Minstrel Banjo Style

Rounder Records - CD 321

Format: CD, Compilation
Country: US
Released: October 25, 1994
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Country, Old Time
[Tracklist]
01 Whoop Jamboree: Joe Ayers (02:54)
02 Essence of Old Virginny: Joe Ayers (02:00)
03 Sylphides Mazurka: Joe Ayers (01:40)
04 Peeping Through de Cellar Door: Joe Ayers (03:25)
05 Medley: Bully for All / St. Patrick's Day: Joe Ayers (02:35)
06 Whoop Jamboree Reprise: Joe Ayers (01:45)
07 Medley: Hobson's Jig / Briggs' Corn Shucking Jig: Clarke Buehling (02:20)
08 White Cat, Black Cat: Clarke Buehling (01:34)
09 Green Corn / Oh, What's de Matter, Suse Ann?: Clarke Buehling (02:00)
10 Anthony Street Reel: Clarke Buehling (01:08)
11 Clare de Kitchen: Clarke Buehling (02:25)
12 Whelpley's Jig / Buckley's Jig: Bobby Winans (04:32)
13 Johnny Boker / Matt Peel's Walk Around: Bobby Winans (03:25)
14 Phil Issac's Jig / Raccoon Jig: Bobby Winans (03:00)
15 Briggs' Jig / Brigg's Reel: Bobby Winans (02:30)
16 Harper's Jig / Kentucky Juba: Bob Flesher (02:30)
17 Jim Along Josie: Bob Flesher (02:15)
18 Rumsey's Jig / Modoc Reel: Bob Flesher (02:35)
19 Oh, I'se So Wicked: Bob Flesher (02:40)
20 Alabama Joe / Alabama Walk Around: Bob Flesher (01:45)
21 Phil Rice's Excelsior Jig / John Diamond Walk Around: Bob Carlin (02:44)
22 Richmond Am a Hard Road to Travel Bob Carlin (03:47)
23 Devil's Dream / Darkey Money Musk / Mrs. McLeod's Reel: Bob Carlin (03:02)
24 Slave Narrative / Juba: Tony Trischka (01:49)
25 Operatic Jig / Roast Beef: Tony Trischka (01:34)
26 Yankee Doodle: Tony Trischka (01:40)
27 New York March: Tony Trischka (00:47)
28 Git up in de Mornin' / Sebastopol Breakdown: Tony Trischka (01:26)
[Notes]
This intriguing album, which features contemporary banjo players Joe Ayers, Clarke Buehling, Bobby Winans, Bob Flesher, Bob Carlin, and Tony Trischka employing drop-thumb frailing techniques on gourd and hoop banjos in replication of the ante bellum minstrel style, somehow seems to fall short of what it might have been. Some of these performances are surprisingly lifeless and perhaps a bit too studied to really catch fire. Then there's the content problem of the minstrel canon itself, which was built on whites in blackface trying to mimic black life and attitudes, and in that context, songs like "Oh, I'se So Wicked," as performed here by Bob Flesher, are layered with subliminal cultural baggage and cruel ironies that are difficult to set aside even all these years later. Still, the minstrel era marks a period in the south when African approaches to rhythm and arrangement collided and eventually merged with European ones, and in what might be the largest irony, black musicians appropriated many of the minstrel tunes, which were in themselves parodies of black culture, into their own milieu, giving these songs another layer of the onion. All of this is more weight than this set is really intended to bear. The tunes are pleasant enough sounding on the surface, the banjo tones are round and gentle, and if one can set aside the ugly racial problems in America that really drove the minstrel phenomenon, then this set is a partial step toward cultural realignment.- AllMusic Review by Steve Leggett

Tony Trischka: Territory

Smithsonian Folkways – SFW 40169

Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 2008
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
01 Fox Chase: Tony Trischka (3:30)
02 Leatherwing Bat: Tony Trischka with Pete Seeger & Bruce Molsky (3:32)
03 Rainbow Yoshi: Tony Trischka (2:27)
04 French Creek / Burning Springs: Tony Trischka (3:21)
05 Zoe: Tony Trischka (2:16)
06 John Henry Medley: John Henry / Bonaparte's Retreat / etc.: Tony Trischka (3:18)
07 Trompe de L'Oreille: Tony Trischka with Bill Keith & Paula Bradley (2:47)
08 Hawaii Slide-O: Tony Trischka (2:22)
09 John Cohen's Blues: Tony Trischka (1:47)
10 Molly and Tenbrooks: Tony Trischka (2:46)
11 Sean: Tony Trischka (1:57)
12 The Next Big Thing: Tony Trischka (4:03)
13 Noah Came to Eden: Tony Trischka with Mike Seeger (4:12)
14 Eighteen: Tony Trischka (1:54)
15 Celtic Medley: St. Anne's Reel / Drowsy Maggie / Red Haired Boy / etc.: Tony Trischka (3:01)
16 Salt River: Tony Trischka (2:43)
17 Banjoland: Tony Trischka with Bill Evans (3:00)
18 Old Stone Church: Tony Trischka with Bruce Molsky & Paula Bradley (4:30)
19 Gourd Banza: Tony Trischka (1:44)
20 Medley: Brightshade / Carolina Traveler / Casey Jones: Tony Trischka (3:57)
21 Lake Flora: Tony Trischka (3:29)
[Credits]
Producer and Liner Notes: Tony Trischka, Associate Producer: Deborah Miller and Richard James Burgess, Liner Notes: Bob Carlin, Editor: Carla Borden, Designer: Sonya Cohen Crame, Photographer: Michael Stewart, Engineer: Michael Daves, Pete Reiniger, Ronnie Freeland, Aaron Hurwitz, Tom Tedesco and Russ Martin
[Notes]
With fearless musical curiosity as the guiding force, Tony Trischka's Territory roams widely through the banjo's creative terrain. Twelve all-Trischka solo tracks explore a panorama of tunings, banjo sounds, and traditions. Nine selections partner Tony with fellow banjoists Pete Seeger, Mike Seeger, Bill Evans, Bill Keith, Bruce Molsky, and other guest artists to tap the creative potential of America's signature musical instrument. 62 minutes, 21 tracks, 32-page booklet, extensive notes, photos.

Barbara Lamb: Fiddle Fatale

Sugar Hill Record SH-CD-3810

Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 1993
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass, Country Swing
[Tracklist]
01 Sally Goodin (3:36)
02 Panhandle Rag (4:29)
03 A Good Woman's Love (4:28)
04 Paddy On The Turnpike / Gone Again (3:41)
05 Montana Glide (4:17)
06 Herman's Hornpipe (3:20)
07 So What (4:02)
08 Foster's Reel (4:07)
09 Old French Reel (2:15)
10 I'll Never Be Free ( 3:45)
11 Katy Hill (2:56)
12 Princess Angeline Cafe (3:39)
13 Ducks On The Millpond (Ducks With Bongos) (3:59)
[Credits]
Barbara Lamb (fiddle/vocals) Tim O'Brien (bouzouki/mandolin/vocals) Jerry Douglas (dobro) Sam Bush (mandolin) Tony Trischka (banjo) David Keenan, Jo Miler and Scott Nygaard (guitar) Nova Devonie (accordion) Pete Wasner (piano) Nancy Katz, Ed Gately and Mark Winchester (bass) Joe Craven (percussion) Ben Holmes (drums)
Producer: Tim O'Brien, Engineers: Randy Best, Kevin Clock, Jay Follette, David Glasser and Michael Lord
[Notes]
This was fiddler Barbara Lamb's declaration of independence upon her departure from Ranch Romance, an (almost) all-woman retro country swing outfit that had recorded several very fine albums for the Sugar Hill label. Her former bandmates join her here on several tracks that could have easily been included on a Ranch Romance album, including a debonair rendition of the Texas swing classic "Panhandle Rag" and a charming Tex-Mex number titled "So What." Elsewhere on the program she returns to her bluegrass roots, accompanied by banjoist Tony Trischka, guitarist Scott Nygaard, and mandolinist Sam Bush, among others. The program opens with a burning performance of "Sally Goodin," and it also includes a great fiddle and banjo arrangement of "Katy Hill" and a cute fiddle-and-bongo arrangement of "Ducks on the Millpond." She also gets good and countrified in collaboration with Tim O'Brien on "A Good Woman's Love" and on a slow waltz entitled "Montana Glide." The variety works very well; this is an excellent album. (AllMusic Review by Rick Anderson)