the info from Cathy:

"My Dad, Sparkey took sick on Sunday and on Monday passed away. Needless to say, my Mom, myself and my kids are shattered. He had 85 full years of terrific memories and his banjo was one of his biggest loves.

I hate sending news like this. We are postponing his services until our whole family can be together but having donations sent to Buddy Griffin's All Stars in his memory.

Cathy Reilly Finn"

If you wish to correspond with Sparky's family:
Mrs. Sparky Lawton
The Villages-1419 Segovia Rd
Lady Lake, FL, 32195 Ph 352-259-5584

Cathy Reilly Finn
14900 E Orange Lake Blvd Ste 333
Kissimmee FL 34747

Website = www.mickeyfinnshow.com

Dear Friends & Fans of Marvin "Smokey" Montgomery:

Thanks for keeping his art in your hearts and in your playing styles.
This is Vol. 1 in an "all-Smokey" recording bonanza, and I hope you will
spread the word about its availability. Just released, easy-online
ordering of this terrific, digipak CD album is available at
www.artgreenhaw.com MERCHANDISE pages

Smokey forever!

ART & THE LIGHT CRUST DOUGHBOYS
www.thelightcrustdoughboys.com

972/285-5441 USA

Sheps Banjo Boys, the legendary banjo group famous in the UK for appearances on television programmes such as "The Comedians" and "Wheeltappers and Shunters Club" celebrate 40 years in the business this year. They are making this a special occasion by appearing in Shep's home city of Manchester on Wednesday Novermber 26, at 8pm at the Forum Hall, Simonway, Manchester M22 5RX. Tickets are GBP9 and can be reserved by calling (UK) 0161 935 4020 or booked online at www.wegottickets.com. Further enquiries by e-mail to orchardacademy@aol.com
Here is a video of Shep's Banjo Boys.

Beste Jazz-Banjo liefhebbers,

Jazz Banjo Festival 2008 - Zondag 9 November
Gebouw / JazzPlace Artishock / Steenhoffstraat 46a - 3764 BM Soest - The Netherlands

Het jaarlijkse Jazz Banjo Festival voor jazz banjoisten wordt op zondag 9 november gehouden in Gebouw / JazzPlace Artishock / Steenhoffstraat 46a - 3764 BM Soest.
Van 12-19 uur zullen daar meer dan 100 banjoisten elkaar treffen, samen jammen en luisteren naar enkele top banjoisten.
Speciale gasten zijn Europas top banjoisten Peter Bayerer en Achim Hippenstiel.
Het Jazz Banjo Festival beoogt de interesse voor de Jazz Banjo te vergroten en te stimuleren. De toegang is voor iedereen en het zal een geweldig Jazz Feest te worden. Meer informatie via www.jazzbanjo.nl of via de heer Fetze Pijlman info@jazzbanjo.nl

Dear Banjoplayer,

The Annual Dutch Banjo festival will take place on Sunday, November 9, 2008 at the Gebouw / JazzPlace Artishock / Steenhoffstraat 46a - 3764 BM Soest - The Netherlands
From 1200-1900 more then 100 banjo players will meet each other to enjoy the jamming and performances.
Special Guests are Europe's top Banjo players Peter Bayerer and Achim Hippenstiel.
The National Dutch Jazz Banjo Festival tries to expand the interest for playing Jazz Banjo. The Entrance is open to anybody and we expect to have a great swing Jazz Party. More information at www.jazzbanjo.nl or from the organiser F,etze Pijlman, at info@jazzbanjo.nl

When I revived Clifford Essex Music Co last year I knew I had a very daunting task ahead of me. Up to and including AP Sharp Clifford Essex was run by very highly skilled and dedicated people. The company became a shrine - a sort of British Institution for Fretted Instruments, with standards second to none. I had taken on a lot and I knew it. To date I have talented people composing and arranging music for banjo, mandolin, guitar and ukulele not to mention a brand new banjo tutor in the pipe line by David Miles. Our craftsmen have come up with a brand new classical guitar and a great sounding plectrum guitar. They are also working on a new mandolin called “The Clifford Essex Crooner” and a reasonably priced but nevertheless great sounding banjo called “The Clifford Essex Gambler”. The importers of so called musical instruments from the “Far East” will be in for a nasty shock when we hit the market.

That said I thought I would do the easy bit first and put together our string selection, that was 12 months ago. Using the correct and best sounding strings is of paramount importance to us all. When strings go dead we lose our inspiration to play. We all want our instruments to sound superb and without the very best strings I am afraid we are all on to a non starter. Having worked with AP Sharp in the sixties I thought I knew all about strings. I was wrong, very wrong, times have changed drastically. Nearly forty years on there are so many different types of strings out there that if you are not careful it takes you into a world of complete and utter confusion.

I have experimented with tape wound, flat wound, silver wound, stainless steel wound, metal and plain steel, silk, silver and nickel on nylon, phosphor bronze and nickel wound strings on steel. Gut, clear nylon, ground nylon, carbon fibre and combinations of gut and nylon together. Not to mention so called rust proof strings coated with substances like polyweb, nylon, nanoweb, polytetrafluoroethylene and even varnish. I have ordered and tried all these strings to the extent that my geared pegs are almost worn out. I was not impressed with some of the newer innovations. To be fair I do not doubt that many of these strings are well suited for electric fretted instruments but on an acoustic instrument they leave much to be desired. Since Clifford Essex has and always will [ as long as I am around ] specialise in acoustic fretted instruments I had to think again.

The early banjo players used gut strings, a material that combines excellent promptness of attack with brilliance of timbre. Problem was, in no time they would fray and they had a very limited duration plus a high instability under a varying climate. It is very important to me that Clifford Essex caters for all styles no matter how small that market may be. During my research I came across a company in Italy claiming they made a string with all the fine qualities of gut but without the downside. The string is made from a substance called Polyacetal. On further investigation I found this company was extremely highly rated and providing strings for lute, cellos, violins, basses and guitars all over the world. To cut a long story short their strings do have all the fine quality of gut and they give a very distinct aggressive sound. They now make strings for us and once again players will be able to recreate the sound of the early minstrel, classical and fretless banjos. The rest of our strings are hand made to our specifications here in the UK. Apart from the company in Italy we do not purchase strings from outside string providers.

I have almost completed our range of banjo strings and I have completed our mandolin family range in readiness for our launching next year. I am now starting work on the classical, plectrum and steel guitar range. We will not only have the most comprehensive range of strings in the world but also the best sounding strings money can buy. Our banjo range consists of strings for plectrum, tenor and Irish tenor. Classical strings for the 5 string, seven string, minstrel and fretless banjo also Piccolo-Banjo, Ukulele-Banjo, Banjeurine, Banjolin, Mandolin-Banjo, Cello-Banjo, Bass-Banjo, Guitar-Banjo, Bluegrass and Zither-Banjos.

Clem Vickery - 2008.

A question of banjo maintenance.
Time and time again I have watched my youngest son take out his guitar, play it like a dream and then put it straight back in its case. The next time he plays it he complains that the intonation is lousy and he has to keep changing the strings. Those of you with sons know that they rarely listen but sometimes, just sometimes, Dad can give some good advice. We all like to keep ourselves clean but with the best will in the world the grime builds up as the day wears on. I always wash my hands before I play otherwise the tiny bits of unseen grime on my hands transfer themselves to my instrument's fingerboard. When I have finished playing I wipe the metal and wood work with a clean cloth. With another cloth I thoroughly clean each string, especially under them, with Fast Fret. If I do not have any of that to hand I use olive oil which I keep in a small bottle in my banjo case. I guess the average player needs to change the strings every 3 months, it all depends on how often you play. I knew one professional that changed his strings before every show because he maintained that his banjo always sounded best with brand new strings. Old strings stretch over time and begin to lose their elasticity, they can no longer make the wave forms and the sound from them becomes blunted and dull. New strings sound crisp and sharp giving the banjo its distinctiveness. I play quite a bit and I change my strings about once a month, I use this time to do a few other essentials.

When the strings are off I polish the entire instrument. Prior to lemon oil I was obliged to tediously remove the grime around the frets with the wooden end of a match stick. Take a pencil with a sharp point and colour the grooves in the nut. The graphite will lubricate the nut slots. If a nut slot is too deep and the string is buzzing on the first fret then try this. Using thick super glue and a tooth pick carefully apply one drop in the slot, let it dry for 8 hours. This will slightly raise the slot and get rid of the string buzz. Check the bridge is not bent in the middle. Carefully examine the tailpiece adjustment, it should be as close to the skin as possible but never touching. If the tailpiece does touch the skin you can say goodbye to any tone your banjo is capable of producing. Check the skin tension and tighten it if necessary. To do this tighten a tension rod one quarter turn then tighten the opposite one in the same way and so on. Check the bridge placement ensuring it is positioned in exactly the correct place. The distance between the nut and the 12th fret is equal to the distance between the 12th fret and the bridge. Next, touch the first string lightly above the 12th fret with your left index finger and gently strike the string with your plectrum or finger. You will hear a harmonic. The harmonic at the twelfth fret should have exactly the same pitch as the note when you fret the string at the 12th fret. Repeat this on the 4th string. If the harmonic has a higher pitch than the fretted note then the length of the string is too great. Move the bridge slightly away from the tailpiece. If the harmonic has a lower pitch than the fretted note you need to move the bridge towards the tailpiece. Check the action, if it is low, too light of a gauge string may cause fret buzz because the string is too loose. The thicker the string gauge the less it will bounce after being struck.

Folk often ask for my advice on skin heads and I suppose I am about to set the cat among the pigeons yet again. There really is no reason to subject yourself to the misery of a calf or pig skin vellum. The invention of the plastic head solved all the problems of the old skin heads. Years ago I walked into a warm venue from the freezing cold to perform a show. I opened the banjo case and the skin had split, no money for me and no show for the audience. Back then that's all there was. They were expensive and a real pain in the arse to put on. They don't stay tuned to a tension for long, they make it hard to keep the banjo in tune and they crack as well as split. The only thing that recommends them is nostalgia. I have met a few players who liked the sound but they were always griping about them. A fiberskin head will produce a darker sound like the old vellum, a sound very desirable for some types of banjo playing, most important of all, it will not let you down.

Finally here's a little tip regarding the banjo bridge which I picked up from AP Sharp many years ago. The bridge is crucial to the sound of the banjo and you should choose a bridge with the density that suits your style of playing. Look at the end of the bridge, the more lines in the wood the denser it will be. These lines in the wood show the yearly growth rings of the tree. A dense bridge is hard and will give your instrument more treble. On the other hand a less dense bridge will give your instrument a mellow sound. It is all a matter of personal taste. As a solo banjoist I go for a more mellow sound. However, if I were to play in a jazz band I would change my bridge for a denser one knowing my instrument would be heard loud and clear through the brass and reed players. Happy banjoing one and all.

Clem Vickery. 2008.

Clifford Essex Music Co. Ltd was first established In London 1900.
This is just a small example of our extensive range of banjo strings. We also provide high quality strings for - Piccolo-Banjo, Mandoilin-Banjo, Banjeurine, Ukulele-Banjo, Cello-Banjo, Guitar Banjo and Bass-Banjo. For orders over £10.00 to Europe and the United Kingdom post and packing is free.

Set of Banjo Strings - medium gauge [ 5 string banjo ]-£5.50
1st - .010" Plain Steel Loop-End. 2nd - .012" Plain Steel Loop-end.

3rd - .016" Plain Steel Loop-End. 4th - .024" Nickel Round Wound Loop-End.

5th - .010" Plain Steel Loop-End.

Set of Banjo Strings - light gauge [ 5 string banjo ]- £5.50
1st - .009" Plain Steel Loop-End. 2nd - .011" Plain Steel Loop-End.

3rd - .013" Plain Steel Loop-End. 4th - .020" Nickel Round Wound Loop-End.

5th - .009" Plain Steel Loop-End.

Set of Bluegrass Special Banjo Strings[ 5 string banjo ]- £5.50

1st - .010" - Plain Steel Loop-End. 2nd - .013" - Plain Steel Loop-End.

3rd - .015" - Plain Steel Loop-End. 4th - .024"- Nickel Round Wound Loop-End.

5th - .010" - Plain Steel Loop-End

Set of Plectrum Banjo Strings - Medium Gauge- £5.00

1st - .012" Plain Steel Loop-End. 2nd - .015" Plain Steel Loop-End.

3rd - .020" Nickel Round Wound Loop-End.

4th - .024" Nickel Round Wound Loop-End.

Set of Plectrum Banjo Strings - Light Gauge- £5.00

1st - .011" Plain Steel Loop-End. 2nd - .013" Plain Steel Loop-End.

3rd - .018" Nickel Round Wound Loop-End.

For this set some players prefer the 3rd to be .018" Plain Steel Loop-End. If you prefer a plain third please deduct 50 pence.

4th - .022" Nickel Round Wound Loop-End.

Set of Tenor Banjo Strings - Medium Gauge- £5.00

1st - .010" Plain Steel Loop-End. 2nd - .015" Plain Steel Loop-End.

3rd - .022" Nickel Round Wound Loop-End.

4th - .032" Nickel Round Wound Loop-End.

Set of Tenor Banjo Strings - Light Gauge- £5.00

1st - .009" Plain Steel Loop-End. 2nd - .012" Plain Steel Loop-End.

3rd - .020" Nickel Round Wound Loop-End.

4th - .030" Nickel Round Wound Loop-End.

Set of Irish Tenor Banjo Strings - Medium Gauge- £5.00

1st - .012" Plain Steel Loop-End. 2nd - .016" Plain Steel Loop-End.

3rd - .028" Nickel Round Wound Loop-End.

4th - .038" Nickel Round Wound Loop-End.

Set of Irish Tenor Banjo Strings - Light Gauge- £5.50

1st - .011" Plain Steel Loop-End. 2nd - .015" Plain Steel Loop-End.

3rd - .024" Nickel Round Wound Loop-End.

4th - .036" Nickel Round Wound Loop-End.

Set of Tenor Banjo Strings - Heavy Gauge- £5.00
1st - .013" Plain Steel Loop-End. 2nd - .020" Nickel Round Wound Loop-End.

3rd - .030" Nickel Round Wound Loop-End.

4th - .040" Nickel Round Wound Loop-End.

Set of Nylon Classical Banjo Strings - Custom - £5.50

1st - .022" Ground Nylon Tie-On. 2nd - .025" Ground Nylon Tie-On.

3rd - .030" Ground Nylon Tie-On. 4th - .028" Silver Wound Nylon Tie-On.

5th - .024" Ground Nylon Tie-On.

Set of Nylon classical Banjo Strings - Medium Gauge - £5.50

1st - .023" Ground Nylon Tie-On. 2nd - .027" Ground Nylon Tie-On.

3rd - .032" Ground Nylon Tie-On. 4th - .028" Silver Wound Nylon Tie-On.

5th - .024" Ground Nylon Tie-On.

Set of Nylon Classical Banjo Strings - Heavy Gauge £5.50

1st - .024" Ground Nylon Tie-On. 2nd - .029" Ground Nylon Tie-On.

3rd - .033" Ground Nylon Tie-On. 4th - .028" Silver Wound Nylon Tie-On.

5th - .024" Ground Nylon Tie-On.

Set of Cammeyer Zither Banjo Strings- Medium Gauge- £5.50

1st - .008" Plain Steel Loop-End. 2nd - .010" Plain Steel Loop-End.

3rd - .034" Ground Nylon Tie-On. 4th - .026" Nickel Wound Nylon Tie-On.

5th - .009" Plain Steel Loop-End.

Set of Zither Banjo Strings - Light Gauge-£5.50

1st - .009" Plain Steel Loop-End. 2nd - .011" Plain Steel Loop-End.

3rd - .034 Ground Nylon Tie-On. 4th - .026" Nickel Wound Nylon Tie-On.

5th - .010" Plain Steel Loop-End.

Individual strings are available at £1.00 each, all covered strings at £1.50 each. We are happy to make up a set of strings for any gauge you may require. Nickel Round Wound strings are also available in Phosphor Bronze Round Wound. Every string is carefully examined before being despatched to you. We give the covered strings extra protection by including a silica gel sachet with each string to absorb any humidity. When strings go dead we lose our inspiration to play. Our strings are designed by banjo players for banjo players, only the best will do. Satisfaction gauranteed.
Also,

Clifford Essex Fingerboard Oil

The label suggests that this is "A fine mixture of lemon and other natural oils." It is applied with a clean cloth and allowed to penetrate for several minutes before being wiped off. It certainly made my fingerboard shine but it also attacks that nasty gumff that builds up behind the frets. It smells nice an lemony.

Clifford Essex Finish Restorer

"A silicone free polish that will restore the original shine to your instrument." I presumed this meant the wood part of the banjo so applied it as directed on the bottle, and sure enough, was left with a fine shine.

These products could fit into the banjo case if desired but ensure the caps are tightened, however. Each product costs £5.20p + 80p shipping and is available immediately

Clifford Essex Music Co. Ltd, 7 Rose Walk, Fakenham, Norfolk, NR21 7QG.

Email - cliffordessex@msn.com Tel - 01485 529323.

C E - The Sign Of Quality

The name of Ludwig is synonymous with the manufacture of drums, and Ludwig instruments have been played by generations of drummers. William F. Ludwig II's father was the founder of the drum-making dynasty, but it was William junior's marketing expertise that established the company as a world leader.
In 1886, his grandfather Henry Ludwig had left Germany and settled in America. He taught and played trombone, but encouraged his son William to learn a different instrument as he considered that good teeth were needed for the trombone and that the dental care at the time was poor. William F. Ludwig I took up the drums and the manufacture of drum-kits became his passion. His wife, Elsa, a singer with the Chicago Grand Opera Company, retired when their son William was born in 1916.
William F. Ludwig I formed Ludwig & Ludwig in 1910, in partnership with his brother Theobald (who would die of pneumonia in 1918). He wanted William II to become a drummer and forced him to practise incessantly. The boy studied at the Culver Military Academy and did Saturday work at his father's factory. But in 1928, after the family went to see the first talking picture, The Jazz Singer, they drove home in silence. Finally, William senior said, "This is the end." Live music would no longer be required at cinemas and he thought that hundreds of drummers would become unemployed. After the stock market crash the following year, he sold Ludwig & Ludwig to an Indiana drum company, C.G. Conn.
In 1935, William F. Ludwig II was a lead player in the International Marimba Symphony Orchestra which came to the UK for the festivities surrounding the 25th anniversary of King George V's accession. However, the Musicians' Union objected and the orchestra was not permitted to play. They could not play in Germany because one of the marimba players was Jewish, but they did play in France. After returning home and playing in Carnegie Hall, they disbanded.
William junior attended the University of Illinois while his father worked at a new business, the William F. Ludwig Drum Company, which became the WFL Drum Company when Conn objected to Ludwig using his own name. In 1938 William II started working full-time for WFL on $10 a week. A leading jazz drummer, Gene Krupa, was being sponsored by Slingerland drums with great commercial success, and William I asked his son to obtain similar deals for WFL. Krupa was willing to move for $35,000, but as WFL's most expensive drum was only $65, they realised that they would have to sell a lot of drums to make it viable. Instead, William II enlisted Ray Bauduc from Bob Crosby's Dixieland band, a delightful man who participated in drum clinics to help young players.
William II was drafted in 1942 and in the forces organised drum and bugle corps and taught hundreds of musicians. On returning to work, in 1949 he persuaded Buddy Rich to endorse WFL drums, but the prickly Rich was prone to giving drums to his friends and expecting replacements. He would call William F. Ludwig II for a new set and say, "You got that, birdbrain?" He refused to turn up for drum clinics or, if he did, would play for a few seconds and tell the audience to see his show that night. For all that, Rich achieved a great sound on WFL drums and, with the company's help, pioneered smaller bass drums, going away from the standard 28 inches.
In 1954 William F. Ludwig II met a record retailer, Maggie Parker; they were married within two months and Ludwig adopted her daughter, Brooke. In 1955 they had a son, William F. Ludwig III, who became known as "B3". Possibly the Ludwigs were not the best people to have as next-door neighbours, as B3 recalled that "there was always drumming in the back yard, plus my father was a big civil war buff who had three cannons. We would get the drums out on 4 July, play some marches and then blow off the cannons."
In 1955 and behind his father's back, William II bought back the Ludwig name for $90,000. It was an excellent move and he led the company into prosperity. One key sponsorship was of Joe Morello from the Dave Brubeck Quartet. By sheer good fortune, Ringo Starr started playing Ludwig drums and in 1964, when the Beatles played Chicago, Ludwig presented Starr with a gold-plated snare-drum by way of thanks. Many rock drummers played and endorsed Ludwig drums, including John Bonham of Led Zeppelin, Alan White of Yes and Ginger Baker from Cream.
After the death in 1973 of William F. Ludwig I, the company continued independently until 1981.

Spencer Leigh

William Frederick Ludwig II, drum manufacturer: born Chicago, Illinois 13 September 1916; married 1954 Maggie Parker (died 2002; one son, one adopted daughter); died Chicago 22 March 2008

I have the sad task of informing you that my dear friend Derek Channing, died peacefully at his home in Livonia yesterday.
Derek was an active promoter of the banjo with his banjo newsletter and was leader of the youth group that he started, the Next Generation Banjo Band. He had only just recently presented them playing at the Great Lakes International Banjo convention. He was so proud of "his kids".

Derek was one of the kindest and most helpful people I have ever known. His death is a shock and loss to not only me personally, but also the banjo community.
My thoughts are with his wife Lynn and family.
May he rest in peace.
Sean Moyses.

Derek Channing passed away on June 18, 2008, age 68, of Livonia, Michigan. Born in London, England to the late Albert and Rosa (Jones) Channing. Retired Ford mechanical engineer with many patents to his name. He loved sailing on Mullett Lake and playing the banjo, mandolin and ukulele. He was very active in the four-string banjo community. His favorite being the plectrum.
He belonged to many groups over the years, including the Garter Snappers plus 4, Banjos of Michigan, Flint Banjos, Windsor Banjos and the Silver String Dulcimer Society. He also enjoyed participating in the annual Great Lakes International Banjo Convention for many years. Recently, he volunteered to teach kids to take up an interest in playing, and formed a group called "Next Generation Banjo Band". His most recent passion was to keep the old ragtime style of playing alive.
Derek is survived by his wife, Lynn Channing, and daughters, Diana(Todd) Chirillo and Sally (Michael) Duffy. Loving grandfather of Gillian and Alex Chirillo and Kevin and Sarah Duffy. Survived by his brothers Brian (Jackie) and Reg (Babs) and sister Sylvia Parrott, M.B.E., who reside in England. Brother-in-law of Karen Gair and Nadine (Gene) Desjarlais. Loving uncles of many nephews and nieces in the states and the UK.
Visitation Friday 1-8 p.m. at the Harry J. Will Funeral Home, 37000 Six Mile Rd.,
Livonia. Funeral Services Saturday 11:00 a.m. at the funeral home.
Interment Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.

From the Detroit Free Press Obituary

I'm playing the Edinburgh International Jazz Festival again this year, with my "Joe Gordon's Ragtime Banjos!" set-up;- Mike Daly on trumpet, Ken MacDonald on double bass, Beverley Knight on 2nd banjo and yours truly on banjo & vocals. The date is lunchtime (12.30) Wednesday, 30th July at The Royal Overseas League, Princes Street, Edinburgh. It's a great venue, with marvellous audiences....I've played there for the last 5 years.

Also, in the Autumn I'm guesting at The Midland Banjo Fest in Brentby Confrence Centre, on Sat. 18th. October. I'll be joining illustrious company!Howard Shepherd, David Price & Elias Sibley are on the same programme.
I'm looking forward to both outings!

Joe Gordon,
Bonny Scotland.

2008, GLIBC promised to be it’s usual success, when early on Wednesday evening, about 30 banjo players started jamming in the atrium. This was typically more than usual for a Wednesday evening. While the jammers were slowly playing Louisiana Fairytale, Debbie Schreyer and husband Tom Owens walked in. Tom immediately started singing along, even without a microphone, causing considerable applause from banjo players and audience alike. If you have their CD, you know why. Jamming continued well into the morning. What a fine start for GLIBC 2008.

Several luthiers and vendors started setting up their wares in the two display rooms. Margaret Schreyer had her late husband Lowell’s books for sale, as well as daughter Debbie’s CD’s. The Schreyer family were also soliciting funds for the restoration of Eddie Peabody short movies. The two display rooms were a hive of activity, throughout the convention, but were particularly busy on Saturday. Small groups of performers were beginning to get together, in the conference rooms available, rehearsing for their part in the upcoming shows.

Friday was an intensive day for workshops and last minute group rehearsals. The workshops included “The Banjo Entertainers”, prepared by the late Lowell Schreyer, presented by his wife Margaret. Meanwhile, jamming continued in the atrium, as well as smaller groups finding other locations, in the hallways, meeting rooms and vendor rooms. Did I forget to mention the continuous jamming in the atrium? There was lots of jamming support, from an endless stream of jam leaders, piano players, bass players, vocalists and other musicians.

When the Friday night concert started, GLIBC Chairman Bill Jackson, mentioned that regular MC’s in most prior years, Roy Hill from Ontario and L J Brown from Metairie, Louisiana were unable to attend. Our thoughts and prayers are with them.

The shows this year were highlighted by younger performers. At the Friday night show, nineteen-year-old Paul Doerner continued to show his progress on the banjo, as well as his excellent stage presence. A graduate of the Capital Kids band in Sacramento, California, his was an outstanding solo performance. The final act before the intermission was well worth waiting for, Debbie Schreyer and her husband Tom Owens, performed a lively musical soiree, with piano accompaniment by Tom Marshall.

After the intermission, Bill Jackson introduced the next MC, John Green from Fiddletown, California. Meanwhile, the Windsor Banjo Club had been assembling on stage, to open the second half of the show. The Windsor Banjo Club band was just one of the many club bands that entertained in the concerts. The Ragtime Riverboat Rats, from Dayton Ohio, closed the show. Their two crooners singing an Elvis song had the ladies in the audience swooning and screaming, begging for more.

The time was late, but this did not prevent a large group of banjo players jamming in the atrium, well into the small hours.

A fresh group came to the hotel restaurant, early on Saturday morning, to have a relaxing breakfast, while the Brunch Band led by Vern Nelson performed. There were more workshops, considerable display room activity, as well as small groups rehearsing for their evening performance in the show. Some of these musicians, only get to meet each other once a year at GLIBC, so organizing a music program takes work. Meanwhile, the atrium jamming continued endlessly, as usual and as expected.

The afternoon matinee was MC’d again by John Green, from Fiddletown, California. Again, the highlight was on youth. The Kaiser Family Band, playing Celtic and Mountain music, as well as some Tin Pan Alley tunes put on an impressive show. When they finished, 13-year-old Greg Kaiser was surprised, being awarded a certificate by FIGA VP, Ron McLawhon, for participating in the FIGA adjudication. Greg came a close third out of 27 soloists competing. At the audience request, the Kaiser Family Band then played a very fast encore.

There was a scramble for the registrants to get dinner, before the evening show started, this time, MC’d by Dr Phil Cain from Springfield, Ohio. He introduced the Flint Banjo Club Band, led by Diantha Martin, in her striking flapper black dress. Picks and Sticks, who put on their usual excellent and lively performance, were next up. Then came Jurgen Kulus, from Eltingen, Germany. When a kids group, the Next Generation Banjo Band, conducted by Derek Channing performed, they received a standing ovation for their faultless performance. This continued to demonstrate that kids were the highlight of the shows. Girls, Girls, Girls, conducted by Helen Beneteau closed the first half. The second line dancers from Petoskey, Michigan, who performed with Girls, Girls, Girls, also took their performance to a couple of local restaurants, where the patrons showed their surprise and appreciation.

After the intermission, there were several outstanding acts, then the Saturday night show was closed by the GLIBC band, led by Dolores Borrow, which ended a series of performances by excellent entertainers from all over.

As usual, after the show, the atrium was swarming with banjo players jamming until the small hours of the morning, with members of the show audience finding what seating where they could. What a fitting end to GLIBC 2008.

Thanks to everyone in attendance for another great GLIB Convention. If all goes as planned, we will see you next year, April 23, 24, 25, 2009, the 20th GLIBC..

Submitted by Derek Channing

Dieses Banjo-Festival hatte Alles,was ein First-Class-Meeting ausmacht:das Multi-Talent Ruedi Bleuer und seine charmante Frau Bea betreuten die Musikanten,Aussteller und Gäste allerbest;Banjo-Collector Hellmi Fischer&Sissi stellten top-line Banjos aus und beantworteten alle Fragen zu den wertvollen Schätzen;Dag Benend und Uli Falk ergänzten neben F.Elsener/Saitensprung das Angebot an Folk-Instrumenten und Noten-Broschüren aller Art.
Nach herzlicher Begrüßung vom Team des Hotels "Zum Goldenen Kopf" - ein Haus,in dem es sich vorzüglich speisen und wohnen läßt - hörte man bereits Banjojammen in unterschiedlichen Besetzungen:Achim Hippenstiel,Rolf von der Düsseldorfer Banjo Club,Uli,Dag,Ruediger Klemmer und die liebenswerte Catou eröffneten den Reigen swingender Banjomelodien.Initiator und Chef der neugegründeten Münchener Banjo Band Hans Dengler & Frau Karin begrüßten die Schweizer Banjofreunde und nach und nach trafen die Zuhörer des Freitagskonzertes ein-der Besuch war gut
und jeder hörte dank excellenter Anlagenaussteuerung hervorragend.Ruedi Bleuer (tb,pb,gui) begrüßte Fans und Spieler und stellte sich dankenswert mit seinen Musikern Alan Rogers/piano und Hansjoerg Schaltenbrand/Kontrabass
den Solisten als Begleitmusiker zur Verfügung.
Herrlich tolerant fand ich die Öffnung zu unterschiedlichen Musikstilrichtungen mit ihren jeweils typischen Instrumenten: traditionelle Banjoliteratur für 4-saitige Banjos,Five-string Bluegrass und mountain-styles,klassische Guitar,Flamenco und
Gitano-Musik,Swing und Dixierepertoire - Alles verstand sich prächtig!Den Anfang im Programm machte Ruedi Horatht/tb mit Roger Esser/gui;Hansi Looser/5-str.bjo mit Guitarristin/vocal; Ruedi's Tochter Daniela präsentierte ausdrucksstark und gekonnt
swingenden Jazz-Gesang,begleitet von piano,bass und zwei swing-guitarren(Ruedi spielt eine L-7,akustisch und sehr swingend!);Hellmi Fischer und Ruedi brillierten mit "Nola" auf dem Tenor-und Plektrumbanjo;RenéZenter erzählte musikalisch die Geschichte des "banjaars" der BaumwollPflücker aus dem vorletzten Jahr-
hundert bis zum neuzeitlichen Blue-Grass-5-stringbanjo; klassische Guitarrentöne hörte man bei MauroMistelli und Robert Ammann faszinierte mit Flamenco-Guitarrenmusik-sehr erholsam zwischendurch nach furiosen Banjoeinlagen der Solisten.
Uli,Dag,Catou und Achim spielten den ruhigen,harmonisch sehr wohlklingenden Banjopart,gefolgt vom Meister Ruedi Bleuer,absolutes highlight aller Konzerte!Seine austrainierte rechte Hand und sein gekonntes,dynamisches Spiel ist phänomenal!Ich
beobachtete Zuhörer,die paralysiert schienen...virtuos z.B. der "12th Street Rag" mit humorvollen Einlagen,gespielt auf seinem VEGA Artist Tenor und gleichermaßen gekonnt auf seinem Plektrum-banjo-ich halte Ruedi für d e n Spitzenmann unserer Zunft in Europa!Das wunderbare Konzert schloß mit der Versammlung aller
Banjospieler auf der Bühne und es wurde bis nach Mitternacht gemeinsam gejammt.
Der Samtag begann um 10Uhr mit RuediŽs workshop "die rechte Hand"-hier konnten sogar "alte Hasen" noch dazulernen!Nach kurzer Mittagspause folgte Rainer Daub mit guten Tips fürs Tenorbanjo,gefolgt von Bernhard Schwendter's workshop "entspannt Üben".Am Nachmittag schloß ich dann mit dem Übungsteil"Improvisationstechnik
innerhalb verschdiedener Banjostimmungen". Nach kurzer Erfrischung startete das Samstag Konzert,welches "rappeldicke"gut besucht war im Hotel-Restau. Absolute Publikums-lieblinge waren "DIE JUNGE GENERATION":die 15jährige Stepperin
(Weltklasseformat) zu "DuellingBanjos" vom 5-string-bjo-Virtuosen Eric Cousin/Sherleen Müller; Tochter Aline Schwendter/piano spielte mit Papa Bernhardt,und natürlich Daniela Bleuer/jazzvocal umrahmt von Ruedi's swingender Rhythmusgruppe!wie auch am Vorabend gestalteten Banjosolisten und Guitarristen abwechslungsreich das Programm,
Erlesene Spezialitäten und gekühlte Getränke reichte das Hotel-Restau. Einen schönen Abschluß hatten wir mit dem Frühschoppen am Sonntag von 10 bis 12Uhr in der Hotel-Lounge : Gäste und Fanserlebten hier noch einmal herrliche Bnjotitel und old-time-jazz,gespielt von sieben Banjosolisten und "Brouce"/cl&sax,Musiker von Ruedi's band und Alan am piano.Auf der Rückreise waren wir uns einig,daß dieses in liebenswert-
familiärer Atmosphäre stattfindene Banjo-Festival mit "Europäischen Spitzenmusikern" GROSSE KLASSE war!

