International Jazz Banjo Newsletter

"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.