Thursday, January 10, 2013
Return of the Banjoline reviewed by JL MacCoy.
"Return of the Banjoline"
Return of the Banjoline
A review by
Jackie Lynn MacCoy
Sean Moyses
never ceases to amaze me. He has already established himself as one of the
premier banjo players on the planet. So what does he do next? He takes a page
out of the multi-dimensional career of his idol, "Banjo King" Eddie
Peabody, and decides to add a new instrument and sound to his repertoire. VOILA
!We are blessed with a new CD, "Return of the Banjoline."
I read an
article in which Sean explains how he took a Fender Telecaster guitar, propped
it up on his workbench, and worked a little bit of magic. It all sounded very
technical to me, and I think the man is far too humble about the genius of his
endeavour. Eddie Peabody and his brilliant Banjoline are part of the fabric of
my life. I heard him play it "live" and also have both of his
timeless "SMOOTHIES" albums.
Bringing about a revival of this 'plectrum guitar'(which
was invented by Peabody himself) would be no small task. That is, unless you're
Sean Moyses. The photo on the front cover is clever. Sean is holding his new creation like a man
on a mission. He's decided to follow in Eddie's footsteps, and yet, keep his
own identity at the same time. As a twist, most of the tunes on the Moyses CD
are ones Eddie never recorded.
Many are more 'modern'
("Moon Dance," "Just The Way You Are," "If") and
this was a nifty way to update the instrument for the listening audience. I
will note that at times Mr. Peabody would throw his Banjoline into "high
gear" and snap out "Honey" or "Around The World In Eighty
Days." He was also very fond of Hawaii and played many of the well-known
island tunes. So there is a slightly
different approach and sound. But talent is talent, and Sean's affection for
the tunes of 'yester-year 'is still very evident with his beautiful renditions
of "Londonderry Aire"("Danny
Boy") and "Stardust."
Moyses' musicality shines through on Erroll Garner's classic,
"Misty," and his nimble fingers do the talking on a swingy version of
1929's "Am I Blue."
Without
sounding cliche, there really is something on this disk for everyone. I like
the nice foreign flair of "Petit Fleur," "C'est Si Bon,"
and his smooth Latin medley, "Besame Mucho/South of the Border.""Dream
A Little Dream Of Me" is masterfully played. Sean's personality jumps off
the strings, and I find myself playing this song over and over. His backings
are tasty perfection. I can't get over how FULL the sound is. I have to remind myself that this is just Mr.
Moyses and his Banjoline, with some rhythm tracks to frame his
performances.
Every tune on this CD is a
winner, but I'd rather cut to the chase and tell you my favorite is "I'll
See You In My Dreams."This is a Peabody signature song, written in 1924 by
Isham Jones, with lyrics by the legendary Gus Kahn. I had the pleasure of
seeing and hearing Sean performing this number at the All Frets Convention this
past July in St. Louis, Missouri. Take a listen to this 'fab' arrangement and
you will hear some jazzy Les Paul licks. Great, just great!
Sean's fans,
and there are many of them, already know that his CDs are top-notch, high
quality. This one is no exception. To order "Return of the Banjoline"
on CD or to download it, go to www.cdbaby.com.
The album is on about ten digital platforms to download, including I-Tunes,
Rhapsody, Spotify, etc. He also did a
bit of "spring cleaning" on his website. Be sure to visit www.seanmoyses.com, as well as www.eddiepeabody.com, a thorough tribute
to the 'Banjo Wizard' and another one of Sean's popular enterprises.
Fortunately,
we never have to choose between the music of Sean and Eddie. We can have both.
Personally, I look forward to what new tricks Sean Moyses has up his sleeve. He
is doing both the banjo and guitar worlds a tremendous favor by
ever-challenging himself to bring great music to the public. Eddie Peabody
would certainly give him a wink and a nod of approval.
"Return of the Banjoline" is a
"must-have" for Moyses fans and for people everywhere who love and
appreciate terrific music!