Best regards,
Hans Jörg Elter
www.guitarelter.de

The Banjo Gang is a string band from Brno city, Czech Republic. The band was founded in 2002 by two banjoists Martin and Vasek. They play traditional jazz music and ragtime with wonderful enthusiasm.

Vaclav Novotny - tenor banjo, tuning C-G-d-a
Martin Skrobak - tenor banjo, tuning D-G-b-e
Kamil Mazalek - double bass


Noel Induni says: "Those guys are good. It is always nice when the emotions of the players come through in the sound of the song. They seemed to be having a good time playing which makes the listener have a good time too.


Brněnská skupina, založená v roce 2002 na základech bývalé skupiny Stalaktit. Dnes jediný autentický banjo-band v naší republice.

Václav Novotný - tenor banjo, zpěv, standard ladění, replika open back od Rosti Čapka, barytonové uke banjo

Martin Škrobák - tenor banjo, chicago ladění, Dung-Beetle, open-back a barytonové uke banjo od Rosti Čapka

Kamil Mazálek - kontrabas

Virtuozita Vaška Novotného a živočišná muzikálnost Martina Škrobáka jsou základem originálního provedení klasických jazzových standardů z New-Orleanské doby. Mimo tradiční jazz tvoří repertoár skladby Jaroslava Ježka, ragtime a další. Originálně navazují na tradici string-bandů jako byli Banjo Kings, nebo italští Banjo Clan.
Prostě hudba, kterou musíte slyšet živě, protože jedině tak pocítíte tu nádhernou radostnou atmosféru „řvoucích" dvacátých let s úsměvnými českými texty.

Banjo Battle! Loverfield Jazzband CH feat. Sean Moyses GB.
Die Loverfield Jazzband darf stolz sein, seit der ersten Ausgabe der Jazz Tage Lenk immer mit mindestens einem Konzert an der Lenk präsent gewesen zu sein. Das «Hausorchester» dieses inzwischen zum Grossanlass gewachsenen Festivals gehört einfach dazu – und hat seine Gäste und Fans noch nie enttäuscht. Immer werden neue und überraschende Titel aus Dixieland, Swing, Gospel und Blues präsentiert. Nicht umsonst wurde die LJb am Ascona Jazzfestival 2007 mit dem «Ascona Swiss Jazz Award» als beliebteste Schweizer Formation der Hörer von Radio Swiss Jazz ausgezeichnet.
Absoluter Höhepunkt in der Loverfield-Agenda sind und bleiben auch 2008 die Jazztage Lenk. Und nun, zur 20. Ausgabe, wird selbstverständlich auch die Berner-Band ein etwas spezielleres Konzert geben: Auch wenn in der «Szene» sehr viele Banjo-Witze im Umlauf sind (und die auch der Loverfield-Bandleader gerne zum Besten gibt!), liebt man halt die Könner auf ihrem exotischen Instrument! Deshalb präsentiert die LJb zum Jubiläum wieder einen Special Guest: Sean Moyses, der in England geborene und in Deutschland lebende Superstar auf dem banjo, wird uns alle mit seinem exzellenten Spiel begeistern.
Lassen wir uns also überraschen, was auf der Kronenplatz-Bühne zum Jubiläum abläuft! Apropos Jubiläen: Ein Loverfield-Musiker feiert seine 15-jährige, zwei ihre 20-jährige Mitgliedschaft in der LJb.

Det Baumann: bass, guitar, vocal, whistle
Rolf Suter: trombone, clarinet, bass
Peter «Pedro» Lüthi: drums, vocal
Hansruedi Jordi: trumpet, fluegelhorn, piano, vocal
Rita Trachsel: banjo, guitar, vocal
Peter Trachsel: clarinet, alto & tenor sax, lead

Loverfield Jazzband feat. Sean Moyses: banjo

Mo. 14. Juli, 20.30 Uhr, Kronenplatz, Lenk, CH.
Di. 15. Juli, 11.00 Uhr, Parkhotel Bellevue, Lenk, CH.
www.jazzlenk.ch

With the 2008 MBF on October 18th it's our 10th anniversary and we are currently working on the programme.
FREE ‘PRIZE BANJO’ DRAW
Yet again our stalwart sponsor EAGLE MUSIC SHOP are donating a ‘Banjo & Gig bag’ for our Free Prize Banjo Draw. The draw will be made at the end of the Concert and presented to the winning ticket holder in person only (not a representative). If the winning ticket holder is not in attendance, the prize will be re-drawn.
If you have any wishes for a workshop on any particular style, technique or with any particular tutor then please let us know asap and we will see what can be arranged.
MBF 06 CDs
The last few CDs of last years Concerts are available from Reg Stranks at £8.45 including p&p
WEB SITE
The domain "www.midlandbanjofest.com" has recently been registered and will become our new home over the next few months. The current domains will remain active until the new site is ready when you will be automatically transferred there.
GRAND BANJO BASH
Those of you in attendance at the end of last year's Concert will remember that we finished with a Grand Banjo Bash. Building on this success we have now decided to make this a permanent fixture. We are increasing it to three tunes: Five Foot Two, Bill Bailey and When the Saints. Bring your banjos, everybody joins in!
The general plan is to have the majority of the banjo playing the backing, our professionals: Howard Shepherd, David Price, Dave Thompson and Ray Bernard will add their style and expertise in chord/melody throwing it backwards and forwards between them.

TRADE STANDS
Once again we welcome our trade stand guests, the fee is again £10.00 per table. Please contact Reg Stranks (reg@regstranks.wanadoo.co.uk) to reserve your table a.s.a.p as we understand that last year trade was quite brisk and tables may be at a premium.
AND FINALLY...
Don't forget to book your rooms at the Bretby Conference Centre, prices still as last year, +44 (0)1283 553440. or click here to link to their web site.
The Bretby Conference Centre is of a very comfortable 4star standard with a full service of hot & cold snacks, hot meals, licensed bar, hot & cold soft drinks all prepared by quality Chef’s. In addition there is adjoining accommodation, £45 single, £54 (double or twin) room cost (£27 each for those prepared to share inclusive of full English breakfast & VAT. The Conference Centre is situated 3 miles South of Burton on Trent,Staffordshire within the Bretby Business Park in the village of Bretby,on the A511 Ashby Road, a short taxi ride from Burton on Trent railway station. Hull Ferry docks approx., 108 miles (170 km) with good motorway connections. East Midlands airport approx., 15 miles (24 km).

# posted by International Jazz Banjo Newsletter : 9:03 AM

All day at The Little Theatre (which is mainly used as a cinema) several pubs within staggering distance. Tables outside The Little where we can sit and chat, have a beer or three, and make a merry noise! Experience shows that we get a significant number of musicians coming by, who join in the jam session. A good way to make street music.
During the afternoon we shall be screening Bluegrass Country Soul. This is the first feature film ever made about bluegrass music. Shot on Labor Day Weekend in 1971 at Camp Springs, NC, it documents the first Bluegrass Festival. Live performance, commentary, interviews, history. With Ralph Stanley & his Clinch Mountain Boys, Earl Scruggs, JD Crowe and many more. 90 minutes of Banjo Bliss. First screening in the UK!
In the evening, a Grand Concert with Clarke Buehling, Kate Lissauer, Dan Walsh, Jürgen Kulus and the Bath Banjo Club. In the tradition of the Festival, there may well be others who turn up for the gig and add to the evening’s entertainment. It might be you . . . !

Hi everyone,

I had a fun experience for 3 months last fall, coaching banjo and guitar to 2 actors on a movie being filmed in Toronto (Canada), where I live part of the year. The movie, called “The Love Guru”, is being released this June, and will be a fun summertime movie, written and acted by Mike Myers, the star and creator of all the “Austin Powers” movies. It also features the beautiful Jessica Alba, as well as Justin Timberlake and many other popular North American stars.

There was a lot of music in the movie, but the best part is the fact that banjo was being used (although it was a 5-string). It’s amusing that the movie is supposed to be set in India, yet this Indian character plays a banjo! This actor is Manu Narayan, who performs on Broadway, and is very talented. I also coached him on guitar for another scene and he picked it up very quickly. If this film is being released in your part of the world, check it out for some light hearted fun.

Regarding banjo and guitar, I’ll be back in Pforzheim , Germany for 2 nights, May 30 and 31, performing at the Bottiche-Rathskeller. If you would like to reserve a ticket, please call Rainer Daub at (49) 723-135-6500.

I think that many tenor banjoists will be happy to learn that I have now finished a Volume 2- Book of Chord-Diagrammed song arrangements, as well as companion CD. This one is called 42 EASY READING SONG ARRANGEMENTS For Tenor Banjo (Completely Chord-Diagrammed). You may look up the information or purchase it online through my website: www.timallan.com.

From July 25 to August 1, I’ll be performing on the JazzSea Cruise, leaving from Seattle and heading to Alaska. There will be a number of Dixieland bands onboard this completely music-oriented Holland/America ship along with jamming opportunities for all musicians.
Aside from a concert performance, I’ll be conducting the Banjos Aweigh banjo band, composed of any banjo player who wants to play on the cruise. We will rehearse every day, then we’ll put on a special concert at the end of the cruise in the large performing theatre. I will also offer private lessons for various instruments. If you are interested in this cruise or, perhaps, the Caribbean JazzSea Cruise in January 2009, then look up www.jazzsea.com.

Hallo Alle,
Es gibt Neuheiten.....
Am Sonntag 18.Mai wird es in der wunderschönen Altstadt von Bülach ein Open Air Brunch Banjofest geben.Und die Stadt Bülach als Partner, möchte sich für das nächste Banjofestival 2009 mit einem Banjo-Altstadtfest beteiligen.Mehrere Bühnen usw...
Interessierte Banjobands und Solisten sollten sich melden.Es wird ab Juli ein OK geben und wir möchten möglichst früh mit dem organisieren beginnen. Das genaue Datum steht noch nicht fest.(voraussichtlich Mai-Juni)
Liebe Grüsse,
Ruedi.
www.banjomen.ch

Hi All,I'm Steve and I have an Eddie Peabody story.
It was in about 1958 or so, and I was a small boy, less than 10, living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was a cold night and there was old frozen snow and ice on the ground. It was after dark and my mother was dressed to go out. She was on her way to a friend's house for a party, and for some reason, I wasn't allowed to stay home with my two younger brothers. We drove to a house in the northeast suburbs of Milwaukee, not too far from home, and went into her friend's house. A large home, with blue carpet and fireplaces and a full sized piano near the warm end of the large semi-formal living room. Others were arriving. I was the only kid, so I hid with the family dog. I was in altar-boy mode. Then in hops Eddie Peabody with his banjo under his arm! He goes straight for the fireplace and puts his banjo case down on the hearth near the piano, and pops it open.
By now I'm standing in front of him, not shy. He says "hello" and "would I like a picture of him"? I said "hello" and "yes, I would". At that, he picked his banjo out of the case and under it were several 8x10 glossies, one of which he signed and gave to me. I said thank you and the adults shooed me away so they could talk to him. It is late and some of the people, there were maybe 50 there, were drunk. I watched and listened to him play for maybe 45 minutes and he took a break. Then we all heard a loud drunk man say "If he's so friggin' good, let's hear him play 'Rhapsody in Blue' ". Well, Eddie was back sitting on the edge of the fireplace, where he'd sat since he got there. Without saying a word he picked up the banjo and played the most beautiful version of it I had ever heard some one play. It still brings tears to my eyes. The guy was all class. It was as if to say, "Not only can I play it but I can make you cry, fool." Wow.

By Steve Sindorf.

Hallo liebe Banjokünstler,

am Samstag, 24.05.08 nimmt die Münchner Banjoband an einem Casting für die RTL-Show "Supertalent" teil. Die zuständige Redakteurin war begeistert von unserem Angebot, da Sie wohl etwas aus der Dixie-Szene liefern soll und mit der Banjoband etwas sehr rares hereinbekommen hat.

Das heißt für uns, dass wir wohl relativ große Chancen haben, in irgendeiner Form auf dem Bildschirm zu erscheinen ???

Wir sollten also in möglichst guter Aufstellung antreten und uns ordentlich präsentieren. Deshalb meine Bitte an alle, die irgendwie Zeit haben (gerne auch neue Mitspieler), diesen Termin reservieren und an dem Casting teilnehmen. Sicher bekommen wir einen Mitschnitt der Aufnahmen und können das Ganze zumindest für Werbezwecke ("bekannt aus Film und Fernsehen") gut nutzen.

Unsere nächste Probe findet am Mittwoch, 14.05.08 um 19.30 in der Grund- und Hauptschule Holzkirchen, Baumgartenstr. 7 statt. Dort werden wir festlegen, was wir beim Casting spielen wollen (abhängig davon, welche Solisten dabei sind).

Noch eine Bitte an alle:
Ich brauche schnellstmöglich eine Rückmeldung, wer sicher an diesem Termin teilnehmen wird (bitte auch melden, wer sicher NICHT teilnehmen wird).

Vielen Dank und gebt Euch einen Ruck. Es wird sicherlich ein großer Spaß und eine nette Abwechslung. Für Fragen erreicht Ihr mich am liebsten per email (oder unter 0173/5661611).

Hans
--
Hans Dengler
83607 Holzkirchen
08024/3056-0

NEW, VERSATILE GOODTIME PLECTRUM BANJO BY DEERING.

Deering Banjo Company introduces the Goodtime plectrum banjo! Plectrum banjos are used popularly for American Dixieland Jazz and widely throughout the United Kingdom and Europe. The new plectrum Goodtime models are made of rock maple for the traditional brightness, power, and sparkle required with music played on this type of 4-string banjo. With a scale length of 26 ¼”, like their 5-string counterparts, plectrum style players will find the banjos have the same responsiveness, portability, and ease of play that have made the Goodtime banjos a world-wide favorite among professional and banjo enthusiasts alike. Retailing for $479 through $1159, the plectrum Goodtime banjos are being created with the traditional Deering peghead shape and are available in either a natural blond or in a rich, dark brown stain. Fabulous for casual players and enthusiasts alike, call your local Deering and Goodtime dealer to order one today! Or, you can call the folks at Deering Banjos through their toll free number, 800-845-7791.
Most noted for their use in Dixieland music, the plectrum banjo is also great for folk music and “sing alongs.” Versatility in tuning is a remarkable feature of the plectrum banjo. It can be tuned to the first four strings of a guitar (the same as a baritone ukulele), in open G tuning, or in the standard D, B, G, C plectrum tuning. The narrow neck makes it easy to play either by strumming or pushing down on the strings. With light gauge strings it can be played with the simplicity and ease of a ukulele but with more volume, bass, depth, and fullness. On a historical note, the word “plectrum” refers to a flat pick, commonly used to play this 4-string banjo and is a term that was used in the early 20th century instead of the word “pick.”
The Goodtime banjo line has grown from the much appreciated openback 5-string to include 5-string resonator and tonering models, left and right-handed styling, 17-fret and 19-fret 4-string tenors, and now the new 22-fret, 4-string plectrums. At its inception, the Goodtime banjo was meant only to be the openback 5-string version. Because Greg Deering is focused on customer needs, he has responded by expanding the Goodtime line to now over 40 versions of this ever popular American made rock maple banjo.
For more information on the American made, quality banjos from Deering Banjos, log on to their website, www.Deeringbanjos.com or call them at the toll free number, 800-845-7791 for more details.

Beste Banjoliefhebber,

Tijdens het Breda Jazz Festival (van donderdag 1 - zondag 4 Mei 2008) is eriedere middag van 12.00 - 18.00 uur een Banjojam, ge-organiseerd door Hans de Roon die
dit al vele jaren doet. Deze banjojam wordt gehouden op het terras van Chinees Eethuis Gantau Village, (Tel 076-5208929), Boschstraat 19 in Breda. Het is altijd een feest om dit bij te wonen. Iedere banjoist is welkom. Het muzikaal wordt omlijst met uitgenodigde blazers en andere jazz muzikanten.

met vriendelijke groeten

www.jazzbanjo.nl

Das 2. Internationale Banjo - Festival der Schweiz
wird wieder 2008 in Bülach stattfinden !

Freitag und Samstag 16. und 17. Mai
BANJO'S
Das zweite Schweizer Banjofestival findet statt: in Bülach (ZH) 15Min. ab dem Flughafen Zürich-Kloten oder 30Min.ab Grenzübergang Thayngen, (Schaffhausen-Bülach) im Zentrum der historischen Altstadt von Bülach. Im sehr schönen Hotel zum Goldenen Kopf. Siehe unten stehende Webseite.
Bitte die Zimmer-Reservationen direkt im Hotel zum Goldenen Kopf buchen.Mit dem Vermerk, Banjofestival. Es sind noch genügend Zimmer frei.
Die Konzerte sind Freitags und Samstags.
Am Samstag werden auch Workshops von renomierten Banjospielern durchgeführt; Details siehe Programm. Workshop Teilnehmer bitte mit mir Kontakt aufnehmen.

Organisation Ruedi Bleuer
Sponsoren :

Saitensprung Schaffhausen Banjo's
Foto Bären Zürich

Musiker Programm Kontakt
Workshop-Teilnehmer bitte anmelden
Das Banjo
Liebe Banjo Freunde,
Jeder kann zum guten Gelingen von unserem Anlass bestimmt etwas dazu beitragen. Zum Beispiel selber als Solist spielen, oder sich mit anderen Banjospielern zusammen, zwei oder drei Nümmerli einstudieren.

ES SOLL SPASS MACHEN !

Bitte macht Werbung für unseren Banjo-Anlass.

Mehr Info über das Banjo siehe Webseite von Gerhard Rehmann http://www.banjoist.de/banjos/typen.htm

Ruedi Bleuer.

Tim Allen kommt wieder für zwei Konzerte nach Pforzheim.
Er tritt am Freitag 30. Mai und am Samstag 31.Mai jeweils ab 20.00 Uhr
im Bottich im Ratskeller zu Pforzheim auf.
Außerdem bietet er am Sonntag, den 1. Juni, wieder einen
Gitarrenworkshop im Musikhaus Steinbrecher an.

Christian Loos möchte seine Tenorbanjo Sheet Music Collection anderen BanjospielerInnen zugänglich machen.
Über 300 Partituren, wovon der Großteil digitalisiert (d.h. gescannt ist), wurden über die Zeit mühsam zusammengetragen und archiviert.
Neben der Vielzahl an Tenorbanjo-Soli verfügt die Sammlung auch über einige Plectrumbanjo-Soli, sowie einer großen Anzahl an Orchester Tenorbanjo Akkordpattern.
Christian freut sich über neue Banjokontakte und das Tauschen von alten Banjonoten.
Hier ist seine E-mail Adresse: bertbrecht56@yahoo.de


Christian Loos would like to exchange and swap his Tenor banjo sheet music collection with other banjoists'. Over three hundred banjo pieces, which most of them are scanned, are ready to swap. Most of the compositions are written for the Tenor banjo, but some of them are also arranged for the Plectrum Banjo.
The collection contents also Orchestra Tenor banjo chord patterns.
Christian likes get to know banjo players and is happy to swap his sheet music with them.
His e-mail adress is: bertbrecht56@yahoo.de

Hello,

I am now offering private banjo lessons globally, no matter where you live, on the internet using a webcam!

I have had many requests to offer a teaching method over the years via video/DVD, CD, book, etc. But though I enjoy teaching, this was not appealing to me since I believe in a direct interaction approach for quality lessons. Webcams now have such good visual and sound quality that I decided to offer one-on-one lessons over the internet.

The requirements are simple: a high speed internet connection, Skype (a free download), and a webcam.

For those who are unfamiliar, a webcam is a video camera for computers, so we would see and hear each other live. I am glad to guide you on the set-up needed…. It’s easy, even for a computer-challenged individual like me! And it really works.

If you are interested, send me an email: cynth@earthlink.net. I’m glad to answer any further questions and look forward to hearing from you!

Warmest regards and happy spring!

Cynthia Sayer.

P.S. I’m also proud to report that my newest CD, “ATTRACTIONS” with Bucky Pizzarelli and other top NYC jazz artists, was selected for two “Best CD of 2007” lists! Please visit the Recordings page of my website to see extensive reviews (more still coming out!): www.cynthiasayer.com.

During my tour to the USA I met up with ace banjoist Dave Marty. We had lunch together and drank tea whilst playing a few tunes. I asked Dave to tell us a little about his career and this is what he said...

At the age of 12, I began teaching myself the ukulele. Shortly before I turned 16, I asked my Dad to get me something bigger (I had a guitar in mind.) So, for my 16th birthday he got me a banjo (an Epiphone Mayfair - 2nd from the bottom of the line). I had so much trouble adjusting to the size of the neck that I put it away for the next three years and kept on with my ukulele.
When I was 19 years old, I was in a pizza parlor enjoying my dinner when two guys appeared –one with a banjo who climbed up on top of the upright piano and the other who sat down at the piano. After hearing a couple of tunes, I decided I was as good as or better than the banjo player, and he was making money doing that. Then and there I knew what I wanted to do with my life. Shortly thereafter I took my banjo out of the closet, where I had put it three years earlier, and started practicing. Several months later I joined the musician’s union in late 1959. One month later I got my first professional job playing with a pianist in a pizza parlor!
Although I have worked in other fields during my musical career, my occupation for the last 48 years has always been that of a dedicated professional banjoist. I am completely self-taught, never having a single lesson, and learned everything I know by ear and from working with other top-notch (& a lot of not-so-top-notch) musicians.
Some of my early experiences with the banjo were playing in high school rallies and sports games with the band. After I turned professional, I played the beer hall/pizza parlor circuit, followed by banjo night clubs in San Francisco, Chicago, New Orleans, New York World’s Fair, Greenwich Village, Dallas, Fort Worth, Corpus Christi, Atlanta, Kansas City, Florida, and Florence, Italy and Hollywood.
My first banjo idol was Eddie Peabody. As I heard him play was on the radio in the late 1950’s, I wondered why my banjo didn’t sound like his. I later found out he played a different tuning, (I used guitar tuning) and that he tuned each of his strings one note higher than normal. So, I bought all of his LP’s and studied his technique for a number of years. It was Georgette Twain who arranged my first meeting with Eddie in 1961. He and I remained close friends and kept in touch with letters and visits for the last ten years of his life.
Perry Bechtel was another one of my idols. I was fortunate to have met him in Atlanta eight years after I bought his first and only album, “The Man with 10,000 Fingers”; it was the first time I had heard classical music performed on the banjo. Perry and I were close friends and corresponded for over twenty years. What a difference in playing styles between Perry and Eddie.
Other banjo inspirations and recordings that I studied and admired very much were those of John Cali, Jad Paul, Paul Martin, Clay Landrum (Henry Clay), The Big Ben Banjo Band, Paul Miller (The San Francisco Marching, Trotting, and Walking Band), and Freddy Morgan (of Spike Jones fame.)

Musical genres that supply my motivation are from the 1800’s up thru early dixieland and traditional jazz, along with the big band music from the early part of the 20th century. I find this type of music exciting because of its musical perfection in substance and inventiveness along with the chord changes used in that era of music. Classical music excites me because of its exactness in structure and beauty.
Musically, the banjo ‘tugs’ at the American heart because of the ‘sound’ derived from the instrument; it is unlike any other American musical instrument and can be a happy one. Culturally, the banjo is a big part of very early American popular music and dixieland jazz and country & western music. Furthermore, music played on the banjo stirs up many memories, particularly for senior citizens.

Some major accomplishments during my career have been:

« Band leader and lead banjoist for the Red Garter nightclub chain nationally and in Europe for thirteen years (1963 to 1976).
« Along with David Sturdevant on guitar and Abe van der Meulen on side banjo, the three of us became the San Francisco Medicine Ball Band in 1970 and recorded our first LP, On a Slow Boat to China in 1976.
« Performed at Earthquake McGoon’s in San Francisco with Turk Murphy and his band as featured solo intermission banjoist, sitting-in with his band six nights a week for a decade (1970 to 1980);
« Featured Star Attraction aboard cruise ships world-wide for 17 years; (1980 to 1997);
« Toured with the late, great Morey Amsterdam as his opening act;

Recordings:

« Dave Marty “On The Job – Vol. 1 (Compact Disc) Available now.
« On A Slow Boat To China with the San Francisco Medicine Ball Band (LP);(out of print)
« Banjo Artistry of Dave Marty, Vol. 1 (cassette) The Banjo Artistry of Dave Marty - Live, Vol. 2, (out of print)
« Dave Marty in Italy, Vol. 3, (cassette) (out of print)
« Banjo Artistry of Dave Marty, Vol. 4, (cassette) (out of print)
« Banjo Artistry of Dave Marty, Vol. 5. (cassette) (out of print)

Dave will be appearing at the annual Spring Fling banjo festival in Boston, USA next weekend.

Ein Club von Banjospielern?ist eine glänzende und klingende Idee!Sechs Banjospieler, d. h. "alte Hasen" aus der Münchener Szene und "Beginner" aus der Umgebung fanden sich im Januar 2007 zu einem Stammtisch in den ehrwürdigen Räumen des Alten Wirts zu Ramersdorf zusammen und gründeten den Ersten Münchener Banjo Club.

Die Liebe zum Banjo und damit besonders die Pflege des traditionellen Dixielands waren bereits Begeisterung und Grund genug, Erfahrungen auszutauschen und zu fachsimpeln. Vor allem aber wird gemeinsam gespielt – und das heißt der so unverwechselbar schöne Klang vieler Banjos zusammen ... mehr sag i ned.

Natürlich ist auch geplant, sich der Öffentlichkeit als Erster Münchener Banjo Club zu präsentieren ...

Die GründungsmitgliederHans Dengler, Bernd Rauch, Uwe Reckmann, Gerhard Rehmann, Günter Schierlitz und Ulrich Walcher lauten die Namen der wackeren Recken, die sich mutig zu ihrem Instrument bekennen und den Ersten Münchner Banjo Club ins Leben riefen. Die folgenden Treffen brachten willkommene Verstärkung. Musiker aufgepasst: das Erzählen von geschmacklosen Banjowitzen wird langsam gefährlich!

Das Statutbrauch' ma ned! Es gibt keine Einschränkungen für die Mitgliedschaft, alle Banjos und deren SpielerInnen sind willkommen. Ein paar Ideen aus den ersten Treffen geben die gemeinsame Richtung vor:

regelmäßiger Stammtisch
Anlaufstelle für Interessierte und Anfänger
Organisation einer Banjoband mit dem Ziel, öffentlich auftreten zu können
Referate zu Banjo-bezogenen Themen, auch mal von Externen
Aufbau einer Banjo-Bibliothek
Mehr info über www.banjoist.de

Dear banjo friends. I am pleased to announce that my new banjo backings are now available for sale. My banjo backing tracks are fun for either rehearsing with or using on stage. It's like Karaoke for banjo players!

The triple CD package or CDs plus booklet has backings for Deed I do, Mr. Sandman, Temptation rag, Cecilia, You're driving me crazy, Somebody stole my gal and Chinese laundry blues, I'm looking over a four leafed clover, Pasadena, I've got a feeling I'm falling, After you've gone, Leaning on a lamp-post and High society.The original complete tune (to acquaint you with the melody, arrangement and words) is then followed by the "play-a-long" version with the banjo and vocal track removed.
Featuring musicians Fraser Gartshore (piano), Ralf Peyer (piano), Graham Collicott (drums), Michael Neusser (drums), Clive Fenton (tuba), Hayley Moyses (violin), Matthias Seuffert (clarinet and saxophone) and myself (rhythm guitar). This comes in two formats; a double CD and music booklet or tripple CD package, the third data CD containing the music, words and the arrangement for each tune in pdf. form which you may print out.
Ordering details are along with two short previews of the Pasadena backing track and the Mr. Sandman backing track on my website, www.SeanMoyses.com.

Best wishes,
Sean Moyses.

Dear banjo lovers
This information is just to update you what we are doing with the banjo community concerning the "Origin of the banjo" investigation. Over the last years we have found a lot of new and challenging facts that have forced us several times to change our theories. One of the latest was the discovery of the Griot five string spike gourd lute the Xhalam Gesere among the Wolofs in Senegambia which was unknown to scholars until that point. This instrumnet gives us a link to drone string banjos in the New World from the Griot side. The discovery of the Kolinko two string, plectrum played gourd lute still in use in the FRA-Fra ethnic group In Northern Ghana gave us a link to the very rich old plectrum played banjo traditions in the Carribien region, something that is still very much alive.
I would also like to point out that there are vacancies for any musicology students/interested to take up more research projects in West Africa. We will be more than happy to share all our new knowledge with any interested students and to help out for an amateur or professional research report, article or dissertation.
The main activity for me presently finalsie detailed plans for this years journey to Africa. I am also writing my second banjo article for the Swedish Musical Instrument Museum's annual booklet about the African predecessors to the banjo. My first article was about the banjo development in the New World, covering everything from the minstrel period to folk music in the 1950-1960´s. I also have endless hours of video recordings from Africa to be edited and published on Youtube.
My trips for 2008 are to North and West Africa. Here are my scheduled activities.
1) Southern Morocco in March:- From March 20th my wife Anneli and I will spend a week in the Atlas mountain region in Southern Morocco. That will hopefully allow me to look for the music cultures of the Berber/Tuaregs in a number of desert towns. We will start in Agadir at the coast and then pay visits to Marrakech, Taroudant, Quarzazate and Zagora. This will be an interesting trip. I hope to video Lotar, Gimbrie, Gunbri and perhaps Sintir/Haj haj lute instruments and players .

