![[Northern Banjo Cover]](northern banjo cover.jpg)
Some cuts feature guitar and bass back up with fiddle counter melody, others
feature elaborate arrangements where the banjo is supported by a full panoply
of Irish session instruments in a style reminiscent of such well-known ensembles
as the Chieftains and Planxty. There is an original selection called Road to Mexico
where the banjo played clawhammer-style steps out as a full-fledged member of a
bluegrass band, and three guitar solos where Ken displays his patented fingerstyle
versions of Scottish, Cape Breton and Prince Edward Island fiddle tunes.
I selected a few segments from Northern Banjo to illustrate the variety of material you'll find on the recording. For cut 1, there are two separate excerpts: The Poppyleaf features banjo with guitar and bass (the fiddle comes in just at the end), while the East Newk of Bear River shows how the fiddle at full throttle interweaves with the banjo. In the excerpt from cut 5 Jackson's Jig, flute, whistle, Irish pipes and percussion are added to the mix. In cut #6 The Road to Mexico clawhammer banjo is featured within a bluegrass ensemble, while cut #7 Gow's Lament represents my solo guitar playing.
Brown and I explored this idea over the course of several visits, we did a few gigs together, and ultimately we decided to create a CD. As the project took shape, we moved from a duo focus to what amounts to a banjo- centered band. To this end, we enlisted the aid of some of the best musicians of the Ontario acoustic music scene: bassist David Woodhead, fiddlers Sandy MacIntyre, James Stephens and Oliver Schoerer, winds player Loretto Reed, piper Pat O’Gorman, strings player Brian Taheny, percussionist Ben Grossman and guitarist Jason Fowler.
In addition, bluegrass guitarist and mandolinist John Rossbach of Syracuse, New York sat in on a few cuts, bringing his expertise in particular to Road to Mexico.
It has been so commonplace -- in the US at least -- to associate old-time fiddle music with the Southern Appalachians, that the equally vibrant old-time fiddling traditions of the Northern states and Eastern Canadian provinces have often been overlooked. The truth of the matter is that many Eastern Canadian old-time fiddling traditions (such as those of Cape Breton, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, the Ottawa Valley of Ontario and Qubec) have outlasted their Southern counterparts by generations. It is to these, and to all the other great Northern traditions that this album is dedicated.
My own style of banjo playing has long been
referred to as melodic clawhammer to
distinguish it from the minimalist style of
banjo-playing that has grown up over the last
few decades as an offshoot of the folk revival,
and which is misleadingly known as
"traditional" clawhammer. It was a remark by
fiddler George Wilson of the Albany, New
York area that led me to the idea that my
style -- which focused so strongly on the tunes
and approach favored by musicians from the
Northern half of NorthAmerica – should more
properly be known as Northern clawhammer.
Another consideration is that the melodic style
is the true heir of the mid-19th century
minstrel-banjo tradition. This style, which was
itself as much a Northern as a Southern
phenomenon, had a published repertoire that
focused heavily on faithful reproductions of
Celtic and Northern fiddle tunes.
Hope you enjoy the recording!
MUSICIANS:
Ken Perlman - clawhammer banjo and fingerstyle guitar
Ken Brown - guitar accompaniment (tuning - DADGAD) on all but cut 6
David Woodhead - basses
James Stephens - fiddle and/or viola on cuts 1, 2, 3, and 12
Oliver Schoerer - 5-string fiddle on cuts 4 and 6
Sandy MacIntyre - fiddle on cuts 9 and 14
Loretto Reed - flute and whistle
Pat O’Gorman - uillean pipes
John Rossbach - mandolin and (on cut 6) guitar accompaniment
Brian Taheny - Irish bazouki, resophonic guitar and (on cut 8) fiddle
Ben Grossman - percussion
Jason Fowler - guitar (standard tuning) on cut 9
OTHER CREDITS:
Arrangements for “bed tracks”: Ken Perlman and Ken Brown
Ensemble arrangements: Ken Perlman
Sound engineering, editing, and mixing: Paul Benedict
Producer: Ken Perlman
Production assistance: Ken Brown, Paul Benedict and David Woodhead.
Audio consultants: John Garrett, James Stephens, Ken Whitely, John Rossbach and Ed Britt.
Mastering: Airshow Studios, Springfield Virginia
Mastering Engineer: Charlie Pilzer
Cover painting: John Gould
Photo of Ken Perlman: David Bagnall
Design and layout: Rebecca Pittard and Ken Perlman
Recorded at: Benedict Studios - Stratford, Ontario, Canada
Mixed at: Cyberaudio - Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
Reviews for Northern Banjo
Ken's an acclaimed exponent of the melodic clawhammer style of banjo playing, one which hitherto had been primarily regarded as an accompanimental rather than solo/lead function. Given the album's title, it's expected that the banjo will take centre stage, and so it does, although Ken's individual, powerful and greatly musical playing is distinguished by gently crafted, expertly moulded and naturally flowing melodic lines rather than being a mere showcase for breakneck showy picking. Every track's a delight, but Track 6 (Road To Mexico, the album's only original composition) is arguably the most convincing demonstration of just how subtly this can be managed in a bluegrass context, wherein Ken and his accompanying musicians bring out the syncopations in an unexpected and intriguing way.
On most of the album, Ken's backed by the guitar of Ken Brown and the bass of David Woodhead, with the addition of a fiddle part on several cuts (either accompanying or in duet with the banjo part, and nicely managed with the exception of some occasional dubious tuning on one track) and even a fuller Irish-session-style ensemble on a further four. The pairing of uillean pipes and Cape Breton-style fiddling on the closing track makes for an inspired finale to the album. Ken's own expert and typically scintillating playing is rightly the focus, though, and is probably best described as deft, quietly breathtaking and enviably relaxed; his very special skills lie in knowing just where to place the accents in order to preserve the intrinsic rhythmic character of the tunes, and in realising how fast not to take the music!
That the whole album proves listenable right through from beginning to end in one sitting is in itself a tribute to the care with which it has been programmed; the ensemble pieces are thrown into relief by the juxtaposition of three solo tracks on which Ken demonstrates his flair for fingerstyle guitar, the two Scottish sets being particularly noteworthy (although I found the enforced fade of track 13 a minor irritation). The whole package is supplemented by detailed notes on the sources for the tunes, and it all adds up to a joyous and refreshingly different instrumental release that's highly recommendable.
Dave Kidman
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