BAck from Banjo Camp North

Subject: BAck from Banjo Camp North
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 08 May 01 - 03:29 PM

I'm back, tired (YOU BETCHA!) but happy. 900 mile each way, with no navigator or relief driver. I broke it into two days driving each way.

I arrived in the area Thursday, and went, as had been recommended, to Music Emporium, a great music store in Lexington, MA, run by Jim Bollman, one of the authors of "The Banjo In America" (I think that's the title). Great store, with lots of banjos, which I was invited to try, and to play to my heart's content. After dinner with Jim and several other early arrivers, I was treated to a tour of Jim Bollman's banjo collection, which is truly stupendous to see. Everywhere you would turn, there were banjos on the walls (I'm sure at least 200, maybe a lot more), along with banjo memorbilia, banjo toys, banjo advertisements, banjo statues, banjo jewelry, and banjo-whatnot-else. WOW!

This is Banjo Camp North's (BCN's) first year, and for a first-time effort was VERY well organized. Held at a religious-sponsored camp facility, the banjo camp occupied I think maybe 2/3 of the facility. There were some church groups there too, but we didn't see them much except in the dining hall.

This is not a festival; it's a school. The faculty includes a lot of nationally-known Old Time type as well as Bluegrass banjoists, as well as the "resident fiddler", Alan Jabbour, who is famous in those circles, and the "resident guitarist" John Rossbach. Some of the faculty were Mike Holmes and Ken Perlman, the organizers, Howie Bursten, Mac Benford, Bruck Molsky, Brad Leftwich, Dave Cannon, and Reed Martin on the O/T side; and a bunch of big names on the Bluegrass side of the house, names like Bill Keith, Bill Evans, Tony Trischka, Pete Wernick, Tony Ellis, Martin Grosswendt, Glenn Nelson, and Neil Rossi. Not fitting into those lineups was a Swedish banjoist/historian named Ulf Jagfors, lecturing on the West African roots of the banjo, and in particular the Akonting, which apparently is the direct banjo ancestor, with a convincing explanation of how it got to the New World.

I was told that there were about 170 students registered, of whom 30 were women. Students came from places as far as Sweden, London, and California.

Classes were held at a number of cabins and lodges on the facility, about 1-1/2 hours per class, starting Friday afternoon and running through Sunday mid-afternoon. Classes had subjects like Playing with a Fiddler, Old-Time Jamming, Designing Arrangements for Singing With The Banjo, Banjo Set-Up and Repair, Singing With the Banjo (Jam), and on and on. And a number of Bluegrass-type classes too.

Friday and Saturday evenings after supper there was a concert put on by faculty members. Then, about 9:00 PM, everybody went off to their choice of jam sessions, which ran well into the night. I concentrated on the singing-with-the-banjo jams. Went to bed at 2:00 AM Saturday AM because my singing jam had folded and I was too sleepy to join in the old-time jam with a fiddler and guitar going on downstairs in my dormitory building until about 3:00. I wimped out at midnight Sat/Sun because I really didn't want to go to sleep on the highway driving home Sunday. As it was, I did pull into a rest area for a half-hour nap Sunday afternoon.

I had a one-on-one "mentoring" session with Mike Holmes, the Director of the camp, who is a singer-with-banjo. He gave me three suggestions for improving my accompaniment technique, and I think they will be of great help.

I guess that's all I can dredge up to tell now.

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: BAck from Banjo Camp North
From: katlaughing
Date: 09 May 01 - 12:42 AM

WOW! And, Bonnie has been away at one down South, so maybe we'll get a report from her, soon, too. Sunds terrific...now if we could just make Paltalk work for you so we could hear!

kat

Subject: RE: BAck from Banjo Camp North
From: wysiwyg
Date: 09 May 01 - 09:22 PM

Refresh!

Subject: RE: BAck from Banjo Camp North
From: harpgirl
Date: 09 May 01 - 10:41 PM

Speaking of banjos, has anyone heard who won the beginner's banjo contest at the Florida Old Time Music Championships this year?