2) Senegambia in July:- This my fifth trip to Senegambia and will be in conjunction with the Senegambian "Origin of the Banjo" Conference. Dates will be 8th of July Stockholm-Banjul, 9th of July preparation for the trip in Banjul. Early leave for Southern Senegal and 10th to 18th of July the large round trip. Return to Banjul before the opening ceremony. 19th of to 21st of July will be the conference attendance from my side, 22nd to 24th of July are research activities in Gambia
24th-25th of July, from Banjul to Stockholm

Hopefully a few (a maximum of three) of you would like to join me for an adventure tour of the southwest part of Senegal,
- from Banjul to Zuguinchor
- eventual visit to Jola villages Mlomp and Youtuo depending on time available)
- from Zuguinchor along road N6 to Kolda.
- from Kolda to Velingara and from there
- perhaps a visit to the Niokola Koba National park
- and then up to Thambacounda (crossroad for many ethnic groups in Senegal).
We will then return to Banjul along the Gambia river south road from Basse. That will be a 600-800 km (500 miles) long trip depending on what we will find along the way and take about 7 days with a four wheel drive SUV. The whole idea is to search the following instruments:-
a) The Griot Mandinka Kontingo (same as Xhalam, Huddo etc). According to many sources the Mandika seems to have abandoned the lutes in favor for the Kora, Bolon and Bala. Still, it should be very interesting to interview a Mandika Griot Kontingo player. They could have more to tell us about the origin of the Griot lute than probably has been previously documented.
b) The Mandika folk harp Simbi. Are there any Simbi player (hunters) still around?
c) The Mandinka one string Molo player. Are there any players still around?
d) The (extinct? Mandinka folk harp Kurango. It is a four string harp lute very similar in construction to some of the folk lutes in the West African Savannah region, but the Kurango is a semi-spike harp with just a slightly bowed neck. We have to find out if anyone knows anything about this instrument. There is one rare sample left in the museum in Banjul.
e) All other Akonting like instruments and harps we can find and document.
f) Fiddle traditions among Fulas and Wolofs.
g) Search for the origin of the mystic Bania name.

This is of course an unrealisticly large wish during such a short period of time but if I just could find and document a few of the above point it would be a success.
3) Mali in November:- My wife and I have booked a two week adventur trip to Mali starting 5th of November. We will travel along the Niger river from Bamako up to Timbuktu with a two days visit to the Dogon people in the south mountain areas. We will visit and stay in following cities Bamako, Djenne, Mopti and Timbuktu. In Djenne the hotel owner is a Swedish girl Sophie Arin. I have sent her a mail asking for help to trace a number of instruments among the different ethnic groups. I am looking for Griot lutes from different ethnic groups, harps like Donce Nogoni and of course the Dogon Konou lute and the Ginggiru harp. I will also look out for the Diawara Kola Lemme gourd lute mention by Michael Coolen in his African lute articles. Also bowed lutes are of interest to document.

4) On the planning stage for 2009 is a two week trip to South Africa during the spring and the very long overdue research trip to Northern Ghana and Burkina Faso during the fall.

5) For 2010 perhaps visits to Northern Senegal and/or Guinea and/or Sierra Leone can be carried out.

All my new documentations will be published on Myspace and Youtube available for everyone.

Regards to you all and the very best for 2008.

Ulf Jagfors

The 10-day JazzSea Caribbean Cruise, returned to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, on January 15, 2008 with many great musical memories, along with photos of some of the prettiest islands in the Caribbean.

It was my pleasure once again to conduct the “Banjos Aweigh” pick-up band, made up of around 40 non-professional musicians and enthusiasts, ready to practice and learn a 45 minute concert repertoire. In the band we had men and women from the U.S.A. and Canada, as well as the Scottish banjo player, Michael Hart, the director of the Edinburgh International Jazz and Blues Festivals.

The band predominantly consists of banjo players, with a tuba or bass player in the mix. We have usually been lucky enough to find a good pianist and horn player or two, as well as fiddlers and harmonica players. To add rhythm and humour to the gathering, we have added washboards, spoons, and sometimes a “gutbucket”. I welcome any level of banjo playing ability, and I will try to include most other instruments into the band.

I never know who our musical surprises will be until we begin the cruise, so I try to make the concert songlist relatively simple, to accommodate various levels of performance. In fact, to further simplify matters, I now have the full concert printed up in booklet form, “The Banjos Aweigh Songbook”, so that participants, who cannot play by ear alone, will be able to read the music during performances. Some prospective band members will even order their songbook well in advance of their cruise, just to be prepared. It ends up being a great learning experience for novices. Just look at their faces in the accompanying photo!

If anyone is interested in cruising while listening to 5 or 6 different jazz bands, or even participating with Banjos Aweigh, just check out www.jazzsea.com for information on upcoming cruises. There is a 7-day Alaskan cruise leaving Seattle on July 25. Another 7-day Caribbean cruise will leave Ft. Lauderdale on January 3, 2009, and I’ll be onboard for both of these, offering lessons and workshops, as well as performing and conducting Banjos Aweigh.

“The Banjos Aweigh Songbook”, is NOT available online, but you can mail your order directly to me at the following address:
Tim Allan, 2513 Lewis Rd., Venice, Florida, USA. Each book will cost $18,00 pp, in North America, and $22.00 pp, overseas.

This time news from me! I'll be coming over to headline at a couple of festivals.
Firstly....
St. Valentine's Day Massacre and Banjofest February 15th and 16th, 2008
Annually, BBA hosts the St. Valentine's Day Massacre and Banjofest at the Allenberry Resort Hotel in Boiling Springs, PA. A *FULL* weekend of tenor and plectrum banjo! ...workshops, jams, afternoon massacre as well as evening shows, display area {free table space to all who have something to sell}, evening banquet and of course.. door prizes! Thursday evening dinner and jamming this year happened at the new Player's Club in the basement of the Allenberry main building . It has become the early bird kick off for the weekend's activities.
And then it's off to the West coast for the 23rd and 24 February.....
Each year the Sacramento Banjo Band sponsors an annual banjo music festival known as Banjo-Rama. World class banjo stars are featured as soloists and in ensembles. Eddie Peabody, probably the most famous banjo player ever, performed at the very first Banjo-Rama. In addition to banjo virtuosos, there are several exciting west coast banjo bands. It's quite a musical spectacle that could just as well have been named the banjo Olympics. These musicians are not just plucking chords like grandpa used to do on the back porch! They are genuine pros!
Sean Moyses
Bill Dendle and Gary Ryan
Dick and Helen Martin
Charlie Tagawa, Nori Tagawa with Mary Horne
Paul Doerner
Jack Convery and Friends
Bill Lowery
Steve Peterson
Their fingers and hands are sizzling hot, moving faster than the eye can follow, playing everything from classical to popular music. You'll be surprised and delighted at their imaginative arrangements, versatility, and precise execution. Primarily 4-string banjos are played at Banjo-Rama. Banjo-Rama proceeds are a benefit for charities like the Shriners Hospitals for Children.
The general public is invited to the public show on Sunday which features entertainers, banjo bands, banjo displays, tape & CD sales.
I hope to see some of my American colleagues along the way!

Ruedi Bleuer, Schweizer Banjovirtuose und rühriger Vertreter unseres Instruments, plant für Mai 2008 wieder ein Banjofestival in Bülach. Originalton Ruedi: "Jeder der gerne möchte kann ein paar Nümmerli vortragen. Mit oder ohne Begleitung von mir". Also Leute, meldet euch bei Ruedi! Seine Adresse lautet banjo-bleuer@bluewin.ch.

In Zusammenarbeit mit Lonnies Witwe Sharon Donegan brachte Liz Biddle im September 2007 bei ihrer britischen Plattenfirma Upbeat Recordings eine weitere Live-CD des "King Of Skiffle" heraus. 1981 feierte Lonnie Donegan sein Hit-Jubiläum unter dem Motto "25 Years Rock Island Line" mit Konzerten in Berlin, Hamburg, Liverpool und London. Das Londoner Konzert wurde live aufgezeichnet und bereits damals als LP bzw. Doppel-LP veröffentlicht. Nun also erstmals auf CD erhältlich!
Lonnie trommelte dafür die Erstbesetzung der Ken Colyer Band zusammen mit den dem Jazzfan bekannten Namen Monty Sunshine/Klarinette, Chris Barber/Posaune, Jim Bray/Kontrabaß und Ron Bowden/Schlagzeug. Und natürlich mit Ken himself an der Trompete!
Der Popstar Donegan, der 1981 auch durch die Tournee "25 Years Of Brit Pop" ( u.a. auch mit Mr.Acker Bilk und Cliff Richard ) geehrt wurde --- eine Tour, die ihn auch zum wiederholten Male vor die Queen führte --- genießt ganz offensichtlich das Zusammentreffen der Kameraden aus den Tagen vor seinem Pop-Musik-Durchbruch wie aus der das Konzert eröffnenden Ansage spürbar ist. Bei dem ersten Titel "Ace In The Hole" ist er als Sänger in Hochform, ebenso später bei "Jenny´s Ball". Es folgen lebendige Fassungen alter Colyer-Standards wie "Isle Of Capri", "Goin´ Home" und "One Sweet Letter From You", auch "Shine" ist sehr frisch, wenngleich dort die Blechbläser in ihren Soli auffällig oft die Anfangsphrase der Operettenmelodie "Dein ist mein ganzes Herz" zitieren. Wer darin jedoch eine heimliche Liebeserklärung von Ken & Chris an Lonnie sehen würde, dürfte dieser Sache vermutlich zuviel Bedeutung beimessen. --- Der Klarinettenstil von Monty Sunshine ist nicht unumstritten, aber wem´s gefällt, der wird sich sicherlich über diese weitere Fassung von "Hush-a-Bye" freuen. Bei drei Titeln wird Ken durch Pat Halcox vertreten: "Jenny´s Ball", "Bugle Boy March" und "Ice Cream".
Den Abschluß der ersten Konzerthälfte bildet die alte Skiffle-Besetzung mit Ken Colyer ( Gitarre & Leadgesang bei "Take This Hammer" ), Lonnie Donegan ( Gitarre & Leadgesang bei "John Henry" & "Railroad Bill" ), Chris Barber ( Kontrabaß ) und Bill Colyer ( Waschbrett ). Bevor die "Skiffle Group" loslegt, erläutert Lonnie sehr anschaulich, lebendig und realitätsnah, was "Skiffle" überhaupt ist und wie es dank Bill Colyer zur Verwendung dieses Begriffs im Musikmarketing kam. Anschließend singt er sich in Ekstase wie man es sich von ihm bei dieser Art Titeln wünscht, während Kens authentische Worksong-Interpretation einen lässigen Kontrast dazu bildet.
Die CD ist erhältlich bei Upbeat unter der Bestellnummer URCD-214: www.upbeat.co.uk

(c) Lutz Eikelmann, 2007

Stone Street STRUMMERS Banjo Band

Special Spring Fling 2008 Announcement
Your Personal Edison Machine Recording !
Ever think of making a true " old time " recording ?
Now you have a once in a lifetime chance to record, own, and be part of Music Recording History !
Listen to Paul & Steve play " Breezin Along with the Breeze" April 3rd - 6th 2008
Spring Fling, Mansfield, Ma.
Steve Caddick & Paul Poirier, Co-Hosts Stone Street Strummers Banjo Band

Paul & Steve recording session
Here is What you Get !
1. Your own original wax cylinder of your personal recording.
2. Digital CD recording of your original recording.
3. A 5" x 7" photograph of you recording on an original Edison Recording machine.
4. A Certificate of Authenticity
Cost: $40.00 ( all proceeds are for the benefit of Ginny Luetje's Youth Banjo band )
Schedule Your Own Personal Edison Recording Session at Spring Fling 2008
Contact: Paul or Steve
Note: This offer is limited to the first 20 Spring Fling attendees who sign up for the recording session.
Edison Machine Recordings are provided courtesy of the Massachusetts Old Colony Antique Recording Society.

Dear IJBN readers.
I am contacting you from Melbourne, Australia, hoping you may be able to help me access information on a Victor Ellis, who lived at 193, St John's Hill, Battersea, London, in the early 1900s.
He manufactured the plectrum banjo I've been playing for the past 40+ years, but I have never been able to discover much about him.
That is, until recently... when I learned that he had lived and worked at 193, St John's Hill, from 1903 - 1911.
He was listed as "Ellis, Victor, Banjo Studio" in the local business directory of the time. But that's as far as I get.
The tyranny of distance just complicates matters... so I'm wondering if there is any way I can continue my search via the computer?
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Regards
Ian Sanderson
Melbourne
Australia

Nach kurzer schwerer Krankheit verstarb am Donnerstag den 22.11.2007 im Alter von 61 Jahren Wolfgang Kreth aus Köln, Hürth.
Wolfgang war der Banjospieler der Gruppe Papa Joes Jazzmen , Köln.
Seit Jahren wirkte Wolfgang in verschiedenen Banjogruppen mit ,u.a. Banjoclub Cologne und Pastime.
Als studierter Musiker – Gitarre, Klavier, Barocklaute- hat er ein großes Herz für das Banjo und die Banjomusik. Seine Lieblingsinterpreten waren Harry Reser und Pete Mandell.
Für ihn war neben der professionelle Ausübung seines Berufes – Leiter der Musikschule Hürth – auch die professionelle Ausübung des Hobby wichtig.

Der Banjoclub Cologne im besondern Rolf Quak, Hella und Joachim Hippenstiel werden Ihn vermissen.

Die Beerdigung ist Donnerstag 29.11.2007 in Hürth Gleuel, Bellerstr. Friedhofkapelle 13:00 Uhr

Bitte keine Beileidsbezeugungen am Grab.


Joachim Hippenstiel
November 2007

Liebe IBJN – Gemeinde,

endlich habe ich mich aufgerafft um meine eigene website
www.banjo-art.piczo.com
fertigzustellen. Hier gibt´s Informationen wie ich Musik bearbeite, Stücke lerne, ob Tenor- , Plectrum- oder Gitarrenstimmung für einen Titel angebracht ist, Bilder von meinen Banjos und ein paar unterhaltsame Fotos aus allen Epochen
meines Banjoschaffens.
Ebenfalls neu: String Trio´s website:
www.stringtrio.piczo.com
mit Informationen über die Band, wann und wo wir auftreten (zur Zeit reichlich, wir können nicht klagen!), über Projekte, Titel in Arbeit, unsere alte und demnächst neue CD. Und natürlich auch Fotos und Links !
Schaut mal herein,

herzliche Grüsse, Christoph Cringle

Mankato banjoist and former Free Press newsman Lowell H. Schreyer, 78, died peacefully at his home, November 9, 2007, of multiple myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow.

Funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Wednesday, November 14, 2007 at Immanuel Lutheran Church with Rev. Wayne Eichstadt officiating. Burial will be in Pilgrim's Rest Cemetery in Mankato. Visitation will be from 4 – 8 p.m., Tuesday at Mankato Mortuary and one hour before the service at the church on Wednesday.

A member of the Mankato Free Press news staff for nearly 14 years, late 1950s through the 1960s, he covered education, Blue Earth County government, flood disasters, major fires, traffic fatalities, crime, Vietnam War demonstrations, 4-H events, and entertainment in addition to writing feature stories. Visiting celebrities whom he interviewed included Eleanor Roosevelt, actor Hal Holbrook, dancer Ray Bolger, Grand Old Opry star Grandpa Jones, the comic Smothers Brothers, banjoist Earl Scruggs, crooner Rudy Vallee, movie star Basil Rathbone, publisher Bennett Cerf, flamenco guitarist Carlos Montoya, ragtime pianist Max Morath and “Music Man” composer Meredith Willson.

He covered the first International Plowing Contests near Vernon Center and was on the entertainment committee that brought stars such as Roy Rogers and Bob Hope to entertain at those farm events.

Schreyer's favorite continuing assignment was covering the adventures of Rapidan hired man Charlie Poliquin and his “See Scout” boat struggling down the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers bound for South America.

In his secondary occupation as a professional banjoist, Schreyer played on the Delta Queen and Mississippi Queen steamboats on the Mississippi and Ohio rivers; under the baton of guest conductor Arthur Fiedler with the Minnesota Orchestra; and with the Marigold Dixielanders, Michael's Minstrels, the Elmer Scheid polka band, the Turkey River All-stars dixieland band, Terry Powell's Honky Tonk Revival, the Katzenjamers and other southern Minnesota bands. He also played banjo at Shakey's pizza parlors. Most recently he played with the Blue Ox Jazz Babies made up largely of old musician friends from the Marigold Dixielanders.

He and daughter Debbie played at the New Orleans World Fair and in 1988 toured Germany as a banjo duo with an International Banjo Festival concert group. After retirement from journalism, Schreyer played throughout the United States and overseas with the promotional dixieland jazz band of US Air and also toured coast-to-coast with the “Riverboat Ragtime Revue” on community concert circuits.

When members of his family grew up following Schreyer's musical bent, his favorite performing group was their “Schreyer Banjos” unit consisting of daughter Debbie and himself on banjos, son Ted on tuba, string bass and bass sax, and son-in-law Tom Owens on string bass, washboard and vocals. They were featured in various combinations at major jazz and banjo events including the St. Louis Ragtime Festival, the Sacramento Banjorama, the American Banjo Fraternity 50th Anniversary Concert, the Allenberry, Pa., Banjo Massacre, the Guthrie, Okla., Jazz Banjo Festival, the LaCrosse Banjo Jamboree, a Twin Cities Jazz Society concert, and many Fretted Instrument Guild of America conventions. The group recorded one CD, “Schreyer Banjos: Showboat to New Orleans.” Lowell also sat in on the Debbie Schreyer Trio “Banjo on the Boardwalk” CD made during her seven-year engagement at the Showboat Casino in Atlantic City. He played in the banjo orchestra at the 10th Anniversary Banjo Collectors' Gathering in Philadelphia November 3.

Schreyer's first banjo job was with the Roamers old-time band in his hometown of New Ulm during his high school years. He played all types of banjo—tenor, plectrum, classic five-string and minstrel—as well as zither, mandolin, drums and balalaika.

As much as he loved banjo playing, he loved his family more. As a result, he turned down offers to become a fulltime professional banjoist that would have kept him away from the family overly long.

Combining his interests in writing and banjo history research, Schreyer became nationally and internationally known in banjo circles for his articles and columns in fretted instrument publications such as BMG of London, England, and the FIGA magazine of the Fretted Instrument Guild of America. He authored chapters on the banjo in the books Ragtime: Its History, Music and Composers (1985) and The Banjo on Record: A Bio-Discography (1993). He also did a biography, The Eddie Peabody Story, (2000) on the famous professional banjoist who first inspired him to take up banjo as a teen-ager. Schreyer's most recent book was The Banjo Entertainers: Roots to Ragtime (2007).

In recognition of his banjo performance and writing, he was inducted into the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame in 1997 and the National Four-String Banjo Hall of Fame in 2002.

Schreyer was born in New Ulm, Minn., Sept. 10, 1929, to Roman and Irma (Fritsche) Schreyer. He attended Washington School and St. Paul's Lutheran Grade School and graduated from New Ulm High School in 1947.

After his freshman year at Gustavus Adolphus College and sophomore year at Mankato State Teachers College, he took a break from schooling to work as a reporter and advertising man at the New Ulm Review. At the same time, he started his musical career performing on early live radio in New Ulm as “Hector and His Banjo” with the KNUJ Trail Riders country western band.

During the Korean War he went on active duty with the Minnesota Army National Guard, 1950-52. Once back in civilian life, he played with Rod Morris and his Missourians and Cotton Nixon and the Boll Weevils in Arkansas before returning to Mankato State College to continue his higher education under the GI Bill. He graduated with a B.S. degree in December of 1956 and immediately went to work as a reporter at the Mankato Free Press. In 1970 Schreyer was invited to become director of the Mankato State University News Service. Continuing his banjo activities on weekends and summer breaks, he held that position until his retirement in 1992.

He is survived by his loving and supportive wife Margaret (Woods) whom he married July 18, 1959; two sons, Tim of Chromo, Colo., and Ted and wife Vickie of Mankato; two daughters, Debbie and husband Tom Owens of Maplewood and Dori and husband Scott Murray of Cincinnati, Ohio; eight grandchildren, Natalie, Jarrod, Jessica and Collin Schreyer of Mankato and Jack, Sammy Jo, Danny and Josie Murray of Cincinnati; one brother, Gene and wife Grace of Mankato and their children, Julianna, Brent and Christiana; and three sisters-in-law, Mary and husband Marvin Schweim of Mankato, Doris Woods and Darlene Woods of rural Lake Crystal; and additional nieces and nephews.

Lowell and wife Margaret were active as chaperones with the Schreyer family in organizing and touring with the original 77 Lancers bands. The Schreyer family was inducted into the Lancer Hall of Fame in 2007.

A member of Immanuel Lutheran Church of Mankato, he served as congregational secretary for 43 years. Memorials may be directed to the Immanuel Lutheran Grade and High School tuition trust fund, the National Four-String Banjo Hall of Fame Museum Eddie Peabody Film Restoration Fund, the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, or the donor's choice.

One of Lowell's final writing projects was this obituary. ( Jan. 6, 2007)

My friend Jackie Lynn MacCoy sent me this thought which I thought I
would share with you...
He was surely one of the greatest.
Sean Moyses.


In honor of our beloved Eddie, who went home to be with the Lord 37
years ago about now, a little after 7 in the morning, November 7th,
1970........

Some people have left some nice words on this site to remember
him..........AOL Image Search results for "eddie peabody images"

His music and spirit live on forever. We love you, Eddie.

"We’ll meet again" This was the promise made in 2004, also the opening number at the Banjo Party in Düsseldorf which was held and sponsored by the Düsseldorfer Banjo Club with Leader Günter Amendt.
After a 3 year break the DBC had the urge to fulfill the promise and run a festival again for all the banjo players around Europe as well as attracting a few overseas visitors.
Program Friday:
MC Dieter Grosche
Düsseldorfer Banjo Band...with 25 active members (terrific, but true)
Hans Jörg Elter Plektrum,
Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Zeggert, tenor and Werner Degenhardt sousaphone
Trio Harmony,Christian Wegener plectrum, Romy Mäder, vocal&accordion, Martin Marczinke, vocal & tuba
John Huntsberger and friends...Dr.Joachim Hafkesbrink, Dr.Joachim Hamacher, Rolf Quack, Christian Schmitt, Joachim Hippenstiel
Sean Moyses
Tom Stuip and friends

Saturday
MC Dieter Grosche
Düsseldorfer Banjo Band
Bernhard Türk with Arnd Urhahn
Peter Bayerer with Rudi Redl
Jan Capec und Jakob Swoboda
John Huntsberger and friends w/o Dr.Hamacher und Christian Schmitt, additionaly Armin Runge Kontra Bass
Arno Hagenaars and Erwin Leijz

Through my longtime friendship with the artists I was able to have them on stage. Thanks for doing this for me and the club. There were different workshops on Saturday, they had mostly good feedback . We had also some exhibition stands with music stuff, banjos, guitars, etc, from Dag Bennend , Enzo Mucci, Sean Moyses and Tom Stuip
Special guests were : From Belgium - Catou Pecher and her husband Marc, who promises to send us many nice pictures, From Luxembourg - Ralph Bast and Herman Stute, From the Netherlands - Eric v.d.Lange,from Scotland - Bill Sommerville, who will report about the Banjo Party in Banjo Broad Sheet.....just to mention a few of many.
We had also our friend Jan Capec who recorded the whole banjo show on Video. If anybody would like to send recordings (audio or video) to myself, I will get them collated and presented for friendly distribution amongst the players/attendees.
Festival organisation and co-oordination was by Joachim Hippenstiel. Contact(Johippenstiel@compuserve.de)

My impression of the weekend was that it was one of the best banjo shows I have been to with lot of good music , fun and good friends.... what more do we need? I should mention this could not happen without the energy and power of the members of the Düsseldorfer Banjo Band, their wives and many banjo friends. Here is our "Thankyou!" to all the Düsseldorfer Banjo Club!!

Greetings, Joachim Hippenstiel.

Some feedback from our performers.....

Tom Stuip: Hallo Achim, I also really enjoyed playing there. Thank you for all the work you did organizing this festival. Tom.

Hans Jörg Elter: Thank you for doing so fine and the outstanding backup to have this wonderful party , with lot of good music and meeting all the banjo friends at least of the last 20 years or was it 30 years?

John Huntsberger: Highlight of my first trip to Europe as I was invited by Mr. Achim Hippenstiel to play at the All-German Banjo Rally in Dusseldorf where several of the top banjoists in Europe gathered for two nights of banjo playing, entertainment and fun. Many of the banjo players were unknown to me, although I recognized and met Sean Moyses, Hans Jörg Elter, Tom Stuip and Arno Hagenaars from The Netherlands, Peter Bayerer, and Günter Amendt, leader of the Dusseldorf Banjo Club.
Catou Pecher: I want to thank you again, you and all the banjoclub, for the wonderful moments we shared with all of you.the ambiance was good, the music was good, the food was good, the organisation was good, the choice of the musicians was good. We met a lot of nice people and we will keep contact.I recorded nearly everyting and I will put it on my website with the pictures that Marc took during the weekend.


"We’ll meet again"...Das war das Versprechen aus dem Jahr 2004 und auch das Einleitungsstück für das diesjährige Banjotreffen, der Banjo Party in Düsseldorf .Ausgerichtet von der Düsseldorfer Banjo Band mit Leader Günter Amendt.

Nach einer 3 jährigen Pause wollte die DBB für sich selbst und die vielen Spieler und Banjofreunde aus Deutschland und ganz Europa, dieses Versprechen einlösen.
Programm Freitag:

Programmführung Dieter Grosche
Düsseldorfer Banjo Band mit 25 aktiven Mitgliedern (unglaublich aber wahr)
Hans Jörg Elter Plektrum,
Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Zeggert, Tenor und Werner Degenhardt Susaphon
Trio Harmony,Christian Wegener plectrum, Romy Mäder, vocal&Akkordion, Martin Marczinke, vocal & Tuba
John Huntsberger and friends Dr.Joachim Hafkesbrink, Dr.Joachim Hamacher, Rolf Quack, Christian Schmitt, Joachim Hippenstiel
Sean Moyses
Tom Stuip

Samstag
Programmführung Dieter Grosche
Düsseldorfer Banjo Club
Bernhard Türk und Arnd Urhahn
Peter Bayerer und Rudi Redl
Jan Capec und Jakob Swoboda
John Huntsberger and friends - ohne Dr.Hamacher und Christian Schmitt, jedoch mit Armin Runge Kontra Bass
Arno Hagenaars und Erwin Leijz

Durch langjährige Freundschaften mit den auftretenden Künstlern konnte ich diese für die Teilnahme gewinnen. Samstags wurden verschiedene Workshops angeboten, die zum Teil gut besucht waren. Ich persönlich hätte mir eine größere Teilnahme gewünscht. Ferner waren einige Ausstellungsstände mit u.a. Dag Bennend und Enzo Mucci, Sean Moyses und Tom Stuip

Besondere Gäste : aus Belgien -Catou Pecher mit ihrem Mann Marc, der uns noch viele schöne Aufnahmen (Fotos) schicken wird. Aus Luxemburg - Ralph Bast und Herman Stute , aus Holland - Eric v.d.Lange, aus Schottland - Bill Sommerville, der im Banjo Broad Sheet einen Artikel schreiben wird.
Um nur einige zu nennen.Ferner der Freund von Jan Capec der die ganze Session videomässig aufgenommen hat. Bezüglich der Koordination von Aufnahmen – Video/ DVD/ Audio - bitte melden bei Johippenstiel@compuserve.de. .

Mein Resümee: Eine gelungene, sehr musikalische und harmonische Veranstaltung, mit Flair, ermöglicht durch den Einsatz der Düsseldorfer Banjo Band, deren Ehepartner und den vielen Freunden. Ein recht herzliches Dankeschön der Düsseldorfer Banjo Band an alle.

i.A.

Joachim Hippenstiel



Hier einige Kommentare

Tom Stuip
Hallo Achim, I also really enjoyed playing there. Thank you for all the work you did organizing this festival. Tom

Hans Jörg Elter. Danke für Deine umsichtige Vorbereitung und kompetente Begleitung zu dieser wunderbaren Banjoparty mit viel guter Musik und dem Wiedertreffen alle guten Banjofreunde der letzten 20 Jahre! Oder waren es schon 30 Jahre?!

John Huntsberger schrieb: Highlight of my first trip to Europe as I was invited by Mr. Achim Hippenstiel to play at the All-German Banjo Rally in Dusseldorf where several of the top banjoists in Europe gathered for two nights of banjo playing, entertainment and fun.
Also ein Lob von einem alten Hasen in Sachen Banjofestival, der nebenbei als Schüler Frank Vignola und Howard Alden unterrichtet hat.
Catou Pecher: I want to thank you again, you and all the banjoclub, for the wonderful moments we shared with all of you.the ambiance was good, the music was good, the food was good, the organisation was good, the choice of the musicians was good. We met a lot of nice people and we will keep contact.I recorded nearly everyting and I will put it on my website with the pictures that Marc took during the weekend.


MY TRIP TO THE ALL-GERMAN BANJO RALLY

October 12th and 13th this year was the highlight of my first trip to Europe as I was invited by Mr. Achim Hippenstiel to play at the All-German Banjo Rally in Dusseldorf where several of the top banjoists in Europe gathered for two nights of banjo playing, entertainment and fun.
My nervousness about not knowing how words in English would ‘go over’ with the audience was at a high level. After performing and singing, my nervousness left as most people in the audience spoke and understood English far better than I understand German. “I Wish That I Was Born In Borneo”, “Floating Down That Old Green River”, “A Ghost Of A Chance” and “Borneo” went over well although the tremor in my voice didn’t prompt any offers >from a recording company! The group with whom I played included Joachim Hippenstiel on plectrum, Dr. Joachim Hamacher on bass sax, Christian Schmidt on clarinet, Dr. Joachim Hafgesbrink, on banjo and guitar and Rolf Quack, tenor banjo. Dr. Hafgesbrink played a Django-style “Dream” and “I’ll See You In My Dreams on guitar. Without the assistance of these very good musicians, “John Huntsberger and Friends” might not have received the applause and positive comments at the end of our two performances. And, yes, we could have called our group “The Three Joachims” and friends!
Many of the banjo players were unknown to me, although I recognized and met Sean Moyses, Hans Jörg Elter, Tom Stuip and Arno Hagenaars from The Netherlands, Peter Bayerer, and Günter Amendt, leader of the Dusseldorf Banjo Club. Perhaps the finest tenor player I have ever heard was Peter Bayerer and his B&D banjo. He was astoundingly fast, clean and produced beautiful music; some of the tunes were his own compostions. Sean Moyses was playing his beautiful Pietsch plectrum banjo – a work of art, as was his fine playing. A girl with him sang, “Amazing Grace” in a fine blues fashion. Hans Jörg Elter played his beautiful homemade plectrum banjo created while he worked at Richlieu’s Banjos. Bernhard Türk (Pietsch tenor banjo) , Jan Capec and Jakob Swoboda, an exciting Trio Harmony. Tom Stuip played his plectrum banjo in his superb soft and mellow style while wearing red shoes and a red shirt. I don’t think the shoes and shirt had anything to do with his playing, but certainly let you focus on his performance. Arno Hagenaars played with his outstanding Harry Reser style.
Should any of the readers get a chance to travel to Europe for a banjo rally, don’t hesitate in taking the time and using your money for events of this kind. They rival the ones here in America for the enthusiastic performances you will experience. And, feel free to contact me, John Huntsberger, for further information.

www.jazzbanjo.nl
PROGRAMMA / PROGRAM ZONDAG / SUNDAY 11 NOVEMBER 2007

11.30 Deur open Festival
11.45 Workshop Hans-Joerg Elter (Duitsland)
13.00 Boschstraat Banjo Jam
13.30 Trio Harmonie Jena + Tom Stuip
14.00 Rocky van Schaik - Jongste Banjo Prof
14.30 Boschstraat Banjo Jam
15.00 Pauze
15.30 Boschstraat Banjo Jam
16.00 Hans-Joerg Elter (Duitsland)
16.45 Tom Stuip samen met
Hans de Bruijn op piano en
Ad Houtepen bas sax en vocaal
17.30 Boschstraat Banjo Jam
18.30 Einde / The End

LOKATIE / LOCATION
Gebouw Vereniging Artishock
Steenhoffstraat 46a - 3764 BM Soest - 035 601 95 77
Adres en route / Address and Route

BANJOJAM
De banjojam is voor iedere banjoist om aan mee te doen. Geen Banjo muzikanten die toch mee willen doen moeten zich eerst aanmelden bij de organisatie.
The Banjojam is open for every banjoplayer. Non Banjo musicians who want to join must report with the organisers.

