Perlman alternated on the banjo and guitar, performing new songs along with ones that were old before Cleveland got its name. Many of the tunes were songs he adapted for the banjo from traditional fiddle songs of the Cape Breton area of Nova Scotia, and the tiny Prince Edward Island that hangs off the coast. These were where Scottish and Irish settlers made their homes...These were the songs of the fishermen, the soldiers, the farmers settling in a strange, new land. And for most of the songs, Perlman had no words. He communicated the feelings ... with nothing more than his fingers dancing on the strings.
His vocal choices were interesting, his explanation of the
songs even more so...His songs were witty, amiable and
engaging.
He really made the banjo chuckle; at speed there was no loss of detail in the frailing. But on the slower material he showed the expert hands; the five string banjo can have a lyric voice too.
Ken Perlman's playing is full of the sort of intricacy that the aficionado could appreciate and learn from, but the 5-string banjo makes such an approachable sound that the performance was full of popular appeal. The rhythmic insistence that is at the heart of the clawhammer style can if the playing is not up to standard become monotonous. Perlman however laid on plenty of fizz and flash to cover his bass notes. He showed too in a glorious parody of the bluegrass sound, that really he can make his instrument do more or less anything he wants it to." Mr. Perlman's accounts on guitar of Irish tunes were enrapturing and in splendid contrast to the more rumbustious banjo pieces.
The music Perlman chooses to play includes traditional Celtic and southern fiddle tunes that he has arranged for banjo and guitar. Perlman has been making his living purely from music since the 1970's. He teaches clawhammer-style banjo, writes instructional books and music, and has played and conducted workshops all over the world. The style of clawhammer which he pioneered, is called melodic clawhammer, which has transformed clawhammer from an accompaniment style to a solo style.
His most recent music has been strongly influenced by the fiddle players of Canada's
Prince Edward Island. Perlman traveled to Prince Edward Island and while
there encountered the indigenous fiddle players of the island. He was hooked. Soon
after, he was back making field recordings under the auspices of Earthwatch. During six months of collecting,
he recorded close to100 fiddle players and hundreds of hours of audio and video tape.
Reviews for The Fiddle Music of Prince Edward
Island (Mel Bay Publications)
With The Fiddle Music of Prince Edward Island, Perlman achieves his aims to provide a portrait of the Island fiddling style, to offer a guide for those who want to learn this style, and to present a useful fiddle tunebook. I highly recommend this new study to all students of Canadian Maritime fiddling and congratulate Perlman for his excellent achievement.
" At first, I would just accept that. Later, though, I would go home and think, 'Let's see if I can.' Quite often, I would be able to find a way that would work. Eventually, it became for me something that had a beauty and an esthetic all its own-the idea that playing tunes in clawhammer style was a lovely and legitimate thing to do on the banjo."
Lovely, legitimate, and virtually a career for Perlman who went on to become a banjo per- former, guitarist, teacher, writer, and recording artist and who is the leading proponent of what he now calls the "melodic clawhammer" style of banjo playing. He has also done extensive folk- lore studies, particularly of fiddle music of Prince Edward Island, Canada.
Northern Banjo is the latest in a series of re- cordings in which he demonstrates how suc- cessful he has been in adapting clawhammer style banjo playing to those fiddle tunes. Most of the music in the album consists of a series of medleys, usually of three tunes. Each medley has its own arrangement-no two are the same. Unlike Perlman's earlier albums, such as Island Boy and Devil In the Kitchen, in which Perlman's banjo has only guitar or piano accompaniment, Northern Banjo is a richly woven tapestry drawing on a wide variety of instruments.
All of Perlman's musical arrangements start with the banjo, guitar, and bass. Upon this foun- dation, Perlman builds by adding, in some cases, just a fiddle, but more often a selection of instruments as colorful as the five-string fiddle, the Irish bodhran drum, the Uillean pipes, the Irish bazouki, and the Brazilian rattle, the caxixi. Perlman's arrangements carefully weave the various musical lines, emphasizing the musical values, not the exoticness of the instruments.
