Banjo?

[newdreams]

As well as the ones already mentioned, Tony Trischka is good - just found an old LP of his a couple of months back for $1.

I think Bela Fleck is one of the great masters, but he is more progressive than traditional.

[lanny]

The Sheffield McNeely LP is named Confederation. It's one of my regular test discs, because of its uncanny realism...and because it's so much fun. If "Swallow" doesn't get your toe tapping, better get someone to check you for a pulse.

I saw Bela Fleck in concert once, and he is an amazing jazz musician. But if you want traditional bluegrass banjo, any Earl Scruggs album will do.

[marshaul]

Yes, I really enjoy Bela Fleck. I was a little upset to find I missed a show he performed at Golden Gate Park a couple of weeks back during the Hardly Strictly Business Bluegrass Festival.

Confederation, like lanny said, has become a regular listen for me, for the same reasons. The Scruggs stuff I have heard is good (and I don't have any of it on LP), but I haven't found it quite as.... exciting as Confederation.

I guess at this point I'm less concerned with the Banjo virtuosity and more interested in the "realism" that lanny mentioned - that truly live feel.

On the rock end of the spectrum, Frank Black and the Catholics record almost everything live to two-track tape, and a couple of their albums have no cuts or edits whatsoever (most of the rest only have a couple anyway). I feel they achieve a similar realism, and I absolutely love Frank Black's music. The problem is, their LPs are ridiculously hard to find/expensive, so I only have one of them so far (everything else I have on CD). It is their self-titled first album, and it is excellent.

[Kykev]

Bela does mostly jazz now, but he had some traditional sounding albums in the late 70's early 80's. An AWESOME album of his Bela Fleck-Double Time, Rounder Records. All duets with Darol Anger, Mark O'connor, Tony Rice, Edgar Meyer, Mark Schatz, Jerry Douglas, Mike Marshall, John Hartford, Patt Flynn, Ricky Skaggs, and Sam Bush. Excellent mixing.

The Dillards are great as well and did one all intrumental album about '64 or so. Can't recall the title.

The Kentucky Colonels (from Maine) live at the '63 Newport Folk Festival- Vanguard. Some excellent banjo work from their player, as well as Bill Keith at a banjo workshop.

Don Reno, Eddie Adcock

[marshaul]

Scotty Stoneman of the Kentucky Colonels is one of my favorite fiddlers.

Now that I actually know something about such things (one year later).

I recently got Larry McNeely - Rhapsody for Banjo on LP. Awesome album, well recommended (although it isn't direct to disc).

[Blue Angel]

I know, I know OT, of course. I am smitten by zither music.

Remember the film "The Third Man"? Harry Lime Theme? Anton Karas is Da Man.

blue angel

[sparrow]

Scotty Stoneman of the Kentucky Colonels is one of my favorite fiddlers.

Now that I actually know something about such things (one year later).

I recently got Larry McNeely - Rhapsody for Banjo on LP. Awesome album, well recommended (although it isn't direct to disc).

Nice to see you back..

[MonkeyBoy]

If you want Dueling Banjos type music, get Foggy Mountain Breakdown by Flatt and Scruggs. You can find it on lots of compilation albums of blugrass. You.ve quite possibly heard it before and just didn't have any idea what you were listening to.

[marshaul]

Coming back to this thread as time goes on always amuses me.

Bluegrass has become one of my absolute favorite genres of music, to the point that I now know more about it than pretty much anybody I know.

And just a few short years ago, I knew so little I had to ask for suggestions just to get started!

Since this thread was originally about banjo in general rather than bluegrass specifically, it's not off-topic for me to say that I recently saw Béla Fleck and The (Original) Flecktones at the Clay Center in Charleston, West Virginia.

I'd have to say it was easily one of the best shows I've ever seen – if not the best. And I've seen a lot of good shows!

I wasn't even expecting that, because I prefer Béla's first few (bluegrass) solo albums to the Flecktones stuff, at least in recording (I listen to Drive and Crossing the Tracks at least once a week). But Béla has become a real showman compared to his younger days with NGR, and the rest of the band seem to be naturally such. And, of course, the band's chemistry is amazing, and they really got the entire audience going, more than I might have expected for what was a very all-ages event.

[Ianibby]

I'm just listening to Neko Case- the tigers have spoken, on vinyl and it has some interesting banjo. Defenetaly not the foremost instrument but nice. If you haven't listened to Neko Case do a favor to yourself and check it out.

[fscl]

Turned on to Sarah during a Prarie Home Companion interview / session........

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8kqzbkmVQk

With accompaniment

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cV0pA3_x ... re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIEC9DSc ... re=related

She's a multi instrumentalist, so don't miss the guitar / mandolin stuff too.....

Happy listening.....

Fred

[newdreams]

So far no-one has mentioned the bluegrass supergroup Strength In Numbers.

Sam Bush - fiddle, mandolin
Jerry Douglas - dobro
Bela Fleck - banjo, guiter
Mark O'Connor - fiddle, guitar
Edgar Meyer - bass

Jazz fans as well as bluegrass fans should enjoy this "jazzgrass" excursion, live at Austin City Limits. I've been waiting in vain for many years for this stunning performance to be released on DVD.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kkqj_KxnMvM

Give it a bit of time as it builds in tempo, and Mark O'Connor's fiddle solo is worth the price of admission alone, (not to mention watching Sam Bush rocking out on mandolin).

From the album "The Telluride Sessions" , and I believe there was a vinyl issue.

[marshaul]

So far no-one has mentioned the bluegrass supergroup Strength In Numbers.

Sam Bush - fiddle, mandolin
Jerry Douglas - dobro
Bela Fleck - banjo, guiter
Mark O'Connor - fiddle, guitar
Edgar Meyer - bass

Jazz fans as well as bluegrass fans should enjoy this "jazzgrass" excursion, live at Austin City Limits. I've been waiting in vain for many years for this stunning performance to be released on DVD.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kkqj_KxnMvM

Give it a bit of time as it builds in tempo, and Mark O'Connor's fiddle solo is worth the price of admission alone, (not to mention watching Sam Bush rocking out on mandolin).

From the album "The Telluride Sessions" , and I believe there was a vinyl issue.

Indeed, that's a great album. I haven't seen it on vinyl yet, though. I'd snap it up if I did. I bought it on CD some time ago, but like I tend to do with CDs, it's no longer in great shape. Thank god for FLAC.

[newdreams]

Another hot bluegrass video: Tony Rice All Star Jam

Tony Rice (guitar)
Bela Fleck (banjo)
Sam Bush (mandolin),
Jerry Douglas (dobro),
Mark O'Connor (fiddle),
Mark Schatz (Contrabass)

Bela really cuts loose (as do all) on his tune Whitewater, starting at 6:20.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r67DmWECcvQ&feature=related

I first heard Bela Fleck and Tony Rice on David Grisman's "Hot Dawg" LP. Still a great favorite, and that led me to Tony rice's first self-titled album and Bela's "Deviation" and eventually seeing the first Bela Fleck & the Flecktones
(with Howard Levy) live.