ENTRÉE / ENTRANCE FEE
Entree is open voor iedereen !!
Uw bijdrage is € 7,00 voor de onkosten
Entrance is for everybody !!
Your sponsorship will be € 7,00 to cover the costs.

VERKOOP TAFELS / SALES TABLES
Gratis tafels beschikbaar
Free tables are availeble

ORGANISATIE / ORGANISATION
Management: Fetze Pijlman
Tel +31 35 6284592 / 6247562
info@jazzbanjo.nl

Hans-Joerg Elter is een van de beste Duitse Banjoisten en staat o.a. bekend door zijn vertolking van Take Your Pick, het nummer wat Arie Ligthart legendarisch maaktte. Hij trad op o.a. met Stephan Grapelli en raakte via hem geboeid op de Hot Club de France muziek. Hij is bekend van vele internationale festivals en is een beminnelijke banjoist.


Tom Stuip begon tenor banjo te spelen toen hij 12 was. Hij wilde eigenlijk liever een witte electrische gitaar zoals Tommy Steele had, maar financiën waren ontoereikend dus confisceerde hij de banjo van opa. De tenorbanjo werd enige jaren later omgezet in een plectrum banjo en een carriere vol roem en glorie lag voor de boeg. Belangrijkste banjoistische invloeden waren achtereenvolgens: Eddy Smith (Chris Barber's Jazz Band), Eddie Peabody, Elmer Snowden en Buddy Wachter.


Met zijn 21-jarige leeftijd is Rocky op het moment op het proffesionele gebied: de jongste banjoist van Nederland". Hij is begonnen op gitaar waarbij hij jazz en pop gestudeerd heeft bij Matthijs Spek te Utrecht. Tenorbanjo is nu zijn lust en zijn leven. Hij heeft o.a. opgetreden met Arno Hagenaars.


Het Trio Harmonie uit Jena treed op met een byzondere samenstelling t.w. banjo, sousaphon en accordeon. Door deze unieke samenstelling van instrumenten ontstaan er byzondere klanken en ongebruikelijke stemmen. Zij spelen niet alleen de traditionele jazz maar ook de muziek uit de 20 en 30-tiger jaren zoals Foxtrott, Tango en andere wereldmuziek uit die tijd.

The intent in bringing you this message is to let you know about a new banjo magazine for both the tenor and plectrum community. By reading this announcement, you will begin to see that FYI brings a new dynamic to informative sources for banjo related material. Its content is timely, yet timeless. It is visually a delight to see. It includes web site links that take the reader directly to on-line sites, and each issue comes to subscribers as an email attachment in .pdf format that can be read, saved and printed directly on your computer. You will, of course, need Adobe Reader to view FYI in .pdf format (its free), but FYI is subscriber friendly; our costs are less and you pay less than publications produced as traditional hard copy magazInes!


For Potential Subscribers contact Brad Boone at banjoi@aol.com

If this new approach to banjo publication peeks your interest, take this as your invitation to become a supporter by subscribing to FYI today. The first issue is slated to be ready for distribution by January 10th, 2008 and subsequent issues will be distributed on the 10th of each month thereafter. This offer serves to solicit your 12 copy subscription, now available at just $12.00 per year. This is not a traditional auction - just use the buy-it-now feature and pay using PayPal. When notified that your payment has been credited to seller's account, your name will be added to our subscription base and seller will confirm your subscription status. Our first issue will be released January 10th, 2008 and you will receive your first issue as an email attachment on that date. Our first issue, Volume 1, Number 1, features articles focusing on banjo personalities, perfecting the tremolo, learning ear playing techniques, a few ads, loads of pictures and graphics plus up-to-date news from the banjo community.

SPECIAL NOTE For Potential Advertisers

For those who market banjo related merchandise, the FYI format offers a unique ability for advertisers to reach a targeted audience. Your message is visually enhanced in full color and more conducive to attracting attention. Add to this the fact that your ad can include a web link that will immediately take the reader direct to your web site and you can begin to appreciate the added value of advertising in FYI. What makes this medium of particular value to your business is the extremely modest cost to bring your message into the 21st century. Would-be advertisers are encouraged to contact Brad at banjoi@aol.com for details.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

THIS HAS GOT TO BE ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING BANJO OFFERS OF ALL TIME!

Contributors include some of the world's best known teachers. Many articles focus on learning techniques. Each issue in full dramatic color. Countless graphics and diagrams train & entertain Comes with links that take the reader directly to related web sites.
Specifically geared to the needs of both tenor and plectrum players, FYI is published for the 4-string enthusiast who wants to stay abreast of what's happening in the banjo world, know who some of the best players are, and learn a variety of techniques that will improve their banjo playing skills. Most importantly, its current and timely, and up-to-date in a way that takes banjoing into the next century. Become a premier subscriber today and you'll be entitled to a 10% discount on all subsequent renewals!

Deering announces the latest Goodtime banjo…4 strings with 19-frets of musical opportunity waiting to be explored! In response to the resurgence of interest by Irish players to the 19-fret tenor banjo, the ever-popular Goodtime banjo in a 19-fret scale length is joining the ranks of its 17-fret cousin, already well received across the ocean and around the world! Fast-paced Irish jigs and reels played on the banjo traditionally found players preferring a closer fret scale and thus the 17-fret tenor banjo was popularly used for this purpose. Today’s new tenor players, including the noted Jerry O’Connor, are finding the increased versatility of a 19-fret scale to their liking. The Deering neck is noted for its slender, fast feel, qualities especially suited to lively Celtic tunes.
Creating the Goodtime in this increasingly popular scale length makes it more easily accessible to new and experienced players alike. Increased musical versatility at the same price as the 17-fret, they are retailing from $479 to $929 in the natural blond finish or $629 through $1129 in the stained Goodtime Classic style. Call your local authorized Deering dealer today, or call Deering banjos at their toll free USA number, 800-845-7791.
“The magic is in the music,” Greg Deering is very fond of saying. Deering banjos believe in keeping the doors wide open to all forms of musical expression. The current versatility in the Goodtime line has been made in response to customer requests. This latest 19-fret Goodtime was created because of an increased interest from banjo enthusiasts world-wide. With the same ease of playability and quality used in Deering’s upper line banjos, the Goodtime banjo is perfect for both new and experienced banjoist.
For more information, log on to www.Deeringbanjos.com or USA customers can call their toll free number, 800-845-7791.

Ein Club von Banjospielern? Ist eine glänzende und klingende Idee!
Sechs Banjospieler, d. h. "alte Hasen" aus der Münchener Szene und "Beginner" aus der Umgebung fanden sich im Januar 2007 zu einem Stammtisch in den ehrwürdigen Räumen des Alten Wirts zu Ramersdorf zusammen und gründeten den 1. Münchener Banjo-Club.

Die Liebe zum Banjo und damit besonders die Pflege des traditionellen Dixielands waren bereits Begeisterung und Grund genug, Erfahrungen auszutauschen und zu fachsimpeln. Vor allem aber wird gemeinsam gespielt – und das heißt der so unverwechselbar schöne Klang vieler Banjos zusammen ...

Natürlich ist auch geplant, sich der Öffentlichkeit als 1. Münchener Banjo-Club zu präsentieren ...

Die Gründungsmitglieder:-Bernd Rauch, Hans Dengler, Gerhard Rehmann, U.W., G.S. und U.R. (da muss ich erst mal die Einwilligung einholen, die Namen hier zu veröffentlichen!)

Das Statut:-brauch' ma ned! Es gibt keine Einschränkungen für die Mitgliedschaft, alle Banjos und deren SpielerInnen sind willkommen.

Sehen www.banjoclub.net

Die Banjoband des 1.MBC sucht weiter einen Proberaum im Münchner Stadtgebiet.
Sachdienliche Hinweise bitte nicht an die nächste Polizeidienststelle sondern an Bernd Rauch, Tel. (08034) 309976.

The National Museum of Civil War Medicine is proud to announce the
second annual Antietam Early Banjo Conference to be held at the Pry
House Field Hospital Museum in Keedysville, Md Sept 14, 15 and 16th
(http://civilwarmed.org/events.cfm). This year's event is being held
in cooperation with the Piedmont Folk Legacy of North Carolina. The
purpose of the event is to raise awareness of the important role the
early banjo played in multicultural roots of American popular music
and culture and the role music played in the lives of our Civil War
ancestors.

Last year the conference brought together 32 stroke style banjo
players from 14 states to take part in 19th century banjo workshops,
jam sessions and scholarly lectures. This year the program has been
expanded to include one-on-one mentoring sessions and a Civil War era
banjo-building workshop.

There will be a public concert and stroke style banjo contest on
Saturday September 15th at 4:00 p.m. Feel free to bring a picnic
basket, blanket or chair and eat dinner on the lawn of the historic
Pry House! The concert will be held rain or shine. Rain location
will be the inside of the Pry House Barn. Tickets will be available
at the gate, $5.00 for adults or $15.00 for a carload. All proceeds
benefit the National Museum of Civil War Medicine.

The banjo contest winner will be awarded a handmade fretless
antebellum banjo reproduction. Last year's winner, Greg Adams of
Germantown, Maryland, graciously auctioned his prize banjo to raise
money for the Akonting Cultural Center in Gambia (western Africa).
The center is dedicated to the preservation of traditional African
culture including the African antecedents of the American banjo.

Those wishing to attend the conference or wanting information on the
concert should contact the Museum at 301-695-1864. The Pry House is
located on the Antietam National Battlefield at 18906 Shepherdstown
Pike (MD route 34), between Sharpsburg and Boonesboro Maryland.

David Price's new project of backing tracks for banjo players is now available. With a booklet of music, tips and chords, a CD disk with melody and one without, this is a useful rehearsal tool to have in your library. He has used live backing and real instruments where-ever possible and it steers away from the awful mechanical keyboard backings presently available. The 24 tracks are Amazing Grace, Baby face,Bei mir bist du schön, Bill Bailey, Bye bye blues, Darktown strutters ball, Dinah, Five foot two, Frankie and Johnny, I can't give you anything but love, If I had you, I'll see you in my dreams, Ja da, Love letters in the sand, Margie, Mr. Sandman, Some of these days,Spanish eyes,Swanee River, Sway,Sweet Georgia Brown, The world is waiting for the sunrise, When the saints go marching in and Whispering. Each tune plays three choruses through.
The package costs GBP.23 which includes postage within the U.K.
Contact David at dvprice@tiscali.co.uk for more details or visit www.jazzbanduk.info

Cynthia Sayer's New CD

Cynthia Sayer is proud to announce the release of her new CD, "ATTRACTIONS" with Bucky Pizzarelli"

For instant purchase, please visit www.cynthiasayer.com, & click on Recordings

1. Viper Mad (Sidney Bechet)
2. Half As Much (Hank Williams)
3. Banjo Tango (Cynthia Sayer)
4. Shakin’ The Blues Away (Irving Berlin)
5. Over The Rainbow (Harburg & Arlen)
6. El Choclo (A.G. Villoldo)
7. The Gift (Cynthia Sayer)
8. Romance Without Finance (Tiny Grimes)
9. Dark Eyes (traditional)
10. You Are My Sunshine (Davis & Mitchell)
11. Swing De Paris (Django Reinhardt)
12. Abba Dabba Honeymoon (Fields & Donovan)
13. Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 (Franz Liszt)
Personnel:
Cynthia Sayer – banjo, vocals, arrangements
Bucky Pizzarelli – guitar
Scott Robinson – soprano, tenor & baritone saxes, clarinet
Randy Sandke – trumpet
Jim Fryer – trombone
Sara Caswell – violin
Greg Cohen – string bass
Joe Ascione – percussion

The New England Jazz BanjoFest will be held as previously announced
but at a new venue.
We will be at the Holiday Inn in Boxborough, MA.
The cutoff date for the $87 room rate is September 15.
Details of the festival will be forthcoming.

Friday, October 12 to Sunday, October 14

Holiday Inn hotel, 242 Adams Place, Boxborough, Mass, USA. 01719
For Rooms Call: 978-263-8701

Special Room Rate $87 (cutoff 9/12/07) – ask for BanjoFest rate

For More Information Call:
Allen Padwa 508-754-7918 or allen@padwacaldwell.com

Landelijke Banjo Dag Zondag 11 November 2007. Het programma is klaar, zie www.jazzbanjo.nl . Met vriendelijke groet, Fetze Pijlman, info@jazzbanjo.nl

6e Jaarlijks/Annual Holland Jazz - Banjo Festival
Zondag / Sunday 11 November 2007, 11.00 -18.00 uur / hrs

Gebouw / JazzPlace Vereniging Artishock, Steenhoffstraat 46a, 3764 BM Soest, (between Amsterdam - Amersfoort)

SPECIAL GUEST STARS :Hans Jorg Elter - Tom Stuip - Trio Harmonie - Rocky van Schaik

5.30 STEAMBOAT BILL JR [U]
Starring Buster Keaton, Ernest Torrence. 1928. 71 mins.
Featuring one of the most famous stunts in movie history, this tale of an effete ukelele-playing soul being pushed by his father into the hard world of steamboat sailing is full of audaciously groundbreaking routines and the trademark Keaton mix of pathos and comedy.
There will be live accompaniment to the first and last reel of the film from Julian Vincent on banjo and Keith Nichols on piano. The middle section of the film will feature the recorded musical accompaniment.
£8 full/£6 concessions/£5 Members

7.30-late BANJO CONCERT
Enjoy an evening in the company of some of the world’s finest exponents of banjo-playing. The programme will include bluegrass from the world-famous Leon Hunt, 1920s pieces from Brian Masters, classical Edwardian and ragtime from Elias Sibley and jazz and novelty from festival organiser Julian Vincent, plus a recreation of Murray's Banjo Quartet, featuring Keith Nichols on piano.

£14 full/£13 concessions/£12 members
Combined ticket for both banjo events £20 full price, £17 concessions, £15 Members
The Bath Banjo Festival continues on Sunday 8 July at the American Museum, Claverton Down, UK.

With summer now approaching, we are busy planning the 9th Midland Banjo Fest. Once again it will be held at the Bretby Conference Centre, Bretby near Burton on Trent on Saturday 13th October admission £5.00, pay on the door.
At this date we are able to say that David Price; Howard Shepherd; Elias Sibley; Cliff & Roger; Banjovi Revival and Ray Bernard (accompanied by pianist Karen Shutt) will be entertaining us along with many of our other stars who have yet to confirm. It you wish to play please let Reg Stranks know A.S.A.P. for anything up to a 15 minute spot. First come, first served!
The MBF is a gathering of all styles of banjo music from the amateur to professional, with enthusiasts & players meeting up, chatting, buying, selling, relaxing & enjoying good company. A mid – afternoon ‘Community Jam Session,’ followed by a Concert in wish anyone can play, with the conclusion in the evening of the ‘Free Prize Banjo Draw,’ and our ‘Grande Finale’ community swing session.
Originally created in 1999 by Cliff Atkin & Roger Bower at the Bass Museum, followed by the Queens Hotel in Burton on Trent, success determined that more space was required and in 2001 the MBF moved to it’s home in Bretby Conference Centre. In 2005 the MBF was transferred into the hands of Reg Stranks, who is the current Organizer of the Fest.
The Bretby Conference Centre is of a very comfortable 4star standard with a full service of hot & cold snacks, hot meals, licensed bar, hot & cold soft drinks all prepared by quality Chef’s. In addition there is adjoining accommodation, £45 single, £54 (double or twin) room cost (£27 each for those prepared to share inclusive of full English breakfast & VAT.
The Conference Centre is situated 3 miles South of Burton on Trent,Staffordshire within the Bretby Business Park in the village of Bretby,on the A511 Ashby Road, a short taxi ride from Burton on Trent railway station. Hull Ferry docks approx., 108 miles (170 km) with good motorway connections. East Midlands airport approx., 15 miles (24 km)
Disabled Facilities Bretby Conference Centre is fully equipped to cater for people with Disabilities, having disabled toilets on each floor, lift & disabled bedrooms.
Admission for children 12 years of age & below is free. Whilst we are keen to introduce & promote the banjo to all children, for safety reasons children are only admitted under the supervision of a responsible adult on a 4:1 ratio.
Admission above this ratio can only be by prior written consent by the Organiser.

Go to www.midlandbanjofest.com

New from David Price (banjo and superstar) is a CD featuring the following tunes:-When you're smiling, I'm gonna sit right down and write myself a letter,Unchained melody, Somewhere over the rainbow,Ain't she sweet/Yes sir that's my baby,Basin Street blues, Dinah,September in the rain, Mr. Sandman,Margie, My blue heaven, Sway,Love letters in the sand, Amor, I can't give you anything but love,If I had you, C'est si Bon, Its a sin to tell a lie,Paper moon and Manha de carnival. Contact David at dvprice@tiscali.co.uk for more details.

Hi Everyone!
I invite you to come by during my upcoming June tour to Germany & Switzerland. I have listed it below. It would be great to see you! Also, my new CD, "Attractions" -- with legendary jazz guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli and other top NYC players, will be available for the first time on this tour! Otherwise, the official release date for ordering "Attractions" is 01 July, '07. I hope you are enjoying a wonderful spring!!
Warmest wishes, Cynthia.

June 6- 18:
Germany tour with Cynthia plus Englebert Wrobel (clar/sax) & Henning Gailing (string bass).
June 8 -- Osterode (Harz) -- 8:00 PM
June 9 -- Eisenach -- 8:00 PM
June 10 -- Lagenfeld -- 11:00 AM
June 13 -- Bocholt -- 8:00 PM
June 14 -- Osnabrück -- 8:00 PM
June 15 -- Lörrach, at Jazztone -- 8:30 PM
June 17 -- Ehingen -- 11:00 AM
June 17 -- Ulm, at Barfüßer Brauhaus -- 8:00 PM
For further information, please email to: E.Wrobel@t-online.de

June 20- July 1:
Switzerland tour of "Cynthia Sayer - Jacky Milliet Quartet" with Cynthia plus Jacky Milliet (clar, Swiss), Jacques Gauthe (clar/sax, USA), & Mauro Batisti (string bass, Italy).
June 20 -- Porrentruy Golf Club*
June 21- 26 -- Ascona Jazz Festival
June 29 -- Lugano*
June 30 -- Vevy*
*For further information, please email to: jj.milliet@bluewin.ch

I also invite you to visit to http://www.myspace.com/cynthiasayer
to check out 2 tunes newly posted from "Attractions," my soon-to-be-released CD (this August) with Bucky Pizzarelli plus other top NYC players! Hope you enjoy them!

ATTRACTIONS:
Cynthia Sayer -- banjo, vocals, arrangements
Bucky Pizzarelli - guitar
Scott Robinson - soprano, tenor, baritone saxes & clarinet
Jim Fryer - trombone
Sara Caswell - violin
Greg Cohen - string bass
Joe Ascione - percussion
....also on CD (not on cuts posted):
Susan Taylor - harp
Sid Gottlieb, Joe Ascione, Seymour Pond - backup vocals

Beste Muziek liefhebber;

De Landelijke Banjodag ondersteunt van harte het initiatief van Hans de Roon om tijdens het Breda Jazz Festival weer traditiegetrouw een Big Banjo Jam te houden op het terras van Chinees Eethuis Gantau Village ( Tel 076-5208929), Boschstraat 19) in Breda. Naast Banjoisten zie je er ook blazers, die hieraan deelnemen.

Het is dagelijks van 13.00 - 18.00 uur en daarna de gezamelijke spotgoedkope chinese hap. Kom kijken naar deze unieke swingende jam !

De Landelijke Banjodag is Zondag 11 November 2007. De lokatie is nog niet bekend maar wel centraal in het land.

zie vooral deze site:
http://www.jazzbanjo.nl/page6.html

Fetze Pijlman
www.jazzbanjo.nl
http://www.jazzfestivalbreda.nl/

If you are planning on being in California in June, then you may run into the folks at Deering Banjos! The summer fun begins with 3 free workshops at the Spring Valley, Ca, factory location on Saturday, June 9th. The Huck Finn Festival in Victorville will have Lawson Peets representing Deering Banjos from June 15-17. If you are in northern California, then you will have the opportunity to meet both Janet and Greg Deering, along with their representative, Todd Wright, at the Father’s Day Festival in Grass Valley from June 14-17. There will be lots of Deering banjos to play and workshops to attend! Check the Deering website, www.deeringbanjos.com for details.
The June 9th factory workshops will be led by Lawson Peets, Deering’s director of market expansion and a long time banjo enthusiast. There will be a “Banjomania” workshop in the morning at 10:30 AM to give attendees the basics of banjo playing. No banjo needed…just bring your enthusiasm! At 1PM there will be a banjo maintenance workshop followed by a musical journey on the history of the banjo at 2:30 PM. Free factory tours will be held throughout the day from 10 AM through 4 PM and it’s all FREE! Call the Deering toll free number, 800-845-7791 to register!
Greg Deering will be doing a maintenance workshop at the Father’s Day Festival in the beautiful wooded area of northern California in the city of Grass Valley. Janet Deering will be there on the weekend and Todd Wright, Director of Artists Relations, will be at the Father’s Day Festival throughout the June 14-17th dates. They have slated Rhonda Vincent and the Rage and the Del McCoury Band among the many bluegrass bands at the Nevada County Fairgrounds. You can see more information and order tickets by logging on to www.cbaontheweb.org.
The Huck Finn Jubilee is three days of country and bluegrass on the Mojave Narrows Regional Park grounds in Victorville, California. Lawson Peets will be there for Deering banjos and you can come to his banjo workshop to be held during the June 15-17 days of the festival run. Look for Roy Clark, Rhonda Vincent and the Rage, The Dillards, the Cherryholmes Family, and others at this year’s festival. For more details or tickets, log on to www.huckfinn.com.

This is a radio show site with a program about Fred van Eps and his banjo playing. Specially the much too short interview with him made by Lew Green 1959 is very interesting. Fred explains how J.B Shall came to make the first four string banjo ( before 1908) tuned in fifth later named tenor banjo.

http://wfmu.org/playlists/shows/9392

You need a Real Player to be able to play the interview with van Eps. It is located about 40 minutes into the program.
Mr. Van Eps claims that it was a violin player and tuner of banjo playing machines, Louis Stepner of Venice, CA, who ordered the first "Tenor" banjo from J.B Shall. He found out the banjo machine banjos were tuned in fifth with no short string and he thought that he, as a violin player, could play such banjo rather easily.
I have to say that I value the statement from Fred van Eps high. The most interesting facts put forward by Fred van Eps is that these so called banjo playing machines as early as during the nineties removed the fifth string and tuned the banjos in fifth, like a mandolin or later a tenor banjo. Because of that, is it ever possible to find out who were the first to make four string banjos tuned in fifth. Of course during the nineties we had the Faris banjos, probably not tuned in fifth, and the short neck mandolin banjos, tuned in fifth? The prototypes for the tenor banjo were there quite early. However I once saw, about 1992, an original banjo playing machine, price $25.000, in an antique shop in Chester, PA. It had a long four string neck like a plectrum banjo as far as I remember it. So perhaps J.B Shall was the first to make a 19 fret "tenor" banjo tuned in fifth for sale?

From Ulf Jagfors.

This year of reprieve for GLIB proved to be no different than any previous year, it continues to get better each year. An early couple of banjo players, getting ready to jam on Wednesday evening, were enticed into the bar. There they entertained the bar patrons, until the number of banjo players grew to more than the audience. Bill Jackson had to encourage everybody to repair to the atrium, where a continuously growing number of banjo players played into the small hours. A good rousing start for the 2007 GLIB convention.
Thursday was set up time for the display rooms, but this did not distract from the atrium jamming, which started early in the morning and again, carried on into the small hours. Meanwhile, guests from all over the USA and Canada, continued to arrive, immediately joining the festivities. When Greg Allen arrived, he was enthusiastically greeted, everybody was pleased to see that he looked like a new man. About 3:00 pm, several banjo players went out to entertain at a local Dearborn nursing home.
Friday was not very different, except that several small groups were finding every nook and cranny in the hotel (there are many), to rehearse for their part of the evening show. Also, there were workshops and the ladies special event to attend. Another group of banjo players went to entertain at the Dearborn Skippers club.
Because the ballroom was not available for GLIB, until very late Thursday, the extensive stage sound system was still being set up until about 10 minutes before the show started on Friday. There was an angry crowd at the door that had been standing in line waiting well over an hour to get in. They were consoled by the GLIB door attendants, with mint candy, water and much sympathy. When the doors finally were opened, there was a wild rush of enthusiastic geriatrics, to get to the prime seats. Actually, there is not a bad seat in the house.
There were no seats reserved this year for honoured guest, Dr. Ford Topping and his wife Laura. They both decided to help the Jackson Banjo club as stage hands (the best stage hands in the business), Ford working his walker frame with the greatest of skill.
The evening show was initiated by words from president Bill Jackson, who introduced MC, Dr. Joe Sundell. Joe was also playing with and speaking for the Ban-Joes of Michigan band, traditionally, opening the show with Alabama Jubilee. They were followed by the Riverboat Rats from Dayton Ohio, who put on their usual lively show, with excellent vocals by recruits from the Kettering Banjo Society. Then came the Appearing Together Quartet, a Michigan group, followed by Roy Hill from Ontario, Canada. The last act before intermission was Greg Allen and friends, breaking all of the banjo players speed limits as he has always done. It is good to have Greg still with us, after his life threatening ordeal with cancer. Greg’s own composition, Don’t Ever be a Stranger, had special meaning when he sang it this year.
After the interval, the Flint Banjo Club band got the audience hopping again with their usual very lively performance. Then came 18 year old Paul Doerner from California, a graduate of the Capitol Kids band. Paul demonstrated to us that the banjo is not just for older people, youth is coming aboard with gusto. Paul was followed by Mal Cooper and friends, Bill Moynian, Ernie May and friends, then Dr. Jeff Grosser. The evening show was concluded by Johnny Baier, who gave us news that the Four String Banjo Hall of Fame Museum, had been successful, in retrieving a very large collection of antique, one of a kind banjos, from Germany. Some funds were borrowed to complete the transaction, so further financial contributions are still required to support this significant purchase.
The time was late, but this did not prevent a large group of banjo players and people from the show audience, jamming and watching on the atrium, again well into the small hours.
A sleepy crowd came out of their rooms early on Saturday morning, to have breakfast while the Brunch Band performed. This got the day of to a good start, with workshops, display room activity, as well as small groups again finding every nook and cranny to rehearse for their evening performance in the show. This time they were competing with other groups trying to rehearse for the Saturday afternoon Matinee. Meanwhile, the atrium jamming continued endlessly, as usual and as expected.
The afternoon matinee was MC’d by Roy Hill. He introduced the first act, the Raggle Taggle band from Michigan, who played some Celtic music with a twist towards modern swing. Then came a Little bit of Country, players from the Ban-Joes of Michigan, who switched their banjos for piano accordion and guitars. Next was 17 year old Ryan Maike, a graduate of the Next Generation Banjo Band, playing his first solo performance in front of a large audience. Ryan also demonstrated that the banjo will stay alive, as youth gets involved. Ryan performed flawlessly. He was followed by the Bob Moyes Trio, from Dayton, then Side by Side, a Michigan group led by Bill Jackson. As there had been a couple of show cancellations, Paul Doerner was invited back to conclude the show. Paul continued to suffer frequent friendly harassment by a Canadian member of the audience, but he got his own back by telling a very good Canadian joke.
There was barely time to get dinner, before the evening show started. This time, MC’d by Dr Phil Cain from Springfield, Ohio, who missed GLIB last year due to a bout with heart bypass surgery. It was good to have him back. He introduced the Windsor Banjo Club Band, led by Eric Mainwaring, who performed some different and unusual music for a banjo band. This was followed by Al Allotta and friends. Picks & Sticks came next, still “freshly” dressed from their day job at Greenfield Village, where they played the part of hobo’s. They performed their usual exciting music, later turning the audience into a wild frenzy, as Sherry played the hammer dulcimer faster and faster, simulating the Cherry Blossom Special, running late.
Chris Archer, who we have not seen for a while was next, he thanked the organizers for putting him on after Picks & Sticks. As well as playing some great music, Chris had some interesting things to tell about his experience as a cruise ship entertainer. Next was the Ross Hubbell trio from Chicago, who played very exciting Django Reinhardt style music, with driving enthusiasm. The first half of the show was concluded by Girls, Girls, Girls, led by appreciated volunteer, Linda Lehmann. Helen Beneteau, who has organized and led Girls, Girls, Girls for many years, had been too unwell to lead this year, but still helped greatly to get it organized. While Girls, Girls, Girls, were setting up, Bill Jackson introduced and thanked the GLIB committee and others who helped with the convention, including the repeat attendee’s in the audience.
The second half of the Saturday night show was MC’d by L. J. Brown, from Louisiana. It started with the GLIB band, followed by the Banjo Busters. Then came Joe Rodeo, John Ruskinoff and Jim Barrett from Chicago. Buddy Wachter concluded the show, showing his skill on the banjo, then inviting Ross Hubbell to join him. Finally, Johnny Baier came on stage, this fantastic group made a lively and unforgetful end to the GLIB 2007 concert series.
As usual, after the show, the atrium was swarming with banjo players jamming until the small hours of the morning, with members of the show audience finding what seating they could.
What a fitting end to GLIB 2007.

Submitted by Derek Channing

It has been a week since the conclusion of the 15th Early Spring Banjo Fling and as I sit down to write this, I am still attempting to get my brain to accept and process the magnitude of this year’s event for 2007.

Steve Caddick and I decided to change things up a little. In addition to the Thursday evening concert, we added a Friday night show, more lobby performances on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, more food service, better press coverage, and invited the general public to attend the evening concerts. All I can say is WOW! Just for the record, we broke all the records.

Each year the Spring Fling is kicked off on Thursday evening with a Stone Street
Strummers’ free concert for the area Senior Citizens and this year was no different. More than 600 seniors and local folks came strolling into the Holiday Inn’s Buckingham ballroom to hear songs that in the words of the evening’s M/C, Bill O’Neel, “we love to play” and that the folks “love to hear us play“. Thursday’s theme was “A Stroll Down Memory Lane” and The Strummers did not disappoint their fans. Directed by Peter Maher, the Strummers performed a compilation of traditional Jazz and Broadway Show tunes that included 42nd Street, Alabama Jubilee, a solo performance of “Avalon” by cohost Steve Caddick and many more tunes to the delight and applause of the Standing room only crowd. Dick Leggee and Tom Fee each sang their personal favorites Radio and The Torch, with plenty of vocal help from the enthusiastic audience. What a delight it was to see all those smiling faces singing and swaying to songs that brought back memories of good times, a true “Stroll Down Memory Lane”.

Before ending the evening, our Special guest Cynthia Sayer came on Stage to give our audience a small sampling of what was to follow throughout the weekend. Cynthia performed magnificently backed up by Eddy Kebabjian on guitar and Steve Morawiec on string bass. Her cameo performance brought the crowd to their feet in a thunderous standing applause. The Strummers closed the evening with God Bless America to the delight of the still standing and singing crowd. What a start to this weekend of fun friends and music!

Rob Wright, arrived on Thursday, but the airlines had a different schedule for his clothes. Rob used the same clothing for longer than he should have and earned the affectionate nickname “pig pen” until we bought him a few necessities at a local store. But always with a smile on his face, Rob was undeterred. He played banjo until his luggage arrived, just in time for the flight home.


Food Service is a big deal at the Spring Fling. Both Steve & I believe that if you provide good food at a reasonable price, in a pleasant setting everybody is happy. This year we changed the food service to include a Friday evening “Taste of New England” menu in addition to Saturday lunch and Roast Beef or Chicken dinner buffet. The Holiday Inn’s Garden Court provides a visually pleasing setting and the hotel chef set a new standard for great food and service at a very good price. Special meals for special people.

