Banjo Summit

[verbs4us]

Last night saw the banjo summit in Tarrytown, NY: Great back-up band headlining Tony Trischka, Béla Fleck, Eric Weissberg, Bill Keith, Noam Pikelny and Richie Stearns—an amazing display of banjosity virtuosity. Stearns successfully melded Indian sitar tradition with claw-hammer, in “Last Train to Rajasthan.” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXP7QGUxpFU&noredirect=1) Fleck played like the Jimi Hendrix of banjo, never running out of ideas and inventions. The part that was most stunning for me was his Mozart renditions. The tone and nuance he got from a 5-string was, well … if I closed my eyes, it could almost have been Christopher Parkening. If the tour comes your way, run, don’t walk, to the ticket line.

[stone ridge]

Great video, this band is mystical as is the grassroots fest!

[GerryinAZ]

Originally Posted by verbs4us

...<Snip!>... Fleck played like the Jimi Hendrix of banjo, never running out of ideas and inventions. The part that was most stunning for me was his Mozart renditions. The tone and nuance he got from a 5-string was, well … if I closed my eyes, it could almost have been Christopher Parkening. If the tour comes your way, run, don’t walk, to the ticket line.

Amazing! I saw him in a new (modern acousticized) 2500 seat indoor amp with Edgar Meyer. I experienced almost the same exact thing you did. The Mozart selections are mesmerizing. It has been quite some time since I have been hypnotized like that. The way I describe to friends what he makes that banjo sound like (to me) when he is playing the very subtle passages up on the neck is "The strings ring like they are made of the finest crystal". I'm really not being a drama queen here. That is the best way I could describe it.

My primary instrument is the bass and I have seen Bela quite a few times with the Flecktones and I thought he was good, well, even in that band setting with Roy and Victor playing more notes than they ever had enough money to pay for, Bela still can stand out... But! You don't really get to see just how good he is until you see him and he gets a chance to relax and really show you what he can do.

[Liz_in_PA]

I agree. I saw the Banjo Summit in State College, PA in November. Watching Bela Fleck and Tony Trischka play a duet on one banjo was absolutely stunning and funny at the same time.
There are so many different styles of music that you'll hear during the concert.