Tony Trischka: Redefining the banjo
(WILLIAMSTOWN, Oct., 22 1998) -- There is probably no musical instrument more misunderstood or even reviled than the banjo. The Rodney Dangerfield of instruments, the banjo gets no respect -- it is the butt of jokes even among bluegrass musicians. Yet the negative image of the banjo exists in sharp disparity to its noble, versatile and in some ways tragic history. Thus it comes as little surprise that Tony Trischka, one of the instrument’s foremost contemporary exponents and practitioners, has taken it upon himself to correct the misconceptions that swirl around the banjo, its music and its history. Trischka brings his “World Turning” program, “a celebration of the banjo from its roots to its branches,” to the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown this Saturday, Oct. 24 at 8, as part of the museum’s “Encore” series, bringing back performers from last winter’s “From the Old World to the New” folk series in new lineups. Next in the “Encore” series is Moroccan musician Hassan Hakmoun, who performs on Saturday, Nov. 7, in a program called “Life Around the World.” Call 458-2303, ext. 324 for tickets and information. In a 1995 interview with the Eagle, Trischka spoke about the motivation behind his “World Turning” program and his CD of the same name on the Rounder label. “If I tell people I play the banjo, someone who doesn’t know anything about it, they’ll go, `Oh, yeah, “Dueling Banjos,”’ or they go, `Yee-haw!,’ because the main meal tickets for the banjo were the theme songs to `Bonnie and Clyde,’ which is about outlaws, and `Deliverance,’ which is about inbred Southerners, and `The Beverly Hillbillies,’ which speaks for itself. As much as they helped put banjo back on the map, they imprint that misconception that the banjo is strictly a hillbilly instrument. They stereotype it in that way. “In fact, at the turn of the century, people were dressing up in tuxedos to play it. It was a very refined aspect of the banjo -- music played in parlors and polite society. It was a very upper-crust instrument. It’s a musical instrument --not just a hillbilly instrument.” In fact, the banjo’s very image as the favored instrument of white-trash porch musicians flies in the face of its true origins as an instrument with roots in Africa. “That’s one of the subtexts of the show, the black-white aspect,” said Trischka. “The banjo is thought of as a white instrument. That’s one of the misconceptions I’m trying to rectify. It came from Africa via slaves. Also, throughout its slightly more recent history blacks played banjo. A guy named Gus Cannon had a very famous jug band in the late ‘20s, and Elizabeth Cotten played banjo. I try to bring out the bipolar, black and white aspect in the show, without having everyone hold hands and sing `We Shall Overcome.’” Trischka’s program explores the roots of the banjo, tracing its origins in Africa through mid-19th-century minstrelsy, turn-of-the-century ragtime, jug bands, Appalachian music, bluegrass, the folk revival to today’s progressive, new-acoustic movement, of which Trischka himself is a pioneer. The program alternates musical selections with narration by Brenda Presley, reading period quotes about the banjo. Trischka’s band includes percussionist Jeff Berman, bassist Larry Cohen, mandolinist/guitarist Barry Mitterhoff and violinist Matt Glaser, who with Trischka was at the Clark last March with the group Wayfaring Strangers, Trischka’s “World Turning” CD, one of dozens of recordings by the banjoist, featured guest performances by artists including members of the rock group R.E.M., Syd Straw of cowpunk band Golden Palominos, rock group Violent Femmes, author William S. Burroughs, composer Van Dyke Parks, bluegrass performer Alison Krauss and new-acoustic mandolinist David Grisman. Trischka has written about the “World Turning” program, “At heart, the show is a tribute to the individual players of the past and present who, through their unique stylistic contributions, have added to the rich musical and social heritage of the banjo.”
Seth Rogovoy rogovoy@berkshire.net music news, interviews, reviews, et al.
Next Article || Previous Article || Back
      |