Why yes! It was little ole harpgirl!!!! Gutbucketeer has been subjected to harpgirl's playing and I am sure he will confirm that she is a rank beginner!!!

Subject: RE: BAck from Banjo Camp North
From: GutBucketeer
Date: 09 May 01 - 11:01 PM

I most certainly will not!

Abby, only knows a couple of tunes on the banjo (or so she says), but what I heard was way beyond beginner status. She sings while she plays too, which I am still trying to figure out how to do.

Dave: Sounds like you had a wonderful time. I saw Howie Bursen down here last year. What a fantastic banjo player... And Ken Perlman...and Reed Martin... and Mac Benford... and Brad Leftwich... Whooeee... the problem would be which workshop to sit in on.

JAB

Subject: RE: BAck from Banjo Camp North
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 09 May 01 - 11:38 PM

Congratulations HG. What did they give you? Do you have to be in the more experienced categories before they start handin' out banjos to the winners?

Rick

Subject: RE: BAck from Banjo Camp North
From: katlaughing
Date: 10 May 01 - 01:07 AM

Way to go, womon!! Congratulations, Harpgirl!!!

Subject: RE: BAck from Banjo Camp North
From: GUEST,Pete Peterson
Date: 10 May 01 - 09:42 AM

Wish I'd been there-- was nearby (seeing my Wonderful Granddaughter) and got reports from several friends who were there. Maybe next year. . .
I have heard Harpgirl play the banjo and also affirm that she is well beyond beginner banjo. The good news (for FL Oldtime Music Championships) is that Abby won the Beginners Bj Contest (YEA) but now is disqualified from further competition in the Beginners contest. . . (BOO)
One of the comments at Banjo Camp North was that they hadn't realized how MANY different styles of banjo there were/are!

Subject: RE: BAck from Banjo Camp North
From: harpgirl
Date: 10 May 01 - 10:02 AM

...I wish they would hand out banjos! Dr. Peterson reminds me that the winner of the "real" banjo contest gets a blue ribbon with a much longer tail than mine has!!! Which of course, he has won!!! hahaha hg

Subject: RE: BAck from Banjo Camp North
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 10 May 01 - 08:31 PM

I realize I did not mention one player who was not part of the faculty but was particularly impressive to me. I met him last year at MBA, and was really pleased to see him and hear him at BCN.

His name is Don Sarrell, from Rising Fawn, Georgia, a retired electronic engineer. He has seven state championships and two national banjo-playing championships. His picking style is unique to my experience: It's not clawhammer; he picks with thumb and forefinger. The thumb always plays the thumbstring, nothing else, and the forefinger picks both ways. He keeps the whole banjo ringing constantly. Watching and listening to him play is a real eye-opener. Really MUSICAL playing.

He had six banjos with him, all of which he built himself. When I say he built them, I don't mean he assembled them from commercially available parts. He makes everything except the banjo head, the strings, and the tuning machines. One of them, as I recall, had a skin head, which he'd made, not bought.

His first banjo, the 38 Special, he tells me has 750 actual man hours in it, built over a period of eight years. That took longer than his later banjos because not only did he have to "learn the trade" but he actually had to build the jigs and tools for making everything. The name "38 Special" is a reference to the 38--count 'em, thirty-eight!--brackets. Several of his later banjos also had 38 brackets. The 38 Special has all metal parts gold plated (he had them plated by someone else), and believe me, it's a sight to see--AND HEAR! Loud, loud, and beautiful tone!

All of his banjos except the 38 Special are for sale, in the neighorhood of $1875 each, as I recall. 38 Special is emphatically NOT for sale, at any price.

If you ever have a chance to see/hear Don Sarrell play, give yourself a treat and do so.

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: BAck from Banjo Camp North
From: wysiwyg
Date: 11 May 01 - 01:27 AM

Good job HG!

~S~