Friday afternoon was time to move the Spring Fling into high gear, start up the “lobby welcome party” The lobby parties began a few years back. At that time the lobby was used only for registration and a spot to mingle while checking into the hotel. How boring we thought, so we got a CD player and started playing music at the welcome table. Roger Sprung asked if he could play in the lobby just for fun. We said OK and the Lobby Party was born. Since then the party has become a little more structured. Selected star entertainers perform 1 hour shows to entertain and get attendees into the right frame of mind. This informal setting is a highlight on the program, a fun part of the weekend where musicians, that come to make music, greet old friends, catch up with others, make new friends, and relax a bit after checking in at the hotel. Additionally, attendees get to listen to and speak with our star performers, in a relaxed and open setting. This year’s
performers were Kurt Abell, Dave Frey, Rob Wright, Jim Rheel, Mike Currao, Steve Caddick and Cynthia Sayer. It was kind of cold outside, but inside the Holiday Inn, the Spring Fling was heating up and the music and performers were already hot!

The Friday night show in the Buckingham Ballroom was new this year and open to the public. The thought was to cut down the Saturday “All Star” afternoon show. The “All Star” show has out grown, with the many talented performers, the available time in the program. Steve Caddick arranged for some of the best performers to show off their talents in 20 minute segments. WOW, what an incredible show of talent. Dr Jeff Grosser got the show started followed by another New England favorite, Mike Hashem. Rob Wright followed up with a performance that was a pleasant mix of vocals and instrumentals that pleased the crowd. Steve Caddick, and California’s budding star performer Paul Doerner both put on unique and entertaining performances and a last minute performance by Peter Mezoian kept the audience glued to their seats. Closing out the evening show with a brilliant performance was Kurt Abell and Dave Frey. Count Banjola performed brilliantly, (as usual), with tunes and a style that keep Kurt on the very top of our all time favorites.

The Saturday Night Show “On the Big Stage”, was the most successful show in Early Spring Fling history. Steve Caddick is always looking to open the Saturday show with something other than Banjo. This year it was “Minor Swing“, a Gypsy Jazz, Django Reinhardt style band that musically massaged the standing room only audience with the sounds from the Quintet of the Hot Club France. Joe Fontaine, Bob Davis, Paul Kolesnikow and Steve Morawiec performed a brilliant 30 minute set as a warm up act for the featured artist, Ms Cynthia Sayer.

What can you say…. …Cynthia Sayer has performed for presidents, toured the world playing jazz banjo, played at the Met and Lincoln Center in New York City……. ……and she can now add to her resume‘ “Headliner for the Early Spring Banjo Fling“. What a treat to listen to, speak with and watch Cynthia Sayer perform. Cynthia put on a one hour performance that included vocals and instrumentals with backup and solos from Steve Morawiec on Bass and Eddy Kebabjian on guitar that were unique and pleasing. Sharing her stage, Cynthia invited young gun Paul Doerner and not so young gun Rob Wright to play "Indiana" with her. They traded solos, and performed to the delight of the
audience. Also sharing the stage was Spring Fling Co-host Steve Caddick. The duo of Sayer and Caddick played “Nobody’s Sweetheart Now”, trading eights, then fours, then twos, and also sang in harmony together. The duo amazed the crowd and rocked the house bringing the standing room only audience to their feet for a standing ovation.

After the Saturday night show was over, the crowds went home and the jam sessions in full swing, my wife Theresa and I invited Cynthia to join us in the bar. We stepped into “Pikes Peak” sat at the bar, ordered a round of drinks and began to chat about the weekend. As I looked around the room, I noticed Linda Lehmann, Marge Baumann, Rob Wright, Kurt Abell and Paul Doerner, jamming and yuking it up. Steve and Cynthia decided to join in. All I could think was, here is a gathering of eagles, top talent having fun enjoying each other’s talent and company. As the night wore on, I noticed Paul Doerner, head leaning against the wall, eyes closed, sleeping but still playing music with the others. What a sight to see.

Finally, The Sunday morning Gospel Jam followed Sunday mass in the Buckingham Ballroom. Tom Fee, in rare form, projected gospel tunes on the big screen for all to play while interjecting some irreverent humor in between. The Gospel Jam was "Jammed" with people and will require a larger room next year. The Gospel jam concluded at 11:00 am but the music just kept on going until the folks just couldn’t jam any more. What a way to end the Early Spring Banjo Fling for 2007, I can ‘t wait till 2008!

2008 Early Spring Banjo Fling
April 3 - 6, 2008
Holiday Inn Mansfield
31 Hampshire St
Mansfield, MA 02048
www.stonestreetstrummers.org

Reported by: Paul Poirier

Thursday Morning early arrivals were excited in anticipation attending Phil & Patty Cain's (23rd year) "Mid-Winter, Banjo-Rama at the Holiday Inn, Springfield, Ohio. Thursday jamming started mid-afternoon proving to be a gala, fun fun fun start for banjoists playing and shooting the breeze with both old and newly found banjo friends.
Friday morning workshop, 10:00am was Joachim Hippenstheil (Germany) "Setting Up The Banjo". Friday, at noon all good natured banjo players en-massed, volunteered their time to play in the hotel auditorium entertaining a myriad of less fortunate youngsters & special education kids. You should have seen the joy on their faces at the sight of a banjo! Bill Jackson was the MC with Dan Stucky singing a song that once made himself famous (ha Ha Ha), ie; "Ain't She Sweet" to a rubber chicken. The kid's loved it. Morgan & Bill also sang one of their special tunes.
Friday afternoon, 2:00pm, Greg Allen's workshop, "Tenor Playing". Friday, 5:00pm, dinner-show, sadly the banjo bass and trumpet trio, did not-show for the dinner-terrace GIG. However, This didn't bother the banjo players or diners who enjoyed entertainment provided by in-house banjoists jamming softly, quietly. Some listeners said "that low-soft acoustic sound was better than listening to a real band". Hmmmmmm, "no microphones or amplifiers"? Is there something for us to be learned here?
At 7:00pm. Fridays concert entertainers were Charlie Khederian, Don Stevison, Bobby McBryde, Kettering Banjo Society, Springfield Banjo Band, Bill Moynihan, Joachim Hippenstheil, Doug Back (5-String & Plectrum) w/guitar accompaniment; young Rob Stucky.
Saturday morning's brunch, 10:00am in the hotel was Doc Cain's "Dixie-cats" with banjo, guitar, key-board, horns & Laurie. The Cats played non-stop in an excellent traditional Dixie style, for over an hour.......
Saturday afternoon, 1:30pm was just a short drive south to Ohio State's football coach, Woody Hayes hometown of Clifton, Ohio. There banjoists single-filed into an old original 1860's built opera house to entertain and play banjo. The place was packed. The audience loved the banjo sound while singing along to all our old standards. Saturday, 3:30pm Harley McCabe, Tenor Banjo workshop was very interesting, "Alternate Chord Progression & Basic Music Theory". Saturday, dinner, 5:00pm enjoyed listening to more closet banjo players on the terrace. It's sound was low-tempo, not loud, very relaxing & informal. Saturday 07:00PM, concert stars were Rick Lovelady, Retta Riggs, Harley McCabe Banjo Busters, Hoosier Banjo Band, Dale Small, Glen Parks Trio, Ragtime Riverboat Rats, Mal Cooper Trio, Greg Allen...
This year's Holiday Inn Hotel staff and cooks were great. The service there was excellent and food moderately priced.
Hope to see you all at the Mid-Winter Banjorama, 2008.

Prepared by Diamond Dan J Stucky (March 26, 2007)

3733 Kenora Drive, Spring Valley, Ca 9197 7 800-845-7791 Website: www.Deeringbanjos.com
For more information contact: Carolina Bridges, Director of Public Relations; email: CarolinaBridges@Deeringbanjos.com
For Immediate Release.
DEERING BANJOS GOES TO MUSIKMESSE FRANKFURT
The Deering Banjo Company, the largest manufacturer of American made banjos in the world, will be exhibiting at the Musikmesse Frankfurt show from March 28-31 this year. With a select display of their premium quality banjos, Janet and Greg Deering will be at the show to meet and greet the over 90,000 dealers, artists, and visitors that come through the multi-level complex that comprises this international trade show. As a special treat to visitors, the Kruger Brothers Band will be on site at the Deering exhibit to play throughout the show. Jens Kruger, the world-renown banjo player in the Kruger Brothers Band, is part of the research and development team at Deering Banjos, along with company founder, Greg Deering. Together they have taken the ever popular Deering banjos to an even greater level of quality craftsmanship, enhanced tone, and ease of playability. Visit them at Musikmesse Frankfurt exhibit number Hall 3.1, F-92..
Though a select offering, the banjos on display will give visitors to the trade show a good idea of the broad range of banjos made by Deering Banjos. Among the banjos that will be on display will be the Classic Goodtime banjos in both tenor and 5 string styling, the very popular Crossfire electric banjo, the Boston 6-string, played like a guitar, and a Black Diamond Long Neck. In addition, Vega fans will enjoy seeing the Vega Professional tenor and the Vega Little Wonder in both the 5-string and 17-fret Irish tenor version.
The highly acclaimed Tenbrooks model Saratoga Star can be seen as well. Traditionalists will enjoy playing the Golden Era, Hartford, and Sierra models. Though limited, the selection of banjos is well chosen to appeal to a broad range of both playing styles and tone preferences.
For more information on the Deering Banjo Company and their banjos, log on to www.deeringbanjos.com . To find out more about the Musikmesse Frankfurt Show, log on to www.musik.messefrankfurt.com .

I was telling an old friend about an Eddie Peabody video that I saw on YouTube (Tiger Rag). It was an early 1940's video with members of the Navy Band. My friend played guitar in the navy band during that time and was friends with Eddie. He told me that he would often go over to Eddies house and they would record tunes on some device he called a "wire recorder". I was wondering any other videos exsist of Eddie and the navy band during the early 1940's as my friend would probably be on them and love to see them. Also would any of you happen to know who might have copies of any of those old recordings?
Thanks.
Jim McDowell.
jamcdow@bellsouth.net

Back in September of 2006 we heard that Jack Convery of the East Bay Banjo Club along with the help of several others in the club was organizing a train trip from Oakland, California to Reno, Nevada. Fliers were distributed among the various banjo players in the region to let them know about the event. The event was entitled, The Snow Train to Reno. For those of you across the country who are not familiar with the California climate, let me explain. As you probably already know, Northern California has a very mild climate. The big cities like San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento and San Jose rarely see snow, but the eastern side the state where the Sierra Nevada Mountains are located gets snow every year and lots of it. Amtrak runs two "Party Trains" per week between Oakland and Reno. One is known as the Fun Train and the other is known as the Snow Train. The Fun Train goes on to Reno on Friday and comes back on Sunday. The Snow Train goes on Tuesday and comes back on Thursday. The banjo trip was scheduled for the Snow Train leaving on Tuesday, February 6th from a suburb of Oakland, Emeryville. It would make four stops in Martinez, Suisun City, Sacramento and Roseville and return on Thursday February 8th taking the same route in reverse.

Dear fellow banjo friends !!
I want to invite you all to check out my brand new website. www.pietsch-banjos.de .
Over the last couple of years I made more and more custom banjos and I needed a faster medium to show off more photo material to the interested banjo public. This
relaunched site includes many previously unissued photos, videos and sound samples.
You are invited to send me your favourite banjo links. Getting "crosslinked" is what this is all about, I guess ??!
Okay , kick back and enjoy a little bit of my "Light Box" photo gallery slide show. Comments and inquiries are welcome - as always..HAVE FUN !
Submitted by Norbert Pietsch, Banjomaker.

Hallo Banjofreunde !
Hiermit möchte ich Euch zum Austesten meiner neuen Webseite einladen. www.pietsch-banjos.de . In den vergangenen Jahren habe ich mehr und mehr Einzelstücke gebaut und ich brauchte eine größere Datenbank um alle meine Fotos zu zeigen. Auf dieser
neuen Webseite sind viele vorher unveröffentlichte Fotos , Videos und Soundbeispiele zu sehen und zu hören .Bitte fühlt Euch angesprochen, mir Eure besten Banjolinks zu senden .Miteinander verlinkt zu sein ist für die Szene sehr wichtig !! Ich wünsche Euch mit der neu gestalteten Fotogallerie und seiner innovativen Technik viel Spaß ! Anfragen und Kommentare sind willkommen .
Von Norbert Pietsch, Banjobau.

Last nite, Tyler Jackson's banjos, all 3, and an electric tenor guitar was stolen
from his vehicle. outside of his Mom';s house, in a "nice" neighborhood.
I's sure most of you will not be in places they may end up.

1956 Vega Vox 3, with a 1960's plectrum neck block and dot neck with an
older 50' Vox 3 overlay on it.
Serial 99xxx
Name in resonator (inside) in magic marker, Skin head

2005 OME tenor, black, tiger maple, "Tyler Jackson" on the back of the
resonator, skin head

2006 Accutone tenor banjo
Vintage amber, Tiger Maple
Pyralin covered neck, white with black blocks, "TJ" on the peghead,
Style 6 Gibson nickel plated engraved hardware.
Name on label on the rim inside
The police are informed.
Like I said, they will most likely not end up anywhere we will see, being so
personalized, but it is best for us to put out this ABP, this young man put a
lot of stock in these instruments, and we are having a tough day over it
all, in Banjohaven.
If what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, then he should be Hercules
after this episode.
Contact Vinnie Mondello (www.banjohaven.com) if you come across these please!

Roy Smeck had a personal letter from Ronald Reagan because they shared a birthday
Sadly, Roy's memory about the Vaudeville days weren't so good. I wanted to
hear about the "Ziegfeild Follies" showdancer that took him to the cleaners! Like I said before, at least he could still play!
I once brought up the name Eddie Peabody to Roy. "He stole my act" he grumbled. I
never brought Eddie up again. Since then I've researched Eddie, and guess what? Roy was absolutely right, Eddie had stolen his act! It's a shame Roy couldn't sing.
One Saturday, I brought Cynthia over to meet Roy and she played for him. Roy wasn't about to be musically outdone by a girl so he ripped off a solo that had my jaw on the floor. I taped all my lessons with him, but my recorder was a little "flaky",
and it that was unfortunatly one of the moments it chose not to record. It was the only time during my lessons that I had ever heard Roy REALLY play! Anyway. I've got a box of tapes of our lessons together. I would come over on Saturday and for an hour his wife Faye could get out and do shopping.
The famous Japanese banjo collector Akira Tsamura once offered Roy $30,000 for his B&D #9. I'm sure Faye was livid about that one! I wanted the earlier B&D #4 he had.
I was out of town when he died and his estate was auctioned off. I would have
loved to bid on some of those treasures. He had cases of arrangements(mostly inked by hand by Harry Reser and he still had the Martin #0 uke he played most of his career. I wish I knew what happened to that beat up gem.

Best wishes, Nathan Garret

Neues vom 1. Münchner Banjo-Club
2 neue Mitglieder, Ideensammlung fürs Repertoire der Banjo-Band, ansonsten nette Stammtischatmosphäre mit viel Anekdoten.

Künftig wird der Stammtisch regelmäßig am letzten Mittwoch jeden Monats abgehalten. Treffpunkt

Alter Wirt in München-Ramersdorf,
Aribonenstr. 6,
Beginn 19:30 Uhr
Der 1. Münchner Banjo-Club sucht dringend einen Probenraum für ca. 5-10 Musiker. Sachdienliche Hinweise an Tel. (8034) 309976 oder .Kontakt banjoist@gmx.de

MANSFIELD, Ma. USA. – If you love a banjo – or the sounds of old time jazz music from Fats Waller to Hoagie Carmichael – you’ll find the beat to your liking at the 15th Annual Early Spring Banjo Fling March 22-25 at the Mansfield Holiday Inn.
The festival of traditional and Dixieland jazz annually attracts hundreds of music devotees from around New England and top professional talent from throughout the U.S. But this year the Stone Street Strummers banjo band, hosts of the jazzfest, are bumping up the tempo by expanding to three full public concerts starring celebrity musicians. All concerts, to be held March 22-24, will be free to the public.
Topping this year’s line-up will be Cynthia Sayer, internationally known jazz banjo player, singer and pianist who has toured with Woody Allen’s jazz band and worked with Hollywood and music stars ranging from Bill Cosby to Wynton Marsalis. Sayer will help kick off the festival Thursday, March 22 as special guest of the Strummers at their opening concert “A Stroll Down Memory Lane.” The concert will begin at 7 p.m.
Sayer will also host her own concert 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 24 at the Holiday Inn’s Buckingham Ballroom.
On Friday, March 23, the Early Spring Banjo Fling will present a concert featuring some of the nation’s top banjo wizards including Jeff Grosser, Mike Hashem, Rob Wright and Seekonk’s Steve Caddick.. The concert, which will begin at 7 p.m., will be capped off by the duo of Kurt Abell and Dave Frey.
Besides affording the public a musical buffet of syncopated treats, the Early Spring Banjo Fling fulfills an educational purpose by hosting a wide range of workshops aimed at amateur and professional musicians. The jazz extravaganza also permits players to participate in nearly continuous jams and to talk shop with celebrities and music and equipment vendors.
On Sunday, the Early Spring Banjo Fling will conclude with a Gospel Hymn A Long and a farewell jam in the hotel’s Mayfair Ballroom.
Stone Street Strummers President Paul Poirier says this year’s Spring Fling promises to be the best-attended event in the series’ 15-year history. The Mansfield Holiday Inn is located at 31 Hampshire St., Mansfield, Ma.
Additional information is available by visiting www.stonestreetstrummers.org or by calling Poirier at 508-399-6808.

The Jazzbanjo Rally will take place at the Jazz Station on March 2nd and 3rd 2007. Entry is 20€ for two days or 5€ for any afternoon or evening.
Le Jazzbanjo Rally aura lieu à la Jazz Station les 2 et 3 Mars 2007. Entrée 20€ pour les deux jours ou 5€ par après-midi et par soirée.
Contact Catou Pecher at catou@catss.be

SATURDAY
4.00 pm OPEN DOOR

5.00 pm JAMSESSION

6.00 pm CONCERTS (Bernard Schwenter, others)

8.00 pm The BANJOGANG (Tcheck republik)

8.30 pm Dixieland band & ETIENNE COULON (B)

9.00 pm Dixieland band & BERNARD SCHWENTER (CH)

9.30 pm Dixieland band & TOM STUIP (NL)

10.00 pm JAMSESSION

BBC Radio 4 (www.bbc.co.uk) Jan. 23rd. "Syncopatin' Shuffle", 1.30-2.00pm GMT, repeated Monday 11.00-11.30pm
Julian Vincent recounts the history of the banjo. From its African roots and via the slave trade it became an instrument of the 1920's Jazz Age. With contributions from Leon Hunt, Kate Lissauer, Douglas Rogers, Keith Nichols, Phil Davidson, Gordon Dando Cyril Wickham and The Bath Banjo Club.
ATTENTION!UPDATE! For those who missed the show, it will be posted for seven days here...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/musicfeature/pip/ns62b/

Friends, on January 11th, I shall be presenting a concert of tunes from my new CD "It's Banjo Time!" live in the Anno Tubac theatre kneipe, Kölnerstr, Bonn. The concert starts at 20,00 and is free entry. I will be backed by Fraser Gartshore (piano) and Clive Fenton (sousaphone) and have a couple of surprise guests invited.
The concert will be taped and will hopefully form a new DVD of yours truly that will be for sale early next year.
If you are in the area please come along.
Best wishes,
Sean Moyses.

www.SeanMoyses.com

Le premier « Bonn international banjo festival ». Une première et, je l’espère, la première d’une longue série. L’initiateur n’est autre que le superman du banjo Sean Moyses.
Le Fiddlers Irish Pub nous a accueillis sur une scène chaleureuse au décor de bibliothèque début de siècle, et dans ses petits recoins où dès les premières minutes les fous de banjos se sont installés pour se shooter aux rythmes endiablés des « Avalon » et autres « world is waiting » où chacun y allait de son petit solo, comme autant de petits cadeaux partagés.
Quel bonheur de se trouver là entre Sean Moyses, Tom Stuip, Rainer Taub, Achim Hippenstiel, Leo De Potter, Bernard Schwenter et tant d’autres qui partagent cette passion.
Pour ma part j’ai capté des tas de nouvelles idées d’improvisation, je peux dire que la pêche était bonne.
Pendant ce moment à l’étage supérieur, Hans-Jorg Elter donnait un workshop pour initier tous ceux qui se sentent attirés par cette joyeuse folie.
A l’étage il y avait également une table avec 5 ou 6 banjos ténors mis en vente par Dag Benend et des quantités impressionnantes de cd de banjo et toutes sortes d’objets et d’accessoires.
Très vite le lieu s’est rempli et il devenait difficile de se déplacer entre les banjos, les caisses et le public nombreux.
Du reste Sean annonce le début du concert en disant qu’il faudrait l’année prochaine prévoir le ‘Beethoven Halle’ pour avoir un peu plus de place. Qu’à cela ne tienne, « dicht bijeen is warm » comme on dit dans mon petit pays bilingue, c’est à dire, « bien proche, bien chaud ».
Le concert commence avec le Dusseldorf banjo club, un peu réduit par rapport à ce que j’avais déjà vu à Dusseldorf mais non moins efficace. Bravo à Gunter Amendt qui réussit à trouver un excellent équilibre pour un si grand ensemble et à éviter l’impression de cacophonie qu’on a si souvent dès qu’il y plus de 4 banjoïstes dans une même section rythmique. Ensuite Tom Stuip nous ravit avec quelques morceaux assez romantiques comme il peut le faire et un power rag très entraînant. Puis c’est le tour du « String Trio Schleswig Holstein »à se lancer dans du style plus latino et dans la haute voltige du Lollipops de Harry Reser. Il nous ont aussi régalé avec une pièce chantée à trois voix. Hans Jorg Elter a fait une prestation en solitaire accommodé de quelques commentaires didactiques que je n’ai malheureusement pas compris. Et voilà notre poétique Bernard Schwenter qui vient de Suisse et qui nous enchante aves ses petits arrangements bien à lui. Juergen Kulus, spécialiste de Harry Reser épate avec une excellente technique et un répertoire pas piqué des vers.
Et puis notre délégation, la belge, avec Leo De Potter et son St Louis Blues rythmé sur la peau et Remco Houtman-Janssens (un Hollandais de Belgique) et son merveilleux banjo-ukulélé.
J’ai eu moi-même le plaisir de jouer avec eux une pièce composée par Leo : « le never ending  rag ». Le clou de la soirée était bien évidemment Sean Moyses et ses deux comparses, Fraser Gartshore exceptionnel pianiste et Clive Fenton sousaphoniste de haut vol. Une équipe décoiffante, drôle, et émouvante à la fois.
La soirée s’est terminée sur quelques morceaux joués tous ensemble …du bonheur, rien que du bonheur. Et le lendemain rebelote, la jam a continué une bonne partie de l’après-midi après le brunch du Fiddlers.
Merci Sean pour ce weekend génial , une réussite qui, je l’espère se répetera chaque année.
Catou Pecher (Bruxelles)

'Crowded’. If you allowed me just one word to describe Saturday's 'Bonn International Banjo Festival’ at 'The Fiddlers' in Endenich, that’s the one I would choose. Like some attempt on the Guinness Book of Records: ‘How many banjo players can you get on a stage at once?’ ‘The Fiddlers’ in Endenich was where it happened. Next thing Sean will be seeing how many banjo players he can get in a Ford Fiesta. We did however see some ‘picking’ of a high order – not least from Mr Moyses himself (aided and abetted by Fraser Gartshore, a talented Scottish keyboard player in a kilt!)

For the uninitiated, There are two common types of banjo – four stringed for plectrum playing, and five stringed for finger picking. No need to feel ignorant if you didn’t know this – I only found it out from Tom Stuip, a dutch ‘plucker’ who aside from having seriously eye catching black and white shoes played some seriously ear catching banjo.
After two weeks of catching blues music at ‘The Harmonie’ it was a pleasant change to hear something that was, for me at least, a little bit different. I wasn’t sure what to expect but the styles were as mixed as the nationalities of the players themselves. Leo de Potter (Belgium), Bernard Schenter (Switzerland), Remco Houtman Janssen (Holland) and various German acts including the opening ‘volley’ of banjos’ from the Düsseldorf Banjo Club. If you thought that banjo playing was all ‘plunk, plunk’ then you couldn’t be more wrong.
These gentlemen (and a couple of ladies) played with a zeal and intensity that would not be out of place etched on a rock guitar legends visage, or indeed that of a classical or flamenco guitarist. In short – they take the music very seriously and are in turn seriously good at the music.
It must be said that no-one was better than Mr Sean Moyses himself who spotted my shortcomings as far as banjo heroes are concerned I'm sure. My mention of George Formby when advertising this event was a bit pathetic as Formby was more known as a Ukulele player. Mr Moyses was too polite to take me to task over this though and duly promised something more ‘up my street’. I was not to be disappointed.
We were already running well over time when Sean took the stage in a very formal outfit of a dazzling white I have not seen since the last Persil ad. campaign hit the nation’s television screens. Accompanied by Fraser Gartshore on electric piano and Clive Fenton (from Rod Mason’s Hot Five) on sousaphone, his set included a haunting rendition of ‘Over The Rainbow’ (of which I have now heard three live versions: the others from Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck so you’re in good company Sean) Also added, to make me feel at home, was a short blast of power-chording - introducing that legendary banjo song from Richie Blackmore and Deep Purple ‘Smoke on the Water`.

Seriously though, We had some wonderful music from the trio, including a version of the old classic ‘After You’ve Gone’ which turned out to be appropriate: After I had gone and was waiting for the last bus home from across the street, I looked up at the ‘Fiddler’s’ windows and could make out shadows. They were indistinguishable as individual people but each had a distinct banjo shape on it – and I could make out too, behind the hammering of banjos’, a distinct sousaphone sound. I wondered if Clive was wishing he played something smaller and requiring less ‘puff’. The banjo is a wonderful instrument – give it a play, or at least a listen sometime.
Written by John Hurd,
Bonn English Network.

BONN BANJO FESTIVAL 25.und 26.November, 2006, im FIDDLERS Irish Pub, Bonn-Endenich.
Bonn ist immer eine Reise wert-zumal,wenn das 1.Bonn Banjo Festival dort stattfindet!Das Organisations-Teamvon "Jazzin' Bonn e.v." war sehr gut beraten, den FIDDLERS Irish Pub dafür auszuwählen-ideal von den Räumlich=keiten für live-music:lauschige Ecken zum Jammen und diskutieren, eine sepaée-Abteilung für workshops und einezentrale Bühne, die von allen Seiten gut einsehbar ist und natürlich:optimale akustische Bedingungen. Ray und seine Pub-Mannschaft boten Alles auf, was die irische Küche so liebenswert macht: "fish & chips","spicy-chicken-wings" und viele leckere Irische Spezialitäten bis hin zu soft-drinks á la apple-cidre und "stout-beer, Beamish": eine echteHerausforderung für den gestandenen Banjomann! Die Gesamtorganisation lag in den glücklichen Händen von Sean Moyses, der die Veranstaltung in seiner feinen Gentleman-Art vorbereitete und führte. Am Samstag gegen 14 Uhrtrudelten nach und nach die Banjospielerinnen und -spieler mit ihren Begleitungen ein,und fühlten sich sogleichvon der herzlichen und freundlichen Atmoshäre vereinnahmt!Nach kurzem Genuss von chips und Erfrischungsgetränkenbildeten sich verschiedene Grüppchen und begannen mit dem Jammen. Da ja genügend Platz vorhanden ist:auf der unteren Ebene viele Nischen, der ausgebaute Keller, der Balsaal im Nebengebüde,und auf der oberen Ebene:mehrere abgeteilte Raumeinheiten, der separate Veranstaltungsraum und der Konzertraum mit Bühne. Von überall herswingte und singelte es - herrlich! Man pflegte intensiv die Banjo-Freundschaften und ließ farbige Improvisationenentstehen. Ich selbst hatte dann von 15 bis 17.30Uhr das Vergnügen mit 12 aktiven und 2 passiven Teilnehmernmeinen seit Jahren bewährten workshop durchzuführen.
In freundschaftlichem Arbeitsklima haben wir den Stoffgemeinsam erarbeitet und in vielen praktischen Übungen umgesetzt.Die Resonanz dieses workshops empfinde ichals "sehr gut" zumal die Teilnehmer ausgezeichnete Vorkenntnisse hatten. Eine Reihe von Einzel-coachings habenwir vereinbart - sogar die Wünsche nach Qualitäts-Banjos konnten erfüllt werden: der weltbeste Banjobauer und Berater (wie ich finde) Norbert Pietsch aus Bremen war immer in der Nähe und gern gesprächsbereit. Nach kurzem Relaxen bei irischen Erfrischungen begann Punkt 20 Uhr das Konzert mit der Düsseldorfer Banjo Band,die das inzwischen gutgefüllte FIDDLERS zum Swingen und Toben brachte - immer wieder ein Genuß! Gute-Laune-Musikvon Banjoliebhabern unterschiedlichster Prägung. Die Gesangsstücke und die Solopassagen waren wieder Klasse! Professionell führte Sean durch das Programm, das dieses Mal ausschließlich von europäischen Banjospielerinen-und-spielern gestaltet wurde: nach den D'dorfern präsentierten sich Tom Stuip (NL), Leo De Potter und Catou Pecher (B), Bernard Schwenter (CH), Remco Houtman-Janssen (NL), Sean Moyses (GB), Christoph Cringle String Trio S.H. (D,) Jürgen Kulus (D), H.J. Elter (D) und als Begleitmusiker zwei Freunde an guitar und tuba aus Schleswig-Holstein und Fraser Gartshore, Klavier (Scotland) und Clive Fenton (GB) am sousaphone. Für mich war das Trio mit Leo De Potter (tenor) Remco Houtman-Janssen (Banjo-Uke) und der charmanten Catou am (Plectrum banjo) der herausragende Beitrag: Leo spielte den "St. Louis Blues" und eine Ragtime-Eigenkomposition souverän und swingend.
Man hätte gern noch davon hören mögen!Und dann gegen 23Uhr -Sean Moyses - unser Bester! Begleitet von F.Gartshore im Schottenrock am Klavier und dem hochsympatischen C.Fenton als "farbige Note" am sousaphone ließ Sean es richtig "krachen"-gewohnt professionell präsentierte er sein Programm auf dem wundervollen Pietsch-Banjo! Sean, dem es wohl im Frack & Fliege auch etwas warm wurde, spieltedann als Höhepunkt seines Konzerts "Somewhere over the rainbow" sehr gefühlvoll und eingestreut mit "flagueletts" ala Django Reinhardt. Insgesamt hat dieser Konzertabend wieder bewiesen, daß auch in Europa ambitionierte, auf hohem Niveau spielende Banjovirtuosen und Banjoliebhaber ihre Kunst pflegen und hochhalten!
Am Sonntag gab es von 12 bis 15:00Uhr Brunch; freies Jammen - auch hier waren wunderbare banjo-highlights zu hören, wie viele Banjo-Freunde bestätigten. Als dann die Banjo-Gemeinde nach 15:00Uhr allmählich den Heimweg antrat, wünschte sichwohl jeder insgeheim, daß diese wundervolle Veranstaltung jährlich zu einer festen Institution Im FIDDLERS wird.
Ich komme sehr gern! Danke, Sean und "Jazzin' Bonn e.v." und Danke auch Ray und seinem wunderbaren team!.
Liebe Grüße,
dein Hans-Joerg!http://www.guitarelter.de/

The Pittsburgh Banjo Club tears it up at the North Side Elks Club.
A couple dozen folks, mostly men and mostly grey-haired, with banjos. A couple of horns. A tuba manned by a gent approaching 90. No cover charge. And $1.25 Yuengling drafts. These are the facts of banjo night—held each Wednesday at the Elks Club Lodge on Cedar Avenue. But it's something intangibly cool that makes banjo club the finest weeknight out that Pittsburgh has to offer.
Witness the two broads sitting at the end of the bar. Salt & pepper hair with vim & vigor to match. “We don’t drink,” crowed Broad One to the bartender sipping her rose wine. “I mean we don’t gamble!”
As banjos plucked in the background, the broads go t mouthier. “This is the royal wave,” Broad Two belted across the bar to her banjo pals. “This is the North Side wave,” and pointed manicured middle finger skyward.
They are but two broads in a sea of broads. These gals party like its 1959. No hip club on the South Side imbues such moxy, wit and charm. After the official practice concluded, a handful of musicians moved to an upright piano near the bar. An impromptu jam session began, delivering an uptempo rendition of “Crazy.”
For fear of being too earnest (which, in Dish's case, amounts to being earnest at all), Dish nevertheless insists that you, dear reader, get off your duff next Wednesday, head to the Elks (next to the Giant Eagle on Cedar) and take in the banjo club songbook, grab a ham barbecue ($3) and revel in the fine fellowship of banjo-worship. Throw five bucks into the 50/50 raffle, hear a Pitt professor/banjo player, sing the Tennessee Waltz in Japanese. Marvel at the synchronized vocalizing of pre-pubescent brothers Nico and Enzo. Meet Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's grandparents. And join in Dish's campaign to get actor/comedian/banjomaster Steve Martin to visit and play along with the gang. Good times.
As a wise man once said, "There's no such thing as a sad banjo song."

