I had a great time at the International Bluegrass Music Associations annual gathering in Raleigh last week. The undeniable high point for me was getting to play bass in some showcases with two of my favorite singers, Laurie Lewis and Kathy Kallick (along with Tom Rozum, Patrick Sauber, and, for two sets, John Mailander and Molly Tuttle). But running a close second to that was seeing some of my heroes get some richly deserved awards. Bill Keith received the IBMAs Distinguished Achievement Award, and Alan Mundes introductory remarks did a great job of explaining why Bills accomplishments should be recognized by everyone in bluegrass--not just the banjo players. And I was thrilled to see the original Seldom Scene and Neil Rosenberg (bluegrass musics leading historian) inducted into our Hall of Fame. The Scene were a big influence on so many of us, and Neil R. has long been my model for writing about music accurately, knowledgeably, and accessibly. And of course I was thrilled to see Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen named the IBMA Instrumental Group of the Year. What else...? Doing a couple of radio promo spots for the Patuxent Banjo Project; seeing Tony Furtado for the first time in maybe 18 years and watching him jam with Alison Brown; reminiscing with Tanya Ogsbury, Stan Werbin, and Bela Fleck about our NYC childhoods; finding out that Ryan Paisley is a banjo picker as well as a mandolinist; late night jamming with Chris Henry, Mike Garris, Raynae Redman, Matthew Wingate, and others; trying some great instruments, including TWO pre-war Gibson top-tension banjos (thanks, Ned); shooting the late-night breeze with Grace Vant Hof, Zachary Mongan, Agi Kovacs, et al.; backing up some fine pickers and singers as part of the Thursday night fundraiser karaoke band; enjoying the generous hospitality of the Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival and the California Bluegrass Association; and generally, just getting to see so many folks in the bluegrass music community that--sadly--I dont get to see as often as I like.
Posted on: Mon, 06 Oct 2014 01:46:17 +0000
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