I recently started learning to play the banjo. My husband reckons I am going through a midlife crisis... I reckon he is right but the banjo is better than buying a ferrari and running off with the bin man! 😁
I have started listening to a lot of traditional folk, blues and bluegrass (which is a fairly significant departure from my normal stuff) looking for some inspiration... this is my diary of what I have discovered and where the journey has taken me! All suggestions welcome.
I started with one of the great folk pioneers. Pete Seeger was instrumental in preserving traditional folk songs and their place in telling the story of society. He championed the downtrodden (at a time when that was politically dangerous) And brought the protest song back into fashion. He managed to spark a folk revival that influenced some of the greatest artists of the last 60 years.
Cheers Jim - good to see you again (and duly added to my ever expanding list).
Pete Seeger led to Peggy Seeger which dragged me across the Atlantic to the dirty old town (it is actually a city) of my birth... Salford has a number of famous children and the prolific British folk revivalist Ewan MacColl is one of them. He reinterpreted and reinvented many traditional British street and protest songs... his version of 'Blackleg Miner' still terrifies me! It's been a while since I had a listen but there is lots to gain inspiration from here
I have no idea how I ended up going from Ewan MacColl to the Cannon's Jug Stompers but here I am...
I am not particularly familiar with 'the jug band style' but really enjoyed the stripped back blues. The banjo parts are also relatively simple so even a beginner like me can strum along... not sure I would be able to do the harmonica justice though.
It's not on the protest side, nor is it traditional, bit it has traditional roots and it is banjo led, and since you're not tied to the linear..... I recommend checking out Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. Start with Flight of the Cosmic Hippo. Or go for Fleck's Tales From the Acoustic Planet.
It's not on the protest side, nor is it traditional, bit it has traditional roots and it is banjo led, and since you're not tied to the linear..... I recommend checking out Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. Start with Flight of the Cosmic Hippo. Or go for Fleck's Tales From the Acoustic Planet.
My teacher is a big fan of bela fleck so have been listening to that a lot- I really like Flight of the Cosmic Hippo...
I came at Abigail Washburn through Bela Fleck (mentioned and recommended earlier in this thread by Fischman). Aside from having a great name ( 😉 ), Abigail has a very understated, almost feather-light, way of playing that I really like. Her music leans on traditional folk roots but adds something new and fresh.. She also successfully combines styles from different countries and traditions which adds a lot of layers. I also think she has a beautiful voice too.
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