Article taken from the "Pittsburgh Dish" , submitted to IJBN by Frank Rossi.

Folks, three banjo festivals will take place this month in Europe.
Firstly, in the Netherlands, November 5th.
The Holland Jazz Banjo Rally. See www.jazzbanjo.nl for info in English and Dutch.
Wel eens een concert van 40 of meer banjo's bijgewoond? Dat vormt echt een heel speciale belevenis, die in de Verenigde Staten niet uniek is, maar in ons land tot de zeldzame gebeurtenissen behoort. Vandaag echter heeft u de gelegenheid om het 5e Holland Jazz-Banjo Festival bij te wonen. Met vanaf 12.00 uur concerten, solo-optredens en jam sessions, maar tevens een banjo-markt voor wanneer u ook wordt gegrepen door het banjo-virus. Want elke banjo is een uniek en bijzonder instrument en dat zult u als bezoeker na afloop zeker beamen...
Luister onder andere naar banjovirtuoos Arno Hagenaars, die zowel in Europa als de Verenigde Staten triomfen vierde met zijn klassieke vertolkingen. Naar Sean Moyses die al vanaf zijn elfde jaar speelt en tot de absolute top wordt gerekend en onder andere speelde met het befaamde Pasadena Roof Orchestra, Dick Wenting, die al jaren deel uitmaakt The West Coast Jazz Band en Achim Hipenstiel die bekend staat als een van de bekendste en beste Duitse banjoisten van het moment.
Let op: voor dit concert gelden gewijzigde tijden... de aanvang is 12.00 uur (zaal open 11.30 uur) en het programma duurt tot 19.00 uur. De toegang is 7 euro - voor leden van Jazzclub 'Langs de Lijn' uiteraard gratis. De organisatie is in handen van Fetze Pijlman - www.jazzbanjo.nl
UPDATE. See videos of the festival on the Jazz Banjo group on YouTube.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJyjOwD92so

Then, In the United Kingdom, November 11th.
The annual Midland Banjo Fest (MBF), is now becoming the largest banjo festival for all styles of banjo in the United Kingdom . Based at the Bretby Conference Centre, near Burton-on–Trent , the MBF is now entering its 8th year. The MBF commences at 12.00 noon , with many Exhibitors displaying & trading their wares. Eagle Music, Findajo, Keith Wilson, Colin Jones, Helmut Rheingans, Banjo Times, BMG, Halshaw Music (Sully), and Ray Bernard being but a few who regularly exhibit at the MBF. With people wandering around the stalls, buying, exchanging, selling, sitting, chatting, playing in the Concert Hall & Foyer, during the afternoon, a warm friendly atmosphere pervades which will include the 'Community Jam Session' at 3.00 pm. Around 4.00 pm the Concert begins through until 8.00 - 8.30 pm. At the end of the day the now traditional & extremely enjoyable general ‘Jam Session’ takes place with everyone who wishes joining in.
The Bretby Conference Centre is of a very comfortable 4 star standard with a full service of hot & cold snacks, hot meals, licensed bar, hot & cold soft drinks all prepared by quality Chef’s.
In addition there is adjoining accommodation inclusive of full English breakfast. The room/breakfast cost is £45.00 single, £54.00 double or twin ( £27.00 each for those prepared to share) inclusive of VAT. East Midland Airport is approx., 15 miles (24 km) away (20 min drive) and Hull ferry docks approx., 108 miles (170 km), 2 hour drive.
Accommodation can be reserved at the BCC on +44 (0)1283 553440. or http://www.midlandsbanjofest.org.uk/
...and not forgetting Germany November 25th & 26th.
Bonn Internationales Banjo Festival. Samstag Nov. 25, Workshops 15.00-17.00, Abend Konzert - 20.00. Sonntag Nov. 26, Brunch Session - 12.00-15.00. Wo? Fiddlers Irish Pub, Frongasse, Bonn-Endenich.(www.fiddlers-bonn.de) Samstag Abend Konzert mit:- Düsseldorfer Banjo Club (D) Tom Strip (NL) Hans Jörg Elter (D) Leo De Potter (B) Sean Moyses (GB) Bernard Schwenter (CH) Jürgen Kulus (D) Remco Houtman Janssen (NL) String Trio Schleswig Holstein (D) und viel mehr...
Alle Banjo und Oldtime Jazz Fans sind Herzlich Willkommen! Samstag Konzert Eintritt 10Euro.
Good Music, good food, good beer. Kontakt http://www.jazzinbonn.de/ oder www.SeanMoyses.com

Please support these festivals, take your banjo and have fun!
Sean Moyses.

Many thanks to Tom Poole for this very interesting item. He runs the Cambridge Pianola Company. Although Tom is not a banjo player himself, he has a nice story to tell….
The connection between myself and the banjo is that I am John Pidoux's grandson. He was one of the banjo “greats” in the early part of the last century. Although I was in my teens and he was in his seventies, we shared a very close relationship and spent many happy hours together listening to and discussing recordings in his collection, and also those that I was collecting, including the early Humphrey Lyttleton recordings as they came out in the very early Fifties. He was also a lover of classical music, corresponded with Sir Henry Wood and played the banjo part for him in “Paliarchi”.
I believe my grandfather also used to play bass banjo at his orchestral researsals where he exacted a fee from participants, and referred to the bass banjo as the "Pregnant Member of the Family", I seem to remember. As father of five it was a description that I would think came easy to him. I seem to remember that the lower strings, at least, were copper wound on steel, like the covered strings on a piano. It is over 50 years since I handled the bass banjo and so my member of the strings may not be reliable. I think there were three strings and I was told that the vellum had been taken from one side of a government surplus 1st World War military drum. The drum, with one side still missing, was in my grandparents' shed until after the second world worldar, having been used previously on stage with a light bulb inside illuminating Grandpa's illustratation of a frog playing the banjo, which he must have adopted early on. He was a keen observer of nature and a very accomplished fly fisherman. When instruments were so scarse as the 2nd World War Grandpa heard of someone who wanted to buy a bass drup and we took it to the purchaser at Dudley, in our Ford 8, ed I remember it was sold for £4 s5. It still had the military ropework around the outside and just fitted on the front passenger seat of the Ford 8. He sold his Sunbeam motorbike and sidecar at about the same time, 1945 I think, which was just after my grandmother died.
He continued living on his own for about 8 years when failing health obliged to him to move Sidmouth to live with his younger daughter Phyllis (who had the space at her home), and she is still going strong, coming up to 94. We all keep in touch and are very fond of her. She recently phoned and asked if I would like to have her Parents' clock, which was a wedding present, to them, from the music firm, Joseph Riley, in Birmingham. Grandpa had move from London to Birmingham in 1896 to work for them as a Banjo Demonstrator, and later had what I think was his first music studio over their premises (in Sussex Street, close to the Town Hall, if I remember correctly). My Grandparents were married in 1901 at Tt. Phillips, now Birmingham Cathedral. He I think was 26, and so was my grandmother. Their courtship began in London and she was a successful millinary designer. By coincidence (or is it in the jeans/genes?), my elder daughter, Joanna, is a freelance costumier and theatre wardrober supervisor. She has now launched her new website as The Dress Doctory", offering to overhaul people's wardrobes, letting out clothes that they are fond of and which will no longer fit, and having what amounts to a mobile workshop in one of our small vans, visiting the home of clients rather than they come to her.
That is rather a long amble down memory lane which I had not intended, but it's all Pidoux related archive material that will be lost if not passed on.
On our CPC Website www.cambridgepianolacompany.co.uk , there is an article I have written conveying my appreciation of jazz.
Tom Poole

Sean Moyses präsentiert seine neue CD „It’s Banjo Time!" 72 Minuten mit Hot Jazz, Banjo Stücken, Rags, Schlagern und Evergreens.
Die Titel lauten: - Somebody stole my gal, Mr. Sandman, Temptation rag, Cecilia, High society, Blue skies, Nuages, I’m looking over a four leafed clover, Leaning on a lamppost, Deed I do, Moonlight serenade, Changes, I’m coming Virginia, Dinah, You’re driving me crazy, Chinese laundry blues, I’m sitting on top of the world, A nightingale sang in Berkeley square, Lover come back to me, Somewhere over the rainbow und After you’ve gone.
Deutsche Kunden, Bestellungen mit Barzahlung (EUR 20,00) bitte an folgende Adresse schicken:
Sean Moyses,
Jahnstr. 17,
53225 Bonn,
Deutschland.
Weitere Bestellmöglichkeiten (Bezahlung mit Kreditkarte oder PayPal) sind online möglich auf seiner Homepage:
www.SeanMoyses.com
Andere CDs von Sean, „Hot Rhythm" and „Banjo Power!" sind wieder bestellbar.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sean Moyses presents It’s Banjo Time! 72 minutes of hot jazz banjo tunes, rags, crooners and evergreens. Titles are; - Somebody stole my gal, Mr. Sandman, Temptation rag, Cecilia, High society, Blue skies, Nuages, I’m looking over a four leafed clover, Leaning on a lamppost, Deed I do, Moonlight serenade, Changes, I’m coming Virginia, Dinah, You’re driving me crazy, Chinese laundry blues, I’m sitting on top of the world, A nightingale sang in Berkeley square, Lover come back to me, Somewhere over the rainbow and After you’ve gone.
For UK customers, post a cheque for 13GBP (made out to Sean Moyses) to; -
Jacqui Huggins,
7 St. Edmunds,
Mill lane,
Walpole Highway,
Wisbech, Cambs.
PE147QG.

USA/Canada customers, post $20 CASH ONLY (no cheques please) to: -
Sean Moyses,
Jahnstr. 17,
53225 Bonn,
Germany.

You can also pay online with credit card using Paypal. Please visit
http://www.seanmoyses.com/
Other CDs from Sean, "Hot Rhythm" and "Banjo Power!" are still available.

Join the Stone Street Strummers Banjo Band for our festival. The Stone Street Strummers proudly presents Cynthia Sayer. Cynthia will perform a cameo appearance Thursday, solo performance Saturday evening and play in various venues all weekend long. Don't miss the opportunity to meet, listen to and jam with Cynthia Sayer at the 15th Annual "Early Spring Banjo Fling"Holiday Inn, Mansfield, Ma. USA. March 22nd - 25th, 2007
Room Reservations:Holiday Inn (508-339-2200) $ 85.00 / night
Performance Slots: Steve Caddick banjopa1@yahoo.com
Vendor Space: Paul Jacobson 508-477-2444
For additional information contact: Paul Poirier, 17 Robincrest Ct.Seekonk, Ma. Tel. 02771508-399-6808. Email: p.j.poirier@comcast.net
Steve Caddick, P.O. Box 3886, South Attleboro, Ma. 02703. Email: banjopa1@yahoo.comThursday Evening - Strummers Concert, Friday Evening Performances by Kurt Abell, Dave Frey, Rob Wright & Minor Swing. Saturday afternoon is an " All Star Show". Saturday night we feature our star performer Cynthia Sayer. Workshops, vendors, jamming (multiple venues around the clock) and Tom Fee's organized jam session. Sunday morning we have our gospel jam.
Good Times, Good Food, Good Friends, Great Music !
Again this year we have our Saturday luncheon buffet & evening buffet dinner served in the Garden Court. Food service is dedicated to the Spring Fling.
Directions to the Mansfield Holiday Inn are Rt. 95 North or South Exit 7AAt 2nd. Traffic light turn right on Cabot Blvd. Follow straight to the Holiday Inn ( about 1 mile)
The Spring Fling is hosted by The Stone Street Strummers Banjo Band, co-chairmen are Steve Caddick and Paul Poirier.

Today, my grandson Andrew played his first gig. He was with me on a float with the Stone Street Strummers. The occasion was a parade in Canton, MA for a town festival. Here is a photo of the two of us. He did great and we both had a great time and the guys were terrific with him too. I think I have a new banjo convert! He learned eight chords this morning and played them in the parade, I told him what chord to play and when to play it. He has been playing guitar for a year now and has some facility with his hands. He made the transition almost flawlessly and his timing was right on!
Thanks,
Steve Caddick

Gestochen!!! Interpret: Arno Hagenaars, Label: STEMRA Records.
Großartig! Großartig! Großartig! Kommen wir zu Arno Hagenaars und dieser hevorragenden CD. Bei Anhören sagte ich mir, er spielt wie Harry Reser oder sogar noch besser. Er ist nicht nur einer der besten Komponisten, den ich bisher gehört habe, er hat auch die Technik und Fähigkeit Klassisch zu Vertonen (im Sinne der Banjotechnik) oder auch Swing mit der erforderlichen Synkopierung zuspielen. Auch wenn auf dieser CD kein Banjo zu hören wäre, ich mag diese CD - schonwegen der Art dieser Kompositionen und deren musikalischen Stile zu spielenund darzubieten. Die Musik auf dieser CD stellt die 20er Jahre, Pop, Swing, Bebop und Salsa, zusammen mit den zeitgenössischen Banjo Klassikern vor. Die Musiker und Arrangeure sind absolute Topleute in ihrem Metier. Diese CD beinhaltet eine außergewöhnliche explizite Analyse jeder dieser Sektionen, dadurch werden dem Zuhörer unschätzbare Einblicke in diese Musikermöglicht. Von daher will ich nicht analytisch Stück für Stück vornehmen wie ich es manchmal zu tun pflege. Alle 14 Stücke, sowie die von Arno geschriebenen und arrangierten 5 Stücke, sind selbst mit dem Risiko eines überladenen üppigen Sound, nach meiner Meinung - meisterlich. " Crackerjack " von Harry Reser wird mit einem herrlichen neuen Arrangement für Banjo und ein Klarinetten-Quartett vorgestellt. Das damalige Pop Stück" Oh! Boy, What a Girl " von Reser erstmaligaufgeführt, erfährt eine neue Würdigung. Arno hat die Technik, alle Stilistiken zu spielen und er spielt das Banjoabsolut swingend elegant und filigran. Er gehört, nach meiner Meinung, zu den meist talentierten Top Banjospielernunserer Zeit.Unnötig zu sagen , dass er alles das spielt, was ich zu hören wünsche inSachen Banjomusik, Banjotechnik und Stil. Ich könnte diese CD immer weiter und weiter hören, aber an meinem Lob würdesich nicht ändern. Ich weiß nicht, wie viele von den Banjospieler, die Banjofestivals in der Welt besuchen, es richtig einschätzen oder verstehen, was Arno zelebriert, aber wir können sicher feststellen, dass sein Spielen und seine Technik ein Maßstab für zukünftige alte und neue Spieler sein wird. Ich kann diese CD nur jedem empfehlen.*
Eddy Davis.
Übersetzung: Joachim Hippenstiel September 2006.

Anfragen und Bestellung:http://www.arnohagenaars.com/ email: arnohagenaars@zeelandnet.nl

Sat., 11 November is the 8th annual return of the celebrated Midland Banjo Fest (MBF) at Bretby, Burton – on – Trent from 12.00 noon onwards in the Bretby Conference Centre.
The MBF is for all disciplines of banjo; anyone attending can play a short spot in the afternoon/evening informal concert.
This years guest stars are Howard (Shep) Shepherd accompanied by guitarist Mike Dexter and jazz musician, band leader and banjo player of universal distinction David Price. In addition we have virtuoso’s of the Fingerstyle banjo Danielle Saxon Reeves & Elias Sibley. All Ireland Tenor Banjo Champion Tony ‘ Sully’ Sullivan, along with many other of our annual stars of distinction in all forms of banjo playing to numerous to list.
In additionthis year, we are holding Saturday morning workshops with :-

DAVID PRICE Plectrum
HOWARD SHEPHERD Plectrum
SULLY Irish tenor banjo
DANIELLE SAXON REEVES Fingerstyle

For further information see www.midlandbanjofest.org.uk

The Bretby Conference Centre is of a very comfortable 4*standard with a full service of hot & cold snacks, hot meals,licensed bar, hot & cold soft drinks all prepared by
quality Chef’s.In addition there is adjoining accommodation inclusive of full English breakfast. The room/breakfast cost is £45.00 single, £54.00 double or twin inclusive of VAT. East Midland Airport is approx., 24 km away (20 min drive) and Hull ferry docks approx., 170 km ( 2 hour drive).
One all inclusive enrance fee is £5.00 for a great banjo day out. We look forward to seeing our European banjo buddies on the 11 November 06. Accommodation can be reserved at the Bretby Conference Centre on +44 (0)1283 553440. E-mail enquiries@bretbycc.co.uk. http://www.bretbycc.co.uk/
For any further info re the MBF +44 (0) 1924 863614 E-mail regstranks@lecturing.freeserve.co.uk

Carry on pluckin'!

Reg Stranks

The Pietsch MasterVox is the highest quality banjo I have played. On stage, in recording studios, it always sounds great! Both its precise pitches and balanced tone are necessary for my performance and music. I can say that it has more function of the musical instrument than the Vegavox, which is the basis of the MasterVox.
●My MasterVox is a little oriental and has beautiful art deco figures, which I love. The most famous banjo collector in Japan (and maybe the world), Akira Tsumura, praises its artistic beauty.
●The Farquhar Cherrywood 2-leg 5/8 inch bridge is well suited to my MasterVox, so that it sounds a little like my favorite pre-war Vegavox. By preference, calfskin head can be put on the Mastervox.
●The MasterVox sounds loud and powerful because of the Huber tone ring. The Gibson Mastertone banjo has this tone ring and it provides much more powerful sound than the Vegavox. The MasterVox is an outstanding Vox!
●As the Pietsch banjo is built very well and precisely, the parts of Mastervox would not become badly distorted by weather.
I think that the MasterVox has every possibility of making various sound through adjusting head tension, selecting bridges, and picking techniques.
If you want to get an excellent, useful, and powerful banjo, you should
choose the Pietsch MasterVox!
Link to hear a tune I played on Pietsch banjo.
http://download.sound.jp/banjo/s/rondo.mp3
http://download.sound.jp/banjo/s/starsandstripes.mp3


Japanese 4-string banjoist
Ken Aoki
Nagareyama city
Chiba 2700112
JAPAN

Beste Jazz-Banjo liefhebbers,

Nationaal Jazz Banjo Festival 2006
Zondag 6 November
Jazzclub Langs de Lijn - Bussum
De jaarlijkse Banjo Festival voor jazz banjoisten wordt op Zondag 5 November gehouden in Jazzclub Langs de Lijn in Bussum. Van 12-19 uur zullen daar meer dan 100 banjoisten elkaar treffen, samen jammen en luisteren naar enkele top banjoisten.
Speciale gasten zijn Europas top Banjoist de Engelsman Sean Moyses, Arno Hagenaars en Dick Wenting.
Het Nationaal Banjo Festival beoogt de interesse voor de Jazz Banjo te vergroten en te stimuleren. De toegang is voor iedereen en het zal een geweldig Jazz Feest te worden. Meer informatie via www.jazzbanjo.nl of via de heer Fetze Pijlman info@jazzbanjo.nl

The Annual Dutch Banjo festival will take place on Sunday, November 5, 2006 at the Jazzclub Langs de Lijn in Bussum. From 12-19 hours more then 100 banjo players will meet each other to enjoy the jamming and performances.
Special guests are Europe's top banjo player Sean Moyses, Arno Hagenaars and Dick Wenting.
The National Dutch Banjo Festival tries to expand the interest for playing jazz banjo. The entrance is open to anybody and we expect to have a great swing jazz party.
More information at www.jazzbanjo.nl or by the organiser Fetze Pijlman at info@jazzbanjo.nl

Is the African prototype of the New World gourd banjo lost forever or does it still exist? It was in 2000 that I finally completed my field and deskwork on the history of the origin of the New World gourd banjo. Since this time, I’ve travelled and joined conferences in the following countries: Gambia, Senegal, Guinea Bissau, Sweden, USA and Belgium. In all these countries I introduced the Akonting lute instrument and explained to the audience why I feel it is an instrument worth study in as far as the search for the prototype of the New World banjo is concerned.
Since then, I collaborated with Ulf Jagfors, and together we have documented and recorded the Akonting dance culture and music that have received a great attention especially from the American scholars. Many museums and private individuals have now had the Akonting lute among their banjo exhibitions. I would like to express my appreciation of meeting most of the banjo collector’s community, who had received me with warm welcome the first time I had the opportunity to meet them in Boston USA. The encouragement I received from every one of them, inspired me more.
I fully agreed, the search for the origin of the New World gourd banjo is a complex exercise, and very time and money consuming. But this does not mean we have to stand aloof from the struggle to find its prototype. With a broad framework of co-operation and network, I think, a lot can be achieved. It is widely accepted today that the New World banjo developed from an African prototype, and most likely from the Senegambian region of West Africa. Scholars who researched and documented facts on the Ngoni, Hoddu, Akonting and the Buchundu lutes of the Senegambian region further strengthen this theory.
All these lute instruments and many others that I did not mention share some similarities with the cultures of the New World gourd banjo. Yet, as far as my twenty-nine years of research on these instruments is concerned, their history, cultures and social significances are dieing and nothing is being done to preserve them. This is why Ulf Jagfors and I have taken the initiative to start a Chordophone Museum in the Gambia to collect, document and preserve all the Chordophone instruments found in the region, together with their wonderful folk cultures.
The goal is to make these instruments and their cultures accessible to all for research, studies etc. But we cannot do it alone, we need your assistance to achieve this our goal. A cultural committee has now been formed in Gambia and Senegal (Casamance) to work with us on this matter.

Daniel Jutta
Visit http://members01.chello.se/abzu/akonting/origin.html

Das KARSTADT KULTUR CAFÉ in Hamburg (im Karstadt-Haus Hamburger Straße) präsentiert einen Jazz-Leckerbissen der ganz besonderen Art: Die HAMBURG JAZZ ALL STARS (u.a. mit Abbi Hübner, Hauke Strebel, Reiner Regel, Thomas Altmann, Larry Bartels) und endlich wieder das INT. BANJO FESTIVAL mit BUDDY WACHTER,USA - SEAN MOYSES, UK - und PETER "BANJO" MEYER, D. Zum Banjo-Festival: Als 1986 die erste gemeinsame LP “Explorations” von Buddy Wachter und Peter »Banjo« Meyer erschien, rieben sich Fans und Kenner der Szene erstaunt die Augen: ein solches Banjo-Duo hatte es bis dahin noch nicht gegeben. Der amerikanische Musik-Kritiker Lowell Schreyer schrieb dazu: “...diese Platte wird für lange lange Zeit der Maßstab sein, an dem sich alle Banjospieler messen müssen”. Für diejenigen, die das Banjo als Rhythmusinstrument einer Dixieland-Band kennen, erfordert die Musik, die Buddy Wachter auf diesem Instrument produziert, ein völliges Umdenken. Wachter hat mit seinen scheinbar unbegrenzten technischen und musikalischen Fähigkeiten dem Banjo eine neue Identität gegeben.

Kenner der Szene sagen, Buddy Wachter aus Baltimore/USA, Jahrgang 1953, mag wohl der größte Banjoist sein, der je gelebt hat! Mit unglaublichem Können und atemberaubender Virtuosität präsentiert er ein Programm, das vom Jazz über Broadway-Musicals, vom Bluegrass bis zu eigenen Transcriptionen von Mozart, Chopin und Liszt, alle Musikstile umfasst. Die Vielfalt von Farben und Dynamik, die er auf seinem Banjo produziert, sind erstaunlich und aufregend, und die Präzision und Schnelligkeit, mit der er spielt, ist unübertroffen. Viele Auftritte in Deutschland, u.a. eine eigene TV-Show “Buddy Live”, eine CD-Produktion mit dem Hamburger Altmeister Peter »Banjo« Meyer und ausgedehnte Tourneen mit dem Int. Banjo-Festival haben ihn auch hierzulande populär gemacht. Solistische Highlights in den USA, z.B. Auftritte in der legendären New Yorker Carnegie Hall mit dem New York Pops Orchestra, zahlreiche Tourneen und CD-Produktionen und viele TV-Shows haben ihm zu Recht den Titel “World Champion of the Banjo” eingetragen. Peter »Banjo« Meyer ist einer der führenden Banjoisten in Europa. Seit nunmehr 46 Jahren ist ist er in der Jazz-Szene zu Hause und trat im Laufe seiner Karriere mit vielen bekannten Bands und Solisten auf. Highlights waren Schallplattenaufnahmen mit der New Yorker “Harlem Blues & Jazz Band”, mit den Jazz-Veteranen Ikey Robinson/Chicago und Thomas Jefferson/New Orleans, seinen eigenen “European Jazz Giants”, Gala -Auftritte mit den Bremer Sinfonikern in deren Produktion von “Porgy & Bess”, über 50 TV-Auftritte... diese Aufzählung ließe sich beliebig fortsetzen. Seine Solo-Auftritte zeichnen sich nicht nur durch ein virtuoses Banjo-Spiel aus, sondern leben durch seine natürliche und humorvolle Präsentation des Programms und sein überzeugendes Show-Talent. Als Solist setzt er Maßstäbe: einfühlsame Single-String-Passagen,kompliziertes Cross-Picking, raffinierte Right-Hand-Rolls und atemberaubend schnelle Akkordpassagen haben ihm zu Recht den ehrenvollen Beinamen gegeben: »Banjo« Meyer. Der Dritte im Bunde der BANJO-JUBILEE ist der Engländer Sean Moyses, ebenfalls einer der großen Solisten auf diesem Instrument in Europa. Er spielt seit seinem elften Lebensjahr Banjo, Ukulele-Banjo, Five-String-Banjo und Gitarre und hat es auf allen seinen Instrumenten zu hoher Meisterschaft gebracht. Nach einer längeren Zeit als Solist bei dem berühmten “Pasadena Roof Orchestra” und in der musikalischen Comedy-Show von “Bob Kerr’s Whoopee Band” ging er 1996 nach Deutschland und startete hier seine Solo-Karriere, wobei er immer wieder gern gesehener Gast in den Bands “Rod Mason’s Hot Five” und der “Barrelhouse Jazzband” ist. Herausragender Begleiter der drei Banjo-Solisten ist der englische Pianist Keith Nichols, der gerade mit dem Heritage-Award von BBC 2 für sein Lebenswerk ausgezeichnet wurde. Keith ist einer der ganz großen Pianisten der klassischen New Yorker Stride-Piano-Schule und beherrscht mühelos die Stile der Piano-Virtuosen Fats Waller, James P. Johnson und Willie “The Lion” Smith. Gemeinsam garantieren Buddy Wachter, Peter Meyer und Sean Moyses eine mitreissende Banjo-Show von höchster Qualität. Kartenerkauf auf der www.banjomeyer.de Website unter "Karten"

At the recent FIGA convention in Bay City, Michigan, both Roy Hill and I were concerned to hear that Borgy Borgerson had developed a `trigger finger.’ As most in the banjo world know, Borgy has been for many decades, not only a great tenor banjoist but also, a wonderful entertainer. It’s not often that someone comes along with both of those skills but certainly Borgy has been such an artist. Although slated to play on stage sometime during the FIGA convention, understandably he decided at the last moment not to risk performing unless he could be at his very best especially since he would have been playing in front of hundreds of people and other fellow musicians. Although he made that decision, I must admit, Borgy did do some excellent jamming with many other great musicians in the vendor rooms and hallways of the hotel during the convention weekend.
In a discussion with Roy Hill during FIGA, Roy explained that Borgy would be staying at his place in London for a few days, then passing through Toronto, prior to heading back home to Vancouver.
Roy suggested that with his son’s large backyard in Mississauga, perhaps we could organize a tribute to Borgy, in the form of a `jam’ session and a barbeque for Toronto Banjo Band (TBB) current and past members, along with musicians from the Toronto area that had played with Borgy throughout the years. Since Borgy was now living in British Columbia, we realized that we must take advantage of this unique opportunity, while he is in Ontario. So, with only three days to pull this event together, Wednesday, July 25, 2006 was selected.
Upon my return to Toronto from Bay City, I quickly sent out e-mails to all the current and past TBB musicians. In addition, Roy Hill made some calls to fellow musicians, along with securing his son’s place in Mississauga for the party. The response was excellent especially by those of us that had known Borgy for many decades. Most of us had heard Borgy play over the years at the old Nickelodeon opposite the Eaton Centre in Toronto as well as at Diamond Lil’s in the Skyline Hotel near Toronto Pearson International Airport. This was an excellent opportunity to hear him once again as well as give tribute to his contribution to many of us in the banjo world who still live in Southern Ontario.
Upon arriving at Corey and Jeffrey Hill’s (Roy Hill’s daughter-in-law and son) home, everyone was pleasantly surprised by the beautiful venue. With temperatures in the mid 20’s, the backyard was wonderfully inviting, with a huge deck and a very large well-grassed backyard with towering trees. Although the party was slated to begin anytime after 2:00 pm, most attendees seemed to arrive sometime around 4:00 pm. With such a short notice, many of us unfortunately had former commitments earlier in the day.
For the first hour or so, revisiting with `old friends’ along with a few new ones, was the priority. Then finally Mel Collie prodded me to get some music going beginning with Borgy. I began with explaining how Mel and I had met Borgy some thirty-seven years earlier and a bit of Borgy’s history performing in the Toronto area over that time. Jamie MacPherson also provided some very kind words following me.
Then I introduced Borgy asking him to perform for the audience since this party was for him and his lovely wife Eunice. Well even at 80 years young, Borgy played and sounded just like the `good ole days.’
He gave his `trigger’ finger hell a couple of times verbally, but Borgy being as good as he is, well, I certainly didn’t notice any problem. Also playing along with him for this session was Doug Burrell. Doug was a member of Borgy’s band for many years and still plays an excellent tuba. Joining him as well was Jimmy Purdy on the washboard and clarinet as well as Ernie Mee on bass guitar. Well in addition to Borgy’s `smoothness’ on his modified Gibson Mastertone (partially a TB 250 & TB 500), Jimmy’s rhythm on his washboard with his `metal fingers’, Coney Island Washboard was played to perfection. Of course, Jimmy also added some bells, whistles and chimes during the song finishing off with the uncovering of `MOM’ and `WOW’ towels over the washboard. And just to round things off, we all received a few squirts of water from his squeeze bottle. Did we get a little wet? Yep. Did we laugh? Of course!!! Rounding off the performance was Ernie who played the bass with his usual impeccable precision. After about forty minutes of Borgy playing, he gave thanks to all of us who attended and, I think I might have seen a few tears from him.
Then we moved on to hear many of the other great musicians attending the barbeque. In no particular order, Roy Hill with backup from his bass player, Leon Ross, gave us some great tunes from `over there.’ I was certainly surprised for along with Roy’s tenor banjo skills, I never realized just how proficient he was on a banjo ukulele. I would say that he was as good as Mel but I better be careful and not do any sort of a comparison since both are great artists. Mel then provided some great `Formby’ banjo ukulele tunes along with his well timed jokes. We were also treated to songs on the same instrument by Steve Penny, Mel’s friend from Halifax. Steve had performed wonderfully at FIGA and this evening was no different giving us a tremendously professional sound. Way to go Steve.
Then it was Jamie MacPherson’s turn to shine and someone who is undoubtedly a very talented and versatile banjoist. His rendition of Bye Bye Blues turned what is often viewed as an overplayed number, into one of the best I’ve ever heard. Certainly Jamie’s tremolo and chord-fills are a treat in hemselves.
Then Jamie’s wife Joy who plays accordion, joined in with him and what a wonder musical team they made with some excellent harmony between their instruments.
Then finally after doing a few excellent songs on his own, Jim Groulx, Musical Director for the TBB, then led the few of us through a few numbers that we play at our TBB performances. Present and playing along with Jim leading us, were Sally Carroll on plectrum, Dave Robinson on tenor along with his vocals, Grace Longfield another tenorist and yours truly on tenor banjo. One thing about our performance without comparing to the previous acts was that we were surely able to make the claim of being the loudest.
During this time, we also had a strong audience supporting all of the acts. Lillian - Roy’s wife, Eunice – Borgy’s wife, Jo-Ann – Ernie’s wife, Jean Jolliffe – a former banjoist with the TBB and still a strong financial supporter and finally Gerry Pederson whose home was used for the initial TBB meeting in 1986 and many TBB rehearsals after that. Also present with not only her support of the music, was Karen Wharry, Seamus’s mother. She was `the cook’ for the barbeque and did a superb job with the sirloin burgers. I understand that Seamus was hoping to be there but unfortunately, those of us that are not retired still have to work for a living.
Also giving her regrets was our 84 years young (yes, she’s proud of her age) Doris Potter. Doris had called me and expressed great disappointment at not being able to attend as she and May Knudson (also a former TBB member) had a previous engagement that could not be altered.
At about 9:30 p.m. as the mosquitoes came to life, the party wrapped up. It was definitely an emotional event for all of us and especially for Borgy and Eunie who were honoured for their wonderful contributions to the banjo world. Undoubtedly it was a fantastic evening to be remembered. And once again, a big thank you has to be made to Corey and Jeffrey Hill for allowing us to use their home for the event, along with appreciation for Roy Hill’s efforts to make this event happen.
Article by Glen Midgley – Toronto Banjo Band

