For enthusiasts of early banjo

May 2011 Blog Posts (7)

Christy's Minstrels Christmas Annual.

http://books.google.com/books?id=NhwQAQAAMAAJ&dq=banjo%20twang&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q=banjo%20twang&f=false

Here's an interesting publication by Christy's Minstrels in England, who were a staple for years at St. James Hall in London under G. W. "Pony" Moore. Frank Converse played with them in 1866 when he undertook his triumphal…

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Added by Carl Anderton on May 30, 2011 at 11:30am — No Comments

Tempos

Guilty! Man, sometimes it is hard to not push tempos on this stuff. Sometimes it just starts too quick. Sometimes it creeps up. Sometimes both. It takes discipline to hold them back.

Added by Tim Twiss on May 29, 2011 at 11:30pm — 3 Comments

Kansas still there Carl?

Hey Carl,

Has your part of the State been affected by all the tornado activity in the past week?

Added by Ian Bell on May 26, 2011 at 9:33pm — 1 Comment

Vai and Swaine

I put up 2 images. Monsters from different eras.

Added by Tim Twiss on May 25, 2011 at 10:22pm — 7 Comments

Rob Morrison in Chapel Hill, Mark Weems in Durham

Rob, two players within 15 miles and we don't know each other? please get in touch!

Added by Mark Weems on May 21, 2011 at 10:16am — 11 Comments

National Jukebox

I was just put onto another fine service of the Library of Congress - "The National Jukebox" - http://www.loc.gov/jukebox/?loclr=jb_004 lots of banjo stuff from the usual suspects (Van Epps/Ossman)

I haven't really checked it out very thoroughly. Unfortunately, being an ethical federal government agency they won't let you download - This of course is to ensure that Vess L. Ossman will continue to be able to buy shoes for his…

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Added by Ian Bell on May 11, 2011 at 6:19pm — No Comments

Van Bramer

It's a rainy morning here in Michigan, so I thought I'd pull out a couple of snappy minor jigs on my Boucher with the (shhhh) Renaissance head, which makes it unstoppable under any condition. The first one is Van Bramer's Jig, from Dan Emmett's manuscript. I found that Van Bramer was a singer/dancer that Joe Sweeney performed with in Philadelphia in 1842. It segues into Bell's Canadian Minor Jig, my own composition named for the famed musican/ scholar to the north. It's cooking as I write this.

Added by Tim Twiss on May 6, 2011 at 7:22am — No Comments