The Banjo in America – Bill Evans

Bill Evans – 2022 winner of the Steve Martin Banjo Prize and Tiki Parlour Recordings have collaborated on theultimate banjo recording set (CD & DVD) of the 21st century.Bill Evans’The Banjo in America celebrates 250 years of music performed on avariety of banjos from the Haitian-inspiredbanza to the Gibson Mastertoneand eight other historical instruments in between. The Banjo inAmerica traces the complex musical history of the banjo throughtwo centuriesof African-American and Anglo-American cultural exchange. Bill is one of the fewmusicians who has masteredmultiple American banjo styles including 19thcentury stroke style, old-time finger styles, classic banjo of the ragtime era,Scruggs-style bluegrass and beyond, to his many original tunes. These stylesare all displayed here, performed on a stunningvariety of historic andreproduction instruments. Very few musicians have the ability and experience toboast such a dazzling display of banjo alchemy and this set is unlike any otherever recorded. Bills extensive liner notesprovide thebackground and context for each piece and Tiki Parlours stunning video work captures each performance in gorgeous detail.

Bill Evans is one of our finest banjo players, at home in styles ranging from the earliest American repertoire to contemporary bluegrass and beyond. HisThe Banjo In Americais a fascinating trip from the very late 18 th- and mid-19 th -Century styles up through Earl Scruggss crucial innovations of the mid-20 th Century, finally landing among some of Evans own lovely compositions. The sets booklet provides his own erudite commentary on the historical and musical backgrounds of the selections, and the DVD is a special joy. The visual beauty of the various instruments played, and the elegance and grace of Evans performances, make this a valuable and very enjoyable contribution to our understanding of the development of this instruments roots in the African diaspora, and its flowering amid this nations vivid and varied history.” Tom Piazza, author of Why New Orleans Matters and Devil Sent The Rain

You will find none better in presenting a program on the banjo in America than banjoist Bill Evans. He couples his scholarly knowledge of the history of this wonderful Americanized instrument with his world class playing skills to elucidate and entertain at every twist and turn of the banjo glorious journey.Alan Munde, 2021 Steve Martin Banjo Award recipient

“As the tape rolls on Bill Evans one-man show,The Banjo in America,its clear that one thing Evans loves about his instrument of choice is that itcontains multitudes. Jim Borwick,Bluegrass
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