Bonjour, Je participe actuellement à la création d'un nouveau spectacle sur Paris oùl'un des comédiens doit jouer un peu de banjo. C'est une comédie musicaleavec de la musique américaine des années 1930. Après avoir discuté avecplusieurs banjoïstes, il apparaît que le bon instrument est un banjo ténor 4cordes. Je cherche un professeur qui pourrait donner les bases de cetinstrument à cet acteur. Il s'agit plus précisément de donner quelques courspendant 3-4 semaines. C'est un travail rémunéré en cachet d'intermittent duspectacle.Merci de votre aide, Daniel Glet.
danielglet@free.fr

Dear friends. For some time I have been downloading a podcast onto my MP3 player to take with me on tour from a website called "The Shellack Stack". Bryan Wright, who runs the podcasts, has an excellent taste in music and I sent him a request a while ago for a show featuring some 78 rpm records of banjoists of which he has done beautifully. Harry F. Reser, Eddie Peabody, Vess L. Ossman, Fred van Epps etc. are all featured on the latest podcast. To download or listen to this go to http://www.claxtonola.com/78rpm/shellacstack.html
I encourage you to drop Mr. Wright an e-mail if you enjoy the programme, which is about an hour long.
Greetings and happy pickings,
Sean Moyses.

www.SeanMoyses.com

SULLY'S NEW CD! Released 22nd Dec 2005 "SONGS AND TUNES" CD HM604. TONY SULLIVAN , Vocals, 5-string banjo, tenor banjo, banjo-mandolin, mouth organ , whistle, bouzooki, with CLARE ALLEN, guitar, vocals. The master folk singer, collector, composer and banjo player releases this fantastic collection of new songs and tunes: a.. in a totally traditional style b.. Irish and English c.. topographical d.. extremely singable e.. most original and tuneful f.. destined to become part of the tradition. Great new songs for listeners, and especially for gigsters to strike with fresh material.
Reviews:- Dear Sully, Received your CD. It's absolutely fantastic. Your songs are mighty. So tuneful and catchy with lovely lyrics. I can't remember when (if ever) I put on a new CD of original songs and found myself singing along at the first listening. I've been an admirer of your banjo playing for years, but it's second place after hearing this new CD.Tony McCabe, Irish singer/performer,Texas, USA. List of songs CHESHIRE LIFE, CUSHENDALL FINTAN'S, REELPUBS OF ENGLAND, THE LANCASHIRE HILLS, THE KING OF THE SESSION (jig), PADDY IN THE SMOKE, ALL OVER IRELAND, REEL FRIDAY NIGHT, ALL OVER IRELAND song, A REEL FOR RORY, THE PUBS OF IRELAND, PADDY'S DAY, FINTAN'S REEL ( with group), All words & music by Tony Sullivan. P&C 2005 £9.99 post £2 in UK £4 elsewhere. All mail order sales receive a FREE copy of the sheet music of the four instrumental tunes on the CD. Halshaw MusicTel: +44 (0)1625 610849 Tel: +44 (0) 870 774 5575 Fax: +44 (0)1625 267136
Email: Sully@halshawmusic.co.ukWeb: http://www.halshawmusic.co.uk/

Ladies, Gentlemen and Banjo Collectors,
It is with greatest pleasure that I announce the 2006 Banjo Collector's Gathering to be held from Thursday evening, November 2, through Sunday noon, November 5, once again at our favorite venue, Colonial Williamsburg. We'll be announcing some of the highlights shortly but this year's program is shaping up to be very exciting.
Since last year's first-ever Gathering dinner in Arlington was such a success we've reserved the King's Arm Tavern on Saturday night for what we hope will be another raucous Gathering evening. We'll again be staying at the Woodlands Hotel and Suites, which has had a major renovation and upgrade since we've last stayed there. Attendees are responsible for making their own hotel reservations. Call 800-261-9530 or 757-229-1000, extension 3971, and ask for the special "Banjo Collectors Gathering" room block. Special rates for deluxe suites are $133 and rooms are $117 per day. Breakfast is included and there is no additional charge for double occupancy. A limited number of discounted rooms are available on a first come/first served basis so we recommend that you make reservations now. The registration fee for the Gathering is $125 for the entire event and, as always, we recommend signing up early to avoid disappointment as we can only accommodate a limited number of participants. Registration payments should be made to: Peter Szego, 2 Beekman Lane, Hillsborough, NJ 08844, USA.
Again, please register soon with Peter Szego. I will try to answer any questions directed my way.
Warm regards to all,
Hank.

After playing my B&D Silver Bell for 8 years I wanted to try a new instrument. I had sold my two other old instruments: a simple B&D special and a Paramount with a bent neck. So I just had one banjo left and that's risky as I play 80 - 100 gigs a year as a "non pro. musician". I visited Norbert Pietsch's homepage (www.pietsch-banjos.de) and heard Sean playing his Mastervox and got very interested. After contacting Norbert and discussing designs and prices he began making me a simpler style Mastervox #2 that he said would be ready in the summer of 2006. So in the beginning of July I took the train to Bremen, Germany from Copenhagen, Denmark (a very nice way to travel!) and spent a day in Norbert's workshop testing my new Mastervox. It just had everything I wanted- It had that big, wonderful sound. ..and what a beauty!
I've just started to get familiar with my Mastervox. It has heavier strings (GHS 0.11 and so on) so I must use a heavier plectrum as well. I've played LaBella strings for many years (0.10 and so on) . The neck is a little thicker than the Silver Bell, so it's a learning period right now. It works really well in the band and has a wonderful big tone and good attack. I like it very much and so do my fellow musicians. It is a wonderful "wooden banjo" which I personally prefer with nice clean surfaces and nice Mother of pearl inlays in the ebony fingerboard. That's the nice thing with Norbert's custom building - the same basic instrument design but with different levels of inlays, design and ornamentation. For example, the #6 has ivory style inlays, carving and engraving etc.
Best Wishes,
Björn Ekman.

.....and now in Swedish...
Efter att ha spelat på min B&D Silver Bell i 8 år så fick jag lust attskaffa ett nytt instrument (PLEKTRUMBANJO) Jag hade också sålt en enklareB&D Special och en Paramount med något böjd hals - inte helt ovanligt. Så kvar hade jag bara ett instrument. Lite riskabelt om man som jag spelarvarje vecka - rätt vad det är måste band bytas ut m.m.På Internet hade jag besökt Norbert Pietschs hemsida då och då och sett hansMastervox. Efter att ha hört Sean Moyses spela på sin Mastervox i mp3formtog jag kontakt med Norbert som lovade att bygga en "enklare" Mastervox tillmig än den ART DECO som fanns på hemsidan. Jag skulle faktiskt bara behövavänta 2-3 månader på leverans.Så i början av juli tog jag tåget till Bremen från Köpenhamn (trevligt sättatt resa för övrigt) och tillbringade en dag i hans banjoverkstad och fickmin nya banjo - en Mastervox nr2. Den gjorde allting som jag ville - en storvacker klang och snyggt,gediget tyskt hantverk. Detaljer: Utrustad med lite tjockare strängar än vad jag brukar - från 0.10upp till 0.11 samt GHS istället för La Bella. Kräver också tjockareplektrum. Samt lite tjockare hals och ett tyngre instrument. Fungerar även bra i jazzbandet och spontana positiva kommentarer frånmedmusikanter.Kul att det går att få i princip samma instrument fast med olika yttre.Själv föredrar jag enklare instrument med mycket träytor som talar för sigsjälva. Andra kanske vill ha mera pärlemor eller varför inte ettelefanthuvud längst upp. Smaken skall man inte diskutera. Jag tror att Norbert kan fixa det mesta.
Med vänlig hälsning
Björn Ekman
LUND.

1st Bonn International Banjo Festival.
Samstag Nov. 25- Banjo Workshops mit Hans Jörg Elter & open Sessions - 14.00. Abend Konzert - 20.00
Sonntag Nov.26- Brunch Session - 12.00-15.00
Wo? FIDDLERS Irish Pub,
Frongasse, Bonn-Endenich. Wegbeschreibung etc. unter www.fiddlers-bonn.de
Eintritt 10Euro pro Tag. Good Music, good food, good beer.
Kontakt www.jazzinbonn.de
Hotel Vorschlag www.treppchen.de
Alle banjo spieler und classic jazz fans sind herzlich willkommen!!!


Bonn International Banjo Festival.
Saturday Nov. 25
Workshops & sessions from 14.00. Evening concert from 20.00
Sunday Nov.26
Brunch session from 12.00
FIDDLERS Irish pub,
Frongasse, Bonn-Endenich. www.fiddlers-bonn.de (directions to the pub. etc. are here)
Entry 10Euros per day. Good music, good food, good beer.
Contact www.jazzinbonn.de or www.SeanMoyses.com
Hotel suggestion www.treppchen.de

Yes – that’s right!...The BBF. Already there is a plan for its reconstitution. Martin Jennings-Wright is the Manager of The Little Theatre in Bath. It’s a 180-seater put up in the 1920s with a stage, and shows films. It has lovely acoustics. And best of all it’s right in the middle of Bath. Martin wanted to come to the Banjo Festival last year but had to visit his brother – who also plays the banjo. So he decided to come to the Festival this year – only to find that it had been cancelled. Not to be daunted, our Hero wrote to me and asked what was happening, and then asked if I be interested in organising a concert at the Little Theatre as an experiment. So this is what’s happening.
This year, as something which could be organised quickly, we are putting on a concert with Leon Hunt (highly progressive bluegrass) in a 4-piece band and Elias Sibley. The concert will be before and after a showing of the Channel 4 documentary Echoes of America, which features banjo players from both sides of the Atlantic.
Apologies to all other banjo players who want to hear some of their sort of music, but this really is a small try-out, with the hope and expectation that it will be bigger next year!
The Little Theatre is down a cul-de-sac off the main pedestrian area of Bath, and so is in the middle of an array of small cafes and pubs. But the Little Theatre is also licensed to sell alcohol, so we shall be having seats and tables outside in the street. Come along from about lunch time on the day (Sunday August 6th) and sit around and chat and play. It will be adequately signed. There are several large and cheap car parks in the city. If you come by train or bus, simply walk towards the town centre, and a little to your left. The evening concert and film will cost about £6-7 (not sure yet), and we’ll be able to have a session afterwards.
We shall reformulate the BBF next year as a two-day event, perhaps as part of the Bath Music Festival or the Guitar Festival. The new Festivals organiser is much more open-minded that the last one, as she has added a street carnival and a jazz session to the range of entertainments. And since the Guitar Festival is running at the same time this year, you can have even more fretted fun!
Look forward to seeing you there.
Bath Banjo Festival,
August 6, 2006,
Little Theatre, Bath.

Julian Vincent.

Announcing the Early Spring Banjo Fling! Sponsored by the Stone Street Strummers
on March 22 - 25, 2007 at the Holiday Inn, 31 Hampshire Street, Mansfield, MA 02048, USA.
For reservations call 508-339-2200 and ask for the special room rate of $84.00 per night.
Cynthia Sayer is our headliner and will be performing in concert and giving a workshop. Rob Wright will give a workshop on "Jungle Ball" and a 3rd workshop is planned and is currently being organized.

Steve Caddick and Paul Poirier.
Photo courtesy of sgpond.com

The New England Jazz Banjo Fest '06 takes place on Friday, October 13 to Sunday, October 15 at the Worcester Hotel and Conference Center (formerly Holiday Inn) 500 Lincoln Street, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA.
For Rooms Call: 1-508-852-4000 . $86 (cutoff 9/13/06) – ask for the special BanjoFest rate.
For More Information Call:Allen Padwa 508-754-7918 or email allen@padwacaldwell.com

Summertime here keeps our banjo club busy with concerts and our regular Wednesday night banjo rehearsals at the Elks Lodge has become a show in itself with huge crowds attending, simply enjoying the music and having a good time. Often local jazz musicians pop in and sit-in with us.
We also get visiting banjo players coming by. In fact, next Wednesday, Arno Hagenaars and Erwin Liejs are coming by here on their way back to Holland after the FIGA Convention this weekend. They did the same last year...they love Pittsburgh and what we do on Wednesday banjo nights.
Recently, I had put together a small group to do a gig for Major League Baseball at the All-Star Baseball Game Fan Fest that ran for 5 days prior to the big game last week. It was a swell gig with over 106,000 fans coming to the event. We had 3 banjos, trumpet, clarinet and bass. They gave us baseball uniforms to wear...it was, not only profitable, but a fun event to play at. Here's a picture. Note we put the banjos in the front! (not like those other bands!!).

Frank Rossi

In the 1950’s my father played drums and a little banjo with a band called the Staccato’s. Gigs were mostly weddings and clubs, not paying much but supplementing his accountant’s income and helping to support my family. Dad played a Challenger King Banjo. I remember the banjo because I had held it many times and remember playing with the knob that opened and closed the unique port holes on it. I had not started my own banjo playing yet but this banjo was something to hold and mess around with. It was Dad’s and he let me hold it to tinkle the strings a little and admire it.
At the end of one of his gigs, probably in 1956 or 1957, dad was packing up his drums, walking back and forth to the car, when he discovered his Challenger King banjo was missing. Someone had stolen his banjo! I was only 6 or 7 years old at the time. Dad was so angry. This was the first time I can remember him being this angry. My twin brother and I were scared to see him that way, it left a deep memory of the incident with me.
Fast forward to Tuesday, May 16, 2006. I got an e-mail from my friend and well known banjo luthier, Vinnie Mondello, subject: "Ok................................take Nitro".
VinBro, as I call him, comes from Longview, Texas. He and I have had an online friendship for sometime now. We exchange jokes, banjo information, etc. by e-mail. In March of this year, I went to Rob Wright’s Arizona Banjo Blast. When the airline would not let me take my banjo on board as carry on, (there was no way it was going in baggage), I landed in Arizona with no banjo at all. VinBro came to my rescue, he handed me a vintage B&D #6 tenor banjo to use for the weekend. We had never actually met face to face prior to this when he just hands me a $13,500.00 banjo and says "Here this is yours for the weekend". I was flabbergasted by this guy, surprised at his generosity, and surprised at how he trusted me with this valuable banjo. That act of kindness let me know what a good friend he truly is.
So, when I got that e-mail from him titled: "Ok……………………..take Nitro", I thought it might just be another joke. But! This email was no joke. He asked a simple question, "So who is Bill Caddick, and the Banjoliers?" There was also a photo attached to that e-mail showing my dad’s name and the Banjoliers written in pencil inside a banjo resonator.
Memories started to come back through the years of time. Bill Caddick, (my father), and his best friend, Billy Jordan, had a group called the Banjoliers from about 1933 until the start of World War II. When the war started, dad went off to join and became a gunner on a B-25. After the war, he returned home to pursue his career as an accountant and to start a family. To supplement his income he joined the Staccato's playing drums and banjo.
I fired back an e-mail to Vinnie, telling him Bill Caddick was my dad and I asked what banjo this was. He answered that question with a few more photos of the banjo The emails continued, "VinBro, Holy S&*t!, This is my Dad's Challenger King Banjo! It was stolen back in the late 1950's in Providence, RI". The stolen banjo my dad was so angry about, 50 years ago!
The banjo had made a long journey from Providence, RI to Longview, TX. When a plumber friend of Vinnie’s moved to Texas from New York City, he brought the banjo to Vinnie for repairs. VinBro and I had a few e-mails about the condition of the banjo. It had been abused and was in a bit of tuff shape. Vinnie described the condition of the banjo as, "The Case is hammered, wood is perfect patina, no refinish. Neck is straight and playable, but hacked on at the dowel." When I saw the photos of the banjo I asked, "I don't expect I could get this back?" The response was: "Steve, I am going to work on getting it for you, but we have to come up with a decent banjo for him. Vin said to dwell on it, "we got nothing but time. I have it, he can’t get to it!"
John Sarasino, who had the banjo, is a plumber friend of Vinnie’s, from NewYork City. He first saw the banjo in some old mans cellar, sitting by a pipe he was fixing. In return for the plumbing debt, he traded the guy for the banjo. John lost his Dad recently, and when the banjo’s history was told to him, John said it is RIGHTFULLY Steve’s, and he wanted me to have it. Vinnie told him he was really really cool. I offered to trade a Paramount Leader that I don't use in return for dad’s Challenger, it was in Good shape, but not perfect.... ….The response came quickly, " I have the banjo secured for you, the trade is on pal".
John got a great deal but I am just so grateful that the Challenger banjo is coming home! Many thanks to John for sending this piece of my family history back home. For me it was a good trade. Vinnie agreed and commented; "I said the same thing to myself, exactly, I would give any of my Stromberg Deluxe's gladly, for my Granpa’s Stromberg, no matter the condition". I am just so grateful the Challenger is coming home!
The banjo arrived in Seekonk, Mass on Friday, May 26, 2006, my skin is just crawlin' with good vibes on this! I don't care that it will take months of work to put it back together, as long as I can get it playable and keep it pretty much in original condition.
I can't figure out why the thief would leave Dad's name on it. Common sense would tell me that the thief would have wanted to remove any identifying marks. Maybe he just took it and put it in that basement and rarely played it and never took it out of the house. Who knows!? From the day someone walked off with the banjo we thought it would never be seen again, until the banjo gods brought it to Vinnie. He told me "I say you scored, and all out Karma has worked well. Your poppa steered Don right to it, and got it a ride to the only guy that might snap on to what was "Caddick'in", 50 years later!"
So VinBro says don’t flower him up too much! I don’t have to, the story flowers him up to the point he should be at, "Top of the heap", "King of the Hill", "First on the list". Here is a guy that has a heart as big as the state he lives in: Texas! He lives by that old fashioned code of honor and what is right is right. Da Vinnie Code!
The biggest Thankyou from me seems a little small right now. "Love Ya VinBro!"

Written by Steve Caddick
Edited by Paul Poirier

It has been a month since Ruedi Bleuer presented his "first ever" Swiss Banjo Festival near Zurich. This friendly gathering of European banjo players was one of the highlights of my tour of Europe with my wife, Nida. Thanks to her, and to a Czech lady named Lilly Pavlak for the photo accompanying this article.
Ruedi chose the best hotel in the area, not only for location and accommodations, but for the large concert hall found in the same building. The renovated hotel actually dates back to the 1300's, along with most of the beautiful old buildings in this historic part of Bulach, a suburb of Zurich near the airport. There was ample room for displays by 2 vendors: Franz Elsener, who owns the music store "Saitensprung", and Hellmuth Fischer, who brought along some of his banjos which are for sale on his new website, "www.banjoparadise.ch".
In a previous article about this festival, written by Achim Hippenstiel, you can read a list of the performers from each concert. I did not know all of the musicians, but was impressed by the talent, and by the variety of banjo tunings heard each night. On Friday, Sean Moyses not only MC’d the show, but he entertained wonderfully, and helped accompany Ruedi Bleuer’s daughter, Daniella, when she sang with her dad and his band.In fact, we all tried to spread ourselves around , musically, to join in with others when appropriate, just to give support where needed to make the show a success. This really was a friendly gathering. I always enjoy playing along with Ruedi, as you can see in the top picture. If you have not heard him play, you should really check out his very listenable CD.
Ruedi kindly offered me the last portion of each night’s concert, so at the end , I invited every banjo player up to the stage to play a few final rousing songs together. We concluded by getting some of the members to join us for the large "finale band". After the stage shows, we got a chance to do more jamming into the wee hours..with Sean on the huge bass banjo!
Saturday was full of workshops. I offered a shorter (two hour) tenor banjo workshop in the morning, and Bernard Schwenter and Rainer Daub each provided their workshops in the afternoon. Sean Moyses had to leave town by then to play another engagement, so Ruedi introduced the Saturday night concert. The audience heard a nice new variety of songs from mostly the same performers, and everyone had a great time. After the final concert and jamming was over, many of us continued our partying in the hotel restaurant.
With the obvious success of this Swiss Banjo Festival, Ruedi is now preparing for next year’s event- with even grander plans in the works! I’m sure Ruedi will keep you posted on this website, so try to make plans to attend next summer in Switzerland.

Greetings,
Tim Allan.

We saw your newsletter, and thought we'd write in to let you know that our daughter, jazz banjoist Cynthia Sayer, was recently inducted into the National Four-String Banjo Museum Hall Of Fame on May 25, 2006, in Guthrie, Oklahoma, USA. She won for the category of "Performance." We're also attaching a photo that she sent to me showing her and the others with their trophies.
Sincerely yours,
Barbara & Bertram Sayer (Cynthia's parents!)

Cynthia adds.... I was just taken by surprise to see my parents' post about my recent induction! Yes, it's nice to have proud parents! But I would like to add information on all of the 2006 inductees.
Additionally, The Gibson Company won for "Design & Manufacture," Pat Terry Sr. won for "Performance -- Historic" , Eddy Davis won for "Promotion," and Walter Kaye Bauer won for "Education & Instruction." In the photo, you can see from left to right, myself, then Tom Montgomery, Chief of Manufacturing accepting for The Gibson Company, then Pat Terry Jr and Mrs. Pat Terry Sr. accepting for Pat Terry Sr., and Eddy Davis. Also, the photo was taken by Seymour G. Pond. Thanks!I hope everyone enjoys a wonderful summer!Also -- if any of you are in London between Sept 5 and 16, I'll be performing in the Dorchester Hotel's Promenade Room -- I hope you'll stop by and say hi!
Warmest regards,
Cynthia Sayer

WHEN I’M SIXTY FOUR: This number is becoming more and more popular with banjo players who usually play the “Tin Pan Alley” music from the 1920’s but have conceded that some more modern music also fits the banjo entertainers program.
Originally recorded by the Beatles in 1966, it was part of their 1967 eighth album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. This album revolutionized popular music and stayed in the top of the charts for several months.Paul McCartney wrote the words to the song when he was 16 (1958). It was originally written as a 64th Birthday gift to his father. Later, John Lennon was not initially receptive to the song, so it was not released until almost 10 years later.
Last month, on June 18, 2006, Paul McCartney turned 64. Something that was probably way beyond conception in those early days. When you are young, it is hard to imagine being that old.
The following are the dates when Beatles turned (or would have turned if they were still alive) 64:
Ringo Starr (Richard Starkey) July 7, 2004.
The late John Lennon, October 9, 2004.
Sir Paul McCartney, June 18, 2006.
The late George Harrison, February 4, 2007.
All of the Beatles except Ringo, started their musical life playing banjo or ukulele and this number was credited by the BBC's World Service as being influenced by the great British music hall entertainer George Formby. Paul played the ukulele on the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band hit of "I'm the Urban Spaceman" as he thought the uke playing bandleader, Vivian Stanshall was not good enough on the ukulele to play it himself.

Submitted by Derek Channing,
Michigan, USA.

Merci vielmals!!
Ein Resumee für ein gelungenes 1. Schweizer Banjo Festival in Bülach ,
Schweiz. Ausrichter Ruedi Bleuer. Ruedi hat diese Lob verdient, zumal er
gesundheitlich angeschlagen war. Mit seiner Frau Bea und Tochter Daniella
hat er es möglich gemacht.
Sehr angenehm fand ich, daß die Profis wie Sean Moyses und Tim Allan als
Begleitung sicheres" Back up " brachten. Samstag waren 3 Workshops mit Tim Allan , H.J.Elter un B. Schwenter. Rundherum ein schönes Ambiente- Bülach- und viele
Banjofreunde, die sich nächstes Jahr wieder treffen.

Thank you..four times!
A pleasant look back at the First Swiss Banjo Festival in Bülach, Switzerland.
Praise must go to Ruedi Bleuer, as he was not in the best of health over the weekend but with assistance from his wife Bea and his charming daughter Daniella (an upcoming jazz singer!) he made it. As far I know there was a sponsoring by Helmut Fischer, a Swiss banjo collector and the Saitensprung music shop.
I myself was very surprised about the help and musical underpinning of Tim Allan and Sean Moyses who spent their time helping some of performers on stage. Very pleasant back up. On Saturday we had three workshops with Tim Allan, H.J. Elter and Bernard Schwenter.
The little Swiss town of Bülach with a nice ambience. Many, many banjo friends new and renewed with the idea make it happen again next year.
The performers on the programme were:-
Hier die Teilnehmer in Programmfolge:
Banjo Gang
Ruedi Horath
Kurth Kreienbühl
Martin Shelik
Sean Moyses
Daniela Bleuer
Roberto Ammann
Franta Chvoyka
Ruedi Bleuer mit Alan Rogers from London on Piano
Hans Jörg Elter
Rita Trachsel
Helmut Fischer
Alberto Tschümperlin
Bernard Schwenter
Achim Hippenstiel
Rene Zenter
Headliner:- Tim Allan.

Grüße and Greetings,
Achim Hippenstiel,
Bad Münstereifel.

Alice and Ray Jaworski visit and video film many banjo events in the US. They also transfer these to DVD and sell them for private use to fans of the banjo.
On offer are DVD’s of.....
The Great Lakes International Banjo festival (G.L.I.B)
GLIB 2004 set of 3
GLIB 2005 set of 3
GLIB 2006 set of 3

Allenbury 2004 set of 3
Allenbury 2005 set of 3
Allenbury 2005 set of 3
Midwinter Springfield 2006 set of 3.

Price Each set + postage 20Euro or $25

Contact:-
Jaworski, Alice & Ray
11717 Manor Rd.
Glen Arm MD 21057
U.S.A
rayjaworski@comcast.net
alicemjaworski@comcast.net

Op initiatief van Hans de Roon wordt er tijdens het Breda Jazz Festival weer traditiegetrouw een Big Banjo Jam gehouden op het terras van Chinees Eethuis Gantau Village ( Tel 076-5208929), Boschstraat 19) in Breda. Naast Banjoisten worden er ook blazers e.d. uitgenodigd hieraan deel te nemen. Het is dagelijks van 13.00 - 18.00 uur en daarna de gezamelijke spotgoedkope chinese hap. Kom kijken naar deze unieke swingende jam ! De Landelijke Banjodag is Zondag 5 November 2006. De lokatie is nog niet bekend maar wel centraal in het land. http://www.jazzbanjo.nl/ http://www.jazzbanjo.nl/page3.htmlhttp://www.jazzfestivalbreda.nl/
m.v.g,
Fetze Pijlman

The answer is yes and no! There will be a banjo concert with films one Sunday in August as an experiment. It will be in "The Little Theatre" in the middle of Bath. If it works, it's likely that we'll run the Festival as a two day event next year, perhaps even with two concerts - I don't know. We may also run several banjo concerts in the year. The secret is that the manager of The Little Theatre is keen on banjos, and almost any location in the middle of Bath will pick up the passing public.
So . . . No - the Festival isn't happening this year, but . . . Yes, we will be having a banjo concert.

Julian Vincent.

I was playing in England during the 1980's with the Limehouse Jazz Band. John Howlett led the band and played trombone, Roy Pellett was a frequent 'visitor' and they always reminisced very fondly about their days in Switzerland (which sounds as though it was much more agreeable than later - in Sofia!). My wife Pam knew Jimmy Garforth very well (she lived in Plymouth at that time - late '70s - and spent some time in the Rod Mason circle of the day) and there are several others who we can't call to mind at the moment who seem to have settled well in the "land of the cuckoo-clock"! No offence meant to the Swiss- it's probably a more agreeable term than "land of the Gnomes" anyway! and apart from cheese we don't know too much about the country, ignorant lot that we are!
We live on the Costa Blanca, some 10 miles inland from Denia - the port on the 'bump' that sticks out on the map about halfway down the east side of Spain. We actually look out towards the Balearics, and enjoy (or otherwise) similar weather to the islands. There's a daily ferry service from Denia to Palma, but it takes a whole day, and is very expensive.
The Picture shows Val attempting to gain possession of Ted Brown's (ex Unity Stompers, IoW) instrument - the caption to which was, I think, "let go or I'll break your ******* neck!" or thereabouts!

Keep on plonkin'........
John Westwood.

Lieber Deutsche Banjo freunde!
Am Mittwoch, 24. Mai 2006 wird im WDR 4 um 21.05 Uhr der folgende Beitrag gesendet:
"Plinkety - Plank - Plunk" Banjo-Klänge
von Suitbert Kempkes, Redaktion Andreas Herkendell
In der Programmvorschau ist folgender Text zu lesen:
Vorhang auf für das Banjo! Dieses Saiteninstrument aus der Familie der
Gitarre steht ja sonst eher im Hintergrund. Gleichwohl ist es eines der ältesten Instrumente der populären Musik. Man kennt das Banjo hauptsächlich im Dixieland-Jazz. Da hat es vor allem die Funktion, für Rhythmus und Harmonie als Begleitinstrument zu sorgen. Dass as Banjo auch mehr zu bieten hat als immer nur Akkorde zu liefern, beweist diese Ausgabe von "Zauber der Melodien". Solisten und ganze Banjo-Orchester werden zupfen, was das Zeug hält.
Der Sende-Beitrag dauert 1 Stunde.
Ich empfehle, im Newsletter auf diesen Beitrag hinzuweisen.

Gruß
Dag Benend

News of a second album from 4-string banjo master, Jack Convery. This one is a tribute to the classic melodies of The Carpenters. With excellent interpretations and soothing performances framed in exquisite production, this is independent instrumental pop at its finest.
Check Out Carpenters on the Banjo at CDBABY.COM
Jack Convery and his son, John, will perform in "Fabulous Fathers" A Fathers' Day variety show gala benefiting the Contra Costa Youth Council. Hosted by KTVU Morning News Co- Anchor Mark Curtis.

The spotlight is on Contra Costa's most talented Dads for an afternoon of music, dance and comedy. When: Sunday June 18; Where: Dean Lesher theater; Cost: $15/youth, $18: senior, $20 adult. For more info contact: 925-943-7469 or visit www.essesproductions.com
Jack will also be performing this year at these events:-
May 25-28,2006 - Guthrie Banjo Festival: www.banjofestival.com
Late June/early July - Ralph Martin's Banjo Camp, Sweethome, Oregon. July 4th - Concert with Monterey Symphony and The Grass Roots, Watsonville, CA.

I had a nice gig today with the Amoskeag Strummers. They asked me to fill in as lead banjo because their regular guy could not play this one. They come from the Manchester, NH area. I have know them for years having met them at many of the banjo festivals I have attended for the past 20 or so years.
The location was the auditorium at the Newbury, MA Elementary School auditorium. Nice stage! We played two 45 minute sets. It went very well! I sold 10 CD's
of Eddy and me. They featured me on almost every song and I had a solo in each set. Avalon and El Cumbanchero. We played for the local Council on Ageing. Maybe 80-90 people. Sandy said she could have sold a few more if we had them with us. I only took 10 as results from older audiences has not been great in the past, well I was wrong this time! Here are a few photos Sandy took of us while playing.
After the gig we went to Michaels Harborside Restaurant in Newburyport where I had a nice Prime Rib.. Yum! Long ride, but I had a ball and made some "cha ching".
Steve Caddick

National resonator ukuleles are not easy to find. Very few dealers in Europe offers any for sale. They are certainly a bit expensive, but so are a lot of other instruments that you can find in the instrument shops, so why no National ukes? After looking for some time on the Internet and in person in various European music shops, I realized that the only proper answer would come from the manufacturer. So I wrote to the National company, and this is a modificiation of their reply combined with my own comments:
National still produce ukuleles. These are the models and their suggested list prices in the USA:
Steel - powder coated $1,300
Steel - vintage steel $1,400
Brass - Replica $2,080 (this one is a Style "O" that has been intentionally aged to look old)
Brass - Style "O" $1,960
Brass - Style "O" Deluxe $2,190
Brass - Style 2 $2,200
Brass - Style 3 $2,700
Wood - mahogany $1,140
Wood - maple $1,140
For pictures of some of the models please go to http://www.nationalguitars.com/ukulele.html
Some ukulele models have been discontinued because they were essentially not being ordered. National build their instruments to order. This means that if there are no orders, they do not build. They produce between 850 - 1000 instruments (guitars, mandolins, ukuleles) per year. To further understand why their ukuleles are so exceptionally rare in Europe, one might ask European dealers why they do not order more of of them. Obviously, the price might be one reason, since a lot of people go for cheaper ukuleles these days, but again, many people wouldn´t think twice about paying good money for a top quality instrument of another kind.
The problem is availability. With, say guitars, there is an abundance of instruments and manufacturers to choose between, so you can decide whether you want one type of guitar or another. Same with most ukuleles, but National is an exception. If you can´t find them you can´t try them yourself, and quite reasonably, you hesitate to order if you don´t know what it is like playing it.
Jonas Svensson.

Eddy Davis announces his new website is now active at www.theeddydavis.com.
Eddy was born in Indiana in 1940 he took an early interest to music. When he was only three of four years old he began listening to jazz records. In high school he took it upon himself to learn about every instrument there was. He finally took up the banjo when the only job open in a band that he wanted to work with was the banjo.
In college Davis majored in music playing bass. While studying in Chicago there were numerous opportunities to continue working playing tenor banjo. After college his banjo career took off in a new direction playing for the touring company of Hello Dolly and Mame. Over the years he was worked with most of the great jazz players. Other notable groups that he has worked with include the Best of Spike Jones presented by "The New York Society for the Preservation of Illegitimate Music" with Cynthia Sayer and the Village Stompers. In recent years Davis has been involved with musical and acting projects with Woody Allen.

The 2006 GLIB convention (which was billed as the last) after 17 years, was full of rumours, that the program might continue, after all. Finally, chairman Bill Jackson announced during the concerts that because of re-negotiations with the hotel, there might be a GLIB convention in 2007. There are still many open issues and the GLIB committee will decide on whether or not to continue by June 2006.
Probably because it was published as the last GLIB convention, there was a record attendance from all over North America. The convention continued to be “the best GLIB convention” ever, as it has done progressively, each year. Every aspect this year was better than last year, the jamming, the workshops, the display rooms, the play outs, the concerts, even the weather.
Most considered that the Doubletree Hotel renovations and changes, made the hotel an improvement over the previous Holiday Inn décor and set-up. The rooms had been renovated, there were no complaints about room service. Highlights of the concerts were the club bands, including the Windsor Banjo Club band, which put on a great and different musical program after the break on Friday evening. Most of the SE Michigan clubs had bands playing, plus a good entourage from the Toronto Banjo Band, Canada. The Jackson Banjo Club did their usual excellent service as stage hands, they are the best in the business.
The other big groups like the GLIB band and Girls, Girls, Girls were great too. The second line dancers from Petoskey, Michigan stole the show with their bikini costumes. The GLIB police had to arrest a couple of cross dressers attempting to join the Girls band lineup. Many of the girls in the band made a real effort and were considerably more attractive than their beautiful gold plated banjo’s!
All of the concert acts were excellent, but special mention should go to some. Picks N’Sticks, with their star singer Bruno (a dog!) from Mexico had the audience totally captured. The Riverboat Rats got the audience involved with “Those Were the Days”. The Dixieland Swingers closed the Friday night show with the usual outstanding performance by young David Bennett on clarinet. Dave has played at every GLIB concert, since he was 13 years old. He is now 21. Regular performers on Friday included Charlie Khederian, Mal Cooper, Dr. Jeff Grosser and Ernie May.
On Saturday afternoon the early emphasis was on youth, with “the Next generation Banjo Band” (who after a flawless performance, were asked for an encore), followed by 17 year old Paul Dernier, from the “Capital Kids” band in California. Paul also performed in the Friday night concert. The matinee also included “Side by Side” and “Spur of the Moment”. Dick and Helen Martin closed the matinee.
Special guest, Jack Convery from California, put on an excellent performance both Friday evening and during the Saturday afternoon matinee. Jack has recently released a new CD, “Beatles on the Banjo”, he played some selections from the CD, as well as the normal “tin pan alley” music.
Highlights of the Saturday evening concert was again, Dick and Helen Martin, plus the “Appearing Together” quartet, who played some interesting music from Simon and Garfunkel. Also performing were Frank Costa, Ralph Martin with his “Oregon Trail Riders” and John Ruskinoff. The Saturday night concert was closed at breathtaking speed, with a fantastic performance by Greg Allen and friends.
After the Saturday night concert intermission, the GLIB committee were introduced, as they are every year. Special this year (because it was assumed to be the last), GLIB Chairman Bill Jackson and his wife Sandy, were presented with a commemorative plaque of the GLIB logo, from the committee, to thank them for 15 years of dedicated service to GLIB. Vern and Avis Nelson were also presented with a similar plaque, for their forethought and hard work, bringing together the six Great Lakes area banjo Clubs, to get this event off of the ground in 1989. The now very familiar and distinctive logo, was designed at that time by the late Lou Marvicsin. Notable honoured guests attending the concerts, with reserved front row seats, were Charlie and Virginia Khederian, as well as Dr. Ford Topping and his wife Laura, now from Lansing, Michigan.
On Friday and Saturday after the concerts, jamming went on until the small hours. The hotel atrium had people standing in the walkways, both nights. Jamming also went on during the day, except during the concerts. The display rooms buzzed with activity and several instruments changed hands. There was also lots of activity with luthiers adjusting instruments for attendees. Outside activities included a trip to the Dearborn Commodores Club, as well as a Dearborn Nursing Home. There were also activities for the “banjo widows”, along with the dedicated card room.
The possibility that there will be a Great Lakes Banjo Convention in 2007, is a "definite maybe".
Submitted by Derek Channing

Hootenanny 3 featuring David Grier.
Well... Daily Planet's third album is now well under way and due for release/escape towards the end of the year - watch this space. The band will continue their touring hiatus until that time. Three of its members -
Henry (fiddle), Leon (banjo) and Dom (bass), will be touring throughout May, as Hootenanny 3 with the award winning American guitar virtuoso, David Grier. It would be great to see you at one (or more) of the following shows...
Thurs 11th - South Parade Pier, Southsea. 07970 959793
Fri 12th - Kalamazoo Club, Crouch End, London. 0208 3408752
Wed 17th - Nettlebed American Acoustic Music Club, Oxon. 0118 9423535
Thurs 18th - Plantation Lakes Acoustic Club, Nr. Clevedon. 01275 791750
Fri 19th - Devizes Acoustic Club, Cellar Bar, Bear Hotel Market Place, Devizes. 01380 722444
Sat 20th - Green Park Tavern (function room), Lower Bristol Road, Bath (all-day workshop and eve concert). 01373 813590
Tue 23rd - The Iswlyn Acoustic Guitar Club, Crosskeys Hotel, South Wales. robert.southall1@btopenworld.com
Wed 24th - The Social And Forces Club, Marple. 0161 2219683.
Advance tickets are available from Big Pink Records, 63 Thomas St, Manchester. 0161 833 0003.
Thurs 25th - Leeds Bluegrass Club. 01132 677040
Fri 26th - The Cannon, 50 High Street, Newport Pagnell, Bucks. 01908 610919
Sat 27th - Jamboree Strackonice (Nr. Prague), Czech Republic

Leon Hunt & Daily Planet
info@dailyplanet.co.uk
www.dailyplanet.co.uk/

On December 10th, 2005, at the 8th Annual Banjo Collectors Gathering, Gambian Jola folk music scholar Daniel Laemouahuma Jatta and Swedish banjo historian Ulf Jägfors met with two American roots music advocates Shlomo Pestcoe and Professor Tony Thomas (who is the Founder/Coordinator of the Black Banjo Then & Now and The Association of Traditional Association of Tradiitional Black String Players\String Players) to discuss ways of supporting the ongoing fieldwork by Jatta and Jägfors studying the Jola akonting, the West African folk lute considered to be a possible living ancestor of the banjo, and other lute traditions found throughout West Africa. It quickly became clear that the most pressing need was to aid The Akonting Center: The Senegambia Center for Folk Music Research and Education(SCFMRE), a non-governmental grassroots cultural initiative in Mandinary, Gambia, started by Jatta to research, document, and perpetuate the various string instrument traditions of the Senegambia region.
The result was the creation of a North American support group, Friends of the Akonting Center (FOAC). Others from the American banjo community active in FOAC include: Ed Britt, Dr. Joan P. Dickerson (a pioneer of the recent movement of African American musicians and scholars to reintroduce the banjo into their
community's rich musical culture), Rebecca Dixon, Paul Sedgwick and Eli Smith.
The first task FOAC has set for itself is raising funds for The Akonting Center. Its most immediate goal is to provide economic support for Daniel Jatta's effort to record and document Sagari Sambo, the oldest living master and tradition-bearer of the Jola akonting. Likewise, FOAC will be supporting The Akonting Center's International Conference on the African Origin of the Banjo, July 14-16, 2006, which will mark the official opening of the Gambian cultural institution.
For more information, please contact:
Shlomo Pestcoe
135 Amity Street, #1A
Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA
(718) 875-8847
or visit www.shlomomusic.com

The Strummers held their 14th annual Spring Fling the weekend of March 23-26,2006 at the Holiday Inn in Mansfield, Massachusetts. Our Headliner this year was Kurt Abell.
He did a great job at the Spring Fling with all his medleys. Songs you never hear! One of them was a big hit with all of us "Dead Skunk in the Middle of the Road" only Kurt could pull that off, with a special skunk hat and all! I still have it stuck in my head! However, the way he plays banjo is different than most other banjoists. Not only complex songs in medleys, but also lots of very musical ideas and passages of moving bass lines and inner voices to color and accompany himself. His alternative chords come from moving those inner voices so that not only does the melody sound wonderful, the way he moves from one chord to another in his chord melody's is just astounding! I have never seen someone with such a great ability to stretch for those notes he gets, but the notes and the way he uses them convinces me he is one of the few masters of that art form on any instrument! His workshop was one of the best we have had. All who attended walked away with a new sense of how rythum should be done and how to listen to it also.
We started off on Thursday evening with a Lobby performance by Dave Frey and Paul Doerner. As our attendees were heading for the Main Ballroom for the Strummers concert, they entertained on their plectrum banjos. The concert by the Strummers was held for the local area Senior Centers and Retirement homes. We had a full house with about 500 people in attendance for the concert. Tom Fee directed the band through memory lane on over 40 songs from the Tin Pan Alley era. Kurt gave us a teaser mini-concert for 15 minutes to show what people some of what they could expect in his one and a half hour concert on Saturday night.
Friday afternoon and we opened the registration table and had the first 4 of our lobby performances. Paul and I have the philosophy that as soon as you walk in the door of the hotel, there should be something happening musically from that point on. We had Dr Jeff Grosser and Friends play for an hour and then Steve Caddick and Friends play for an hour and then the Ross Hubbell Trio from Chicago play Gypsy Jazz for an hour. To finish off for the afternoon lobby performances we had Kurt Abell play for an hour.
Friday night we had the Providence Mandolin Orchestra, directed by Mr. Mark Davis, play in concert on the main stage followed by the Ross Hubbell Trio. Ross and Larry were accompanied by a local jazz great on bass,Mr. Steve Morawiec. Jamming followed the concert until the wee hours of the morning.
Saturday morning we had the 3 workshops. Eric Anderson gave a workshop on: "The Bass Line, the Foundation, Where it all Begins" He is Tubist from Maine. Also from Maine this year Dr. Jeff Grosser gave a workshop on "Banjo Playing is a Right and Left Brain Exercise: A Left Hand, Right Hand, Science, Art, Knowledge, and Technique Activity" Kurt Abell gave a 2 part workshop on: 1. "Slaying The Frustration Dragon" and 2."Rhythm Is Our Business" During this same time we continued with our lobby performances. They included: The Red
Suspenders, Dave Frey and Friends and a wonderful performance by Mike Hashem and friends. Mike played banjo and had 2 cornets and a bass with him. Great stuff!
At 1pm the "All Star Concert" was held in the main ballroom where all who wanted to participate were given a 12 minute time slot to show their stuff! Many played in this concert as it lasted over 5 hours! Many local singles, duos, trios etc played their hearts out for the overflow audience.During the weekend we had a vendor room with many people selling their music related items. Among them was Dr Gil O'Gawa who spent many hours fixing and adjusting banjos for many players. In the main lobby we had Gary and Maria Hicken taking photos of anyone who wanted to have a good photo of themselves made and also Kurt stood for 2 hours to have his picture taken with many of our attendees. This was a new idea for the Spring Fling and I think it just might catch on. Nothing says great memory like a photo.
Saturday night had only the one concert with Kurt Abell on stage as described at the beginning of this article. After Kurt's concert, the jamming started up in full swing in several areas. Once again it went on into the early hours of the morning. Sunday morning and it was time for Tom Fee's annual "Gospel Jam" where he projects hymns, gospel tunes etc up onto the big screen. In between the songs out come the stories and jokes. We many of those this year also.
One of the highlights was to see Dave Frey's new banjo created by Renee Karnes. Solid Ebony with engravings and carvings and over a pound of mother of pearl and abalone in it. What a graveyard for shell it is! Someone said that we had so much going on, you could not possibly see it all.
Well that is about it for the Spring Fling for this year. Paul and I would like to extend our personal invitation to you all to come next year. The dates
are: March 22-25, 2007 right at the Holiday Inn in Mansfield Massachusetts, USA.
My best,
Steve Caddick.

String Trio, Speicher, Husum, So., 07. Mai 2006, 11. 00 Uhr (Frühschoppen).
Drei Männer spielen Melodien aus Ragtime, Swing, Musical, Klassik und Blues.
Stücke von Scott Joplin, J.S. Bach und Karasz wie auch die weniger bekannten Novelty - Rags der 1930 - Jahre der Banjoisten Harry Reser bis Pete Mandell und dem Savoy Orpheans Orchestra. Feinste Salonmusik, die in keine Schublade passt -
ein Ohrenschmaus ohne Gleichen in einer Besetzung die man nicht
alle Tage hört. Im Speicher ist die Band von kurzen Auftritten im Rahmen des
Schleswig - Holstein Amateur - Jazz - Festivals bekannt.
Heute präsentiert String Trio zum Frühschoppen am 07. Mai sein neues Repertoire.
Christoph Cringle: Banjo & voc.; Lars Vagt: Tuba & voc.; Karl-Heinz Kircher: Gitarre & voc.
Grüße,
Cristoph Cringle

Since my wife , Nida, and I will be travelling in Europe for May and June, we will unfortunately be missing the Guthrie, Oklahoma, festivities . On May 25, banjo honorees will be inducted into the Hall of Fame, and the song, “The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise”, will be recognized and honored as a mainstay in every banjo player’s repertoire. Interestingly enough, this song was written in my hometown, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, back in 1919. In fact, I performed “The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise” for the widow of the music composer, Ernest Seitz, at a park- opening ceremony in Toronto about 25 years ago. Attending the ceremony were the Mayor of Toronto and dignitaries and historians, as well as Mrs. Seitz. The small park was named “Sunrise Parkette”, since it was the backyard of the small apartment building where Mr. And Mrs. Seitz lived when Ernest wrote this melody. June Lockhart, the famous daughter of this song’s lyricist, Eugene Lockhart, will be in Guthrie on May 25 to accept the honors on behalf of the two song composers. I’m sure she will have many interesting details to tell the Guthrie audience. If you are interested, you can hear my version of “The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise” on my “By Request” CD, or on my new 90 minute DVD, “In Concert”, found online at www.timallan.com .
Talking about Toronto, the Toronto Banjo Band just celebrated their 20th anniversary in February 2006. I was the first musical director of the band for about six months back in 1986. I’m happy to see that the TBB is flourishing and has a busy performance schedule around the Toronto area. Congratulations to the Toronto Banjo Band.
This May 22 and 23, I’ll be performing again on banjo and guitar in downtown Pforzheim, Germany, at the Bottich-Ratskeller in the Rathaus, Pforzheim, from 8:00 pm till 11:00 pm . For anyone interested in tickets (15 Euros) for either concert date, please contact Rainer Daub at (49) 723-135-6500. On Thursday, May 25, I shall be offering a 6-string guitar workshop at “Musik-City Steinbrecher”, also in downtown Pforzheim. For those banjo players interested in guitar, or at least, 6-string tuning, this guitar class will be very helpful. You can reserve a place at my all day guitar workshop by contacting store owner, Frank Steinbrecher, at info@musicmedia.de or telephone Frank at Musik-City Steinbrecher at (49) 7231-154390. The workshop fee will be only 50 Euros.
Tenor banjoists should note that I will be giving a tenor banjo workshop near Zurich, Switzerland, at the Banjo Festival Switzerland, on Saturday June 10, in the morning. I will be providing 2 hours of challenging instruction suitable for the moderate to advanced tenor banjoist, but everyone is welcome. The workshop fee will be only 40chf. I will also offer private lessons for 60chf. This first ever Swiss Banjo Festival will be held on June 9 and 10 at the Hotel zum goldenen Kopf in Bulach, just north of Zurich. The organizer of the Festival is plectrum banjo virtuoso, Ruedi Bleuer. He is turning 60 around then, so come to the Banjo Festival and celebrate his birthday! For Banjo Festival information, please go to www.banjomen.ch .
Tim Allan.

The annual Banjorama in Springfield, Ohio, USA was great and very nice banjo show, with lot of friends and with great hospitality shown by Patty and Dr. Phil Cain. The Cains have been doing the Banjorama consequently for 22 years now.
All these great guys were present: Springfield Banjo & Brass, Charlie Khederian, Gold Dust Twins, Bobby McBryde, Ted Wallace, Georg Rigel, Joachim & Arno, Jersey Jammers, Harley McCabe, Bill Moynihan Vicky Youngman Trio, Morgan & Sherry Humecky, Jim Barrett, Greg Allen, Kettering Banjo Society, Hoosier Banjo Band, Tim Wolf, Dale Fogle, Weirnot Brother and Pearl, Jeff Grosser, Banjo Busters, Ragtime Riverboat Rats, Coconuts Shakers and the Mal Cooper Trio.
Arno Hagenaars was also on the program. It was my idea to introduce Arno Hagenaars to the Banjorama programme. He is an outstanding tenor player from Bergen op Zoom, Netherlands and he came with his friend Erwin Leys (a great piano player) to play. Their performance earned them a standing ovation. I think that says it all!

Eine schöne und familiäre Veranstaltung, mit vielen Freunden und einergroßartigen Gastfreundschaft von Patty und Phil Cain. Diese Veranstaltunggibt es schon seit 22 Jahren.Im Program waren u.a. :Springfield Banjo & Brass, Charlie Khederian, Gold Dust Twins, Bobby McBryde, Ted Wallace, Georg Rigel, Joachim & Arno, Jersey Jammers, Harley McCabe, Bill Moynihan, Vicky Youngman Trio, Morgan & Sherry Humecky, Jim Barrett, Greg Allen, KetteringBanjoSociety, Hoosier Banjo Band, Tim Wolf, Dale Fogle ,Weirnot Brother and Pearl, Jeff Grosser, Banjo Busters, Ragtime Riverboat Rats, Coconats Shakers, Mal Cooper Trio, Arno Hagenaars und Erwin Leys. Ich bin froh, daß ich Arno zum Besuch dieser Veranstaltungen(Springfield+Dearborn) habe überreden können. Der Erfolg bestätigt dies. Es gab für Arno und Erwin lange "standingovation", das bedeutet in der dortigen Scene sehr viel.

Joachim Hippenstiel
Germany.

Narvin Kimball, last original member of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, passed away 17 March, 2006 at the age of 97. He was committed to passing on the music to today’s young musicians. The Preservation Hall Jazz Band started in 1966 as a collection of 120 New Orleans old-time musicians playing in a French Quarter art gallery. When Narvin Kimball (at age 57) joined the original Band, he was its youngest member at the nightly performances while delivering U.S. mail during the day.As a mail carrier for thirty-five years, he never missed a single day without pay and was late only three times. The pride of his tenure with the Post Office and his professionalism with the PHJB showed as he was immaculately attired in his appropriate mail or musician uniform with shoes shined and shirts cleaned and pressed.
Playing professionally since the 1920’s and making his recording debut in 1928 on Columbia Records, he was told to "wait his turn" to be the PHJB leader, as senior band members preceded him in that role. These included Willie and Percy Humphrey, Dede and Billie Pierce, Jim Robinson, Cie Frasier, Kid Thomas and George Lewis. They, and others, have all passed on, Narvin Kimball was its sole original practitioner.
Born in New Orleans in 1909 and the son of Henry Kimball, a well-respected New Orleans bass player who performed in the Crescent City at the turn of this century, Narvin quickly earned a reputation as a dynamic left-handed banjo player. During the 1920’s while playing with the highly regarded Fate Marable Band on Mississippi River boats, he established musical relationships with musicians he would perform with for decades. One was Willie Humphrey, another original member of the PHJB and with whom Narvin would play for over 60 years before Willie's passing in 1996.
From 1935-1960, he played the string bass with popular swing groups including the Sidney Desvigne orchestra. Today we are seeing a resurgence of swing music, of which he was an original member.In 1960, he returned to his banjo playing. Narvin’s playing and singing quickly became a favorite of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, which started a few years later. With the PHJB he performed throughout the world and with the country’s major symphony orchestras, including the San Francisco Symphony. His vocal rendition of Georgia, a crowd pleaser, was guaranteed to bring a tear to one’s eye.
Whatever Narvin did, he was eloquent. Whether it is his singing, banjo playing, or dressing – it was always impeccable. He was the consummate professional. He is survived by his wife, two daughters, four grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.

Le Jour J est derrière le dos. Ouf! La partie est réussie.
Certains sont venus de France (4) d'Allemagne (5) et une flopée pas prévue de Hollande qui ont été très actifs dans les jams. Sans compter les invités: Bernard Schwenter venait de Suisse et Tom Stuip des pays-Bas . Marcel Deneve a été impeccable dans son rôle de présentateur, attentif à ce qu'il avait à faire, très à l'écoute des participants, menant bien la danse. Tout le monde m'en a dit beaucoup de bien.
La journée à commencé en force avec la première jam. En un instant les banjoïstes étaient prêts à jouer et à s'amuser. Fred à la contrebasse, Rob à la clarinette et Marcel lancait la machine : à chaque chorus un autre banjo prenait le solo tandis que les autres strummaient avec énergie et bonne humeur. L'humour aussi était au rendez-vous. Marcel suivait le soliste en action avec le micro, pour que tout le monde puisse bien l'entendre et chacun avait son style et sa richesse personnelle. J'avais fait un programme pour la jam et préparé diaporama avec les grilles d'accords projetées sur un mur. Pas de discussions sur le choix de tonalité ou de morceaux, ni d'hésitations de ceux qui ne connaissent pas le morceau ou qui seraient habitués à le faire dans une autre tonalité. Pour ça cette idée de projection a été un plus que les Allemands et les Hollandais ont décidé de garder pour leurs fesivals.
Le concert de 14h avec Leo De Potter (Gand) et Remco Houtman-Janssen (Hollandais de Gand) Un très beau duo très équilibré : un banjo ténor et un plectrum, c'est une combinaison très complète d'autant plus que le banjo plectrum était de temps en temps remplacé par un banjo ukulélé: un son et une techique de la main droite qui ont suscité beaucoup d'intérêt et de bonheur; Puis un le Düsseldorfer banjo club amené gracieusement par Achim Hippenstiel (Merci Achim) Pour leur dernier morceau achim a invité les banjoïstes belges à se joindre à eux (sympa Achim) 15 h Deuxième Jam: même bonne humeur même entrain 16h Un choix entre deux workshops : l'un par Bernard Schwenter sur la façon de travailler efficacement son instrument était donné en français : un tas de petits trucs reçus par chacun de nous comme un cadeau et une matière à réflexion.
L'autre donné en Anglais ou en Néerlandais par Tom Stuip sur la technique de rythme de la main droite : je n'y étais pas mais je peux dire que je les entendais de loin mettre en pratique (et en choeur) les triplets shuffle et autres trémolos. 17h Le deuxième concert : les "Two Tenors", un duo qui nous venait du nord des Pays-Bas. Je les avais entendus à Bussum, ils m'avaient plû , ils ne m'ont pas déçue à St Josse. Pour nous banjoïstes belges qui sommes habitués à jouer avec un jazzband je crois que c'était très intéressant d'apprécier une autre façon de mettre notre instrument en valeur. Puis Mattias Hallin. Il est suedois (mais il vit à Bruxelles) : Chouette Mattias, il est mon voisin et je ne l'avais jamais entendu. Je lui redemanderai l'année prochaine : beaucoup d'entrain et d'énergie, il connaît son affaire.
Et pour terminer Etienne Coulon celui que tout le monde connaît chez nous et apprécie pour sa rythmique et ses harmonies géniales. 18h rejam, 19h pause avant le concert du soir
On a l'occasion d'essayer ces merveilles de banjos amenés par Achim, Dag, Jean-Marie et d'autres. Ils étaient exposés toute la journée dans les belles vitrines de la Jazz Station : un vrai look de musée. Et enfin le concert du soir : Tom a fasciné l'auditoire. J'avais beaucoup de plaisir à observer les mines réjouies du public.Tom était accompagné par son épouse Arlette à l'accordéon et par notre Marcel national qui a assuré la basse au pied levé et...de main de maître.
Et Bernard Schwenter, lui aussi a clôturé cette journée en apothéose avec son concert plein d'humour et de poésie, mais aussi de talent.
Cette Journée était un premier essai, les encouragements et remerciements me sont déjà venus de tous les côtés et la version 2007 est en train de prendre forme dans la têtes de quelques belges mordus comme Leo De Potter, Etienne Coulon et moi même.
Un tout grand merci à l’équipe de la Jazz Station pour son accueil, son lieu magnifique (acoustique excellente) son soutien moral et financier, avec une mention toute particulière pour Jean Demannez qui nous a soutenus dans ce projet et à Yannick Karijn qui n’a pas ménagé sa peine dans la réalisation de ce projet.

Catou Pecher


Compte rendu de la journée du 4 mars à st-Josse Ten Noode.
Premier essai d’un Jazz Banjo Festival à Bruxelles.
J’arrive dans un endroit au premier coup d’œil, splendide et superbement restauré par la ville et qui ce prête tout à fait à l’événement.
L’acoustique y est superbe. N’étant pas le premier arrivé, j’ai eu la joyeuse opportunité d’entendre 20 à 30 banjoïstes faisant la jam et c’est peu dire, le déplacement en vaut la peine. Une série de petits concerts s’en suivirent et là…grandes découvertes, à savoir, Remco Houtman et son banjo ukulélé ainsi que son acolyte Leo de Potter.
Une très belle exposition d’instruments à la fois rares et d’une très belle qualité en général. Quelques workshops intéressants présentés par Tom Stuip et par Bernard Schwenter.
Ensuite jam et rejam, sans oublier un duo de banjoïstes hollandais An van der Wal et Hein Overbeke, qui était digne d’intérêt vu l’originalité de leur répertoire.
Arrive le concert du soir avecTom Stuip : c’est splendide et plein de richesse de jeu.
Puis, Bernard Schwenter et là pour ma part c’est l’apothéose : un spectacle plein d’humour et très original.
C’est avec grand intérêt que j’attend la cuvée 2007.

Etienne Coulon.

1.Internationales Banjo - Festival der Schweiz, 9. & 10.Juni 2006
Das erste Schweizer Banjofestival findet statt: in Bülach (ZH) 15Min. ab dem Flughafen Zürich-Kloten oder 30Min.ab Grenzübergang Thayngen, (Schaffhausen-Bülach) im Zentrum der historischen Altstadt von Bülach. Im sehr schönen Hotel zum Goldenen Kopf. Siehe unten stehende Webseite.
Bitte die Zimmer-Reservationen direkt im Hotel zum Goldenen Kopf buchen.Mit dem Vermerk, Banjofestival.
Die Konzerte sind Freitags und Samstags. Am Samstag werden auch Workshops von renomierten Banjospielern durchgeführt; zur Teilnahme ist jederman herzlich eingeladen.
Organisation Ruedi Bleuer
Suchen unter www.banjomen.ch

The very first International Banjo Festival Switzerland will take place on June 9 and 10, 2006 in the Hotel zum Goldenen Kopf. This is situated in the beautiful and historic "old town" quarter of Bülach. Bülach is about a 15 minute drive from Zürich international airport and about 30 minutes from the German border crossing at Schaffhausen-Bülach. Concerts will take place both evenings and workshops will run through Saturday. For hotel reservations please contact the Hotel zum Goldenen Kopf (click on the link in the German section) and mention the banjo festival.
All banjo players and contributors are welcome.
Please contact Rüdi Bleuer via www.banjomen.ch for more details.

Wer ihn liebt, hier kann er ihn wieder hören: den fast vergessenen original "open back" Banjosound mit naturfellklang (Vega Artist, 1924). Dazu hat heute ein Jazz-Banjospieler ja kaum noch den mut. Büli aber demonstriert uns Banjo-spielern hier, was uns vielen Jahren alle mal zum Banjospielern antrieb. Mit den angenehmen, warmen, bassigen Banjoklang produziert Büli hier gekonnt Musik zum entspannten Genießen ohne unber mäßige-häufig nervige-Solistik, wie man es vielen Banjospielern wünschen möchte. Ganz besonders gefällt auch das Gitarrenspiel bei "If i had you".
Ein CD, die ich wohl haüfiger mal auflegen werde.
Günther Amendt, Düsseldorf.

If there's one thing that i notice first about any banjo player, it is their sound and Büli's sound has always been pleasing to my ear. It is reminiscent of an older, darker, more mellow tone from the days of calf skin heads. Büli once told me that Emanuel Sayles was a big influence on his style of playing. In my opinion, he could not have made a better choice. I am pleased that Büli has decided to do this banjo CD project. He sounds great playing lead banjo. His technique, combined with the tone of his instrument, makes for a beautiful listening experience. There are a lovely variety of songs and they all have a good feel.
Dear listener, may you enjoy wonderful sounds from a wonderful instrument played by my friend Büli.
Don Vappie, New Orleans
To order this CD go to http://www.maryland-jazzband.de/ and e-mail your order via the link.