The richly textured instrumentation for the "Lord MacDonald's Reel," "The Princess Reel," and "The Honeymoon" medley, for example, calls for three guitars, including a resophonic guitar, a mandolin, a bass, three wind instruments, and a drum! However, when you listen to this cut, it is not the unusual combination of instruments you hear, but the melodies, which draw the listener along as the instrumental lines weave in and out among each other. This is an album of ensemble playing with few instrumental breaks or solos, and no single instrument dominates. Except the banjo. This is a banjo album.
In the notes to "Road to Mexico," which Perlman describes as being delivered in "'full Monty' bluegrass treatment," he goes on to ex- plain that it is, "with clawhammer banjo in its rightful place as full-fledged lead instrument, naturally!" This remark describes the role of the banjo for the whole album. Perlman's banjo dances above the other instruments and he has instrumental skill that matches his musician- ship. Sometimes, as in "Stella's Trip to Kamloops" and especially in "Robert Cormack, Aberdeen," he plays long, slow, flowing melodies rarely heard in clawhammer banjo playing. Most of the selections are moderate to fast, however. In "Fisher's Hornpipe" and "Braes of Auchtertyre," he showers the tunes with notes that are thrown off his banjo as brilliantly as sparks from a fire- works sparkler-only much better controlled. In "Caber Feidh," he does the same with variations up the neck.
In a triumph of good sense over consistency, this "banjo" album has a few of Perlman's fingerpicking guitar solos interspersed among the selections. They add a nice counterpoint.
The sound is good. Recording engineer Paul Benedict has produced an album in which the instruments are clearly distinguishable and the bal- anceis good "withclawhammer banjo in its rightful place as full-fledged lead instrument, naturally!"
Perlman's extensive notes begin with remarks on the genesis of the album and on his style of banjo playing. They also include the key signature and banjo tuning for each medley along with a list of exactly who plays what instrument. There are also brief comments on the history or origin of each selection.
Northern Banjo is an album that shows how fortunate it was that Perlman ignored his early instruction on the limitations of the banjo. It is an album that anyone who loves old fiddle tunes, fine banjo playing, or just good music should thoroughly enjoy.
Northern Banjo represents a new kind of ensemble sound for clawhammer-style banjo playing", states the liner. It's a new project whereby Ken -- an acknowledged master of the banjo and fingerstyle guitar (and author of several highly-regarded books on folk instrumental skills) -- has arranged fiddle tunes from specifically Northern -- i.e., Atlantic Canadian (especially Prince Edward Island) -- and Celtic traditions for his chosen instruments.
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. 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.
Ken has made an extensive study of the music of Prince Edward Island and has transposed many intricate fiddle tunes into banjo notation. The listener will find his melodic style much more akin to that of the tenor banjo in Celtic music sans the trills. In this style the fifth string becomes primarily a noted string rather than a rhythmic drone as found in the Appalachian clawhammer style.
Ken is joined by some of Ontario's finest acoustic musicians including David Woodhead, bass; Sandy MacIntyre, James Stephens and Oliver Schoerer, fiddle; Loretto Reed, winds; Pat O'Gorman, pipes; Brian Taheny, strings; Jason Fowler, guitar; Ben Grossman, percussion and American John Rossbach on guitar and mandolin. Ken's playing is without peer. The smoothness and clarity of attack with which he presents these highly complex and ornamented tunes is simply magnificent. The arrangements, featuring expert backing while always placing the banjo out front, are wonderful. An interesting medley includes the trio of tunes "Lord MacDonald's Reel" (a cousin to Leather Britches), "The Princess Reel" and the "Honeymoon" and aptly demonstrates the beauty of these fully realized arrangements of winds, strings, bass and rock solid banjo.
Included on Northern Banjo are three examples of Ken's arrangements of dance tunes for fingerstyle guitