Banjo Duets Live! And Other Recent Five-String News

Another album of banjo duets is coming from Mark Olitsky and Cary Moskovitz. You may remember in 2017 that I reviewed their first album, aptly titled Duets. Moskovitz was in Northeast Ohio last week to record another batch of tunes with Olitsky, and while he was in town the duo performed at a couple of house concerts. One of which just happened to be less than a mile from my home. 

It was a pleasure to see (and obviously, hear) Olitsky and Moskovitz play live. Olitsky played a 13-inch grain measure-style banjo that he built, and which Moskovitz said was the impetus for the first album. Having heard Olitsky play his as-then-unfinished banjo at Clifftop, Moskovitz joined him with his four-string plectrum banjo. The rest is history. 

While Olitsky's banjo provided the bottom end of duo's sound, Moskovitz played the bright melodies on a pair of plectrum banjos, a Bacon (I believe the 1922 Orchestra A that he played on the first album) and what I believe was a vintage Vega Tubaphone (it looked a lot like this one at Elderly). 

Olitsky and Moskovitz played two sets for a total of about 90 minutes, previewing some of the tunes they had recorded for the new album and mixing in some favorites from the first album. The intimate setting was perfect for the unamplified performance. I'm looking forward to the new album, and will be sure to share that information when it becomes available. Meanwhile, you can purchase the first album on Bandcamp. 

"Blind Boy" Paxton Signs to Folkways

Folkways announced last week that Jerron "Blind Boy" Paxton has signed with the label. I've long hoped that the Brooklyn-based musician would release more music. I have a seven-inch record from him that was released on Jalopy Records, as well as a pair of short direct-to-disc albums released on APO Records. Paxton is set to release his next full-length album in 2024.

Lil' Nora and a Tiny Desk

NPR's Tiny Desk Concert series recently featured young phenom banjo player Nora Brown and fiddler Stephanie Brown. The duo played three tunes, providing some background on the music and how they learned the tunes. The 18-minute set is well worth your time. Two of the tunes they played appear on their EP released earlier this year on Jalopy. 

WVU Banjo Man

If you follow Glory-Beaming Banjo on Facebook, you might already have seen the story about the "banjo man" who plays on the campus of West Virginia University in Morgantown. WVU student Matthew Ryan Keatley has been toting his banjo all around the campus, introducing many of his fellow scholars to the five-string's twangy sounds. It's always fun when our favorite instrument makes the news. 

Harry Smith Biography

A few months ago, I mentioned that there was a new biography about Harry Smith. Well, I just finished the book and wanted to share my thoughts. Known around these parts as the producer of the iconic 1952 Anthology of American Folk Music, Smith was also an anthropologist, painter, avantgarde filmmaker, eccentric, moocher, malcontent and avid collector of ... many things besides music. Cosmic Scholar: The Life and Times of Harry Smith by John Szwed is a fascinating portrait of this complicated yet important figure in American culture. The book dragged a bit toward the end, but overall I found the biography to be a gripping read. Check it out! 

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