International Jazz Banjo Newsletter

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)