International Jazz Banjo Newsletter

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