Harpers Ferry Early Banjo Workshop Weekend--May 22-23, 2010

[Greg Adams]

Dear Friends,

Tim Twiss and I have been given the opportunity to co-organize an early banjo workshop event for the National Park Service at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park this May 22-23, 2010. The focus of this event is to try to attract musicians (banjo players in particular) to come and learn about early banjo technique and invite the public to learn more about the multicultural history of the early banjo (ca 1620-1870). 

Part of our enthusiasm for this event is that it predates George Wunderlich's Third Antietam Early Banjo Gathering, which is scheduled for August 27-29, 2010! This means that those new faces that come to our event will have the opportunity to continue developing their skills at AEBG III, learning from the many exceptional musicians and researchers who will be there!!

Please see the attached pdf for more information about the Harpers Ferry event. We will provide more details to a variety of electronic lists and social networking sites as they become available. 

In the meantime, keep up the great work and we'll see you soon!

Thank you,

Greg

[Greg Adams]

Hey everyone,

Check out the attached registration form for the Early Banjo Event Tim Twiss and I are organizing for Harpers Ferry!

Thank you,
Greg

[Greg Adams]

Tim and I are having a blast prepping our workshops for the Harpers Ferry event. We're definitely hoping to attract some new faces who are willing to explore early banjo history. These are gonna be great workshops!

[razyn]

I'll try to swim up the river and attend, but have a conflict on that Saturday morning. Don't know if I'll go for half of the first day, or maybe just for all of the second.

Dick

[Tim Twiss]

Regardless of how long you are there for, it will be good to see you. Hope you make it.
tt

razyn said:

I'll try to swim up the river and attend, but have a conflict on that Saturday morning. Don't know if I'll go for half of the first day, or maybe just for all of the second.

Dick

[razyn]

OK, my check is in the mail. Decided to register for both days, although I may go home to sleep, it's only about 70 miles.

Do you know if anybody else from the AEBG crowd is coming? I noticed that the registration price goes up after May 15th, four days hence. Just mention it, in case any forum lurkers plan to decide at the last minute...

[Greg Adams]

Glad you are coming Richard! It'll be great to see you again!

[razyn]

This event is going very well, shaky weather reports to the contrary notwithstanding. Here's Tim Twiss, Lucas Bowman, and ____ (somebody remind me of the fiddler's name) entertaining hardy souls during the lunch break, today:

And after lunch, Greg made a splendid presentation on the African roots of the banjo in America. (Here, he's searching his MacBook for a sound clip to play for us. Most of the hour was tightly organized, and we really only saw one slide at a time.) The room may look empty, but there were about 35 people in the audience (majority of them tourists), and almost all of them stayed for the full hour.

The Stroke Style Banjo workshop part of this event is also well suited to the (mostly, fairly limited) abilities of the ten or so paying participants. We have a cool workbook, put together by Tim and Greg -- and we're working our way through it. Some participants, such as Greg's wife Maggie, are total beginners. Some of us are old banjo hands, who just don't know all that much about stroke style. A couple are nearly as proficient as the teachers -- and they are basically our adjunct professors, or maybe TAs.

Anyway -- for people who have been more or less hung out to dry since AEBGII, it's a very refreshing experience. Kinda hated to come home, instead of jamming, tonight -- but I like my wife, too. I'll be back in Harpers Ferry for Phase Two, tomorrow.

[razyn]

razyn said:

(somebody remind me of the fiddler's name)

Oh, yeah, Chuck Krepley. He was joined on fiddle today by Richard Greene. I guess there were about 14 of us on banjo, counting Tim and Greg. Four were women -- a departure from what I saw at the AEBG events (where Elaine Masciale participated, but on flute, not banjo). A good time was had by all. AEBG 3 was noised abroad.

[Grace Morsberger]

Dick requested that I post this group photo from the weekend, so here it is.

[razyn]

The group photo provided by Grace seems to cry out for a caption, and Greg sent us one. I'm going to modify it a bit, as he perceived all the standees as one row, and I perceive us as two.

Front row (seated L to R): Grace Morsberger, Maggie Corfield-Adams, Roberta Perkins, Irving Fisher; Second row (standing L to R): Greg Adams, Tim Twiss, Cynthia Connolly, Frank DeBolt, Chuck Krepley. Back row (L to R) Lucas Bowman, Dave Kirschner, Richard Greene, Dick Hulan. Collin Brien is not present because he had to head back to central Pennsylvania a bit early.

Here are a few more photos from day two. In the first one, Collin (missing from the group photo) is second from left.

Tim Twiss solo number during the Sunday afternoon concert.

Lucas Bowman and Dave Kirschner.

Greg Adams plays ekonting and sings about his native Senegal; Tim appears to understand.

The twin fiddle duo of Chuck Krepley and Richard Greene.

All of the above performed some numbers as a minstrel line, but I was in the middle of the room and couldn't get them all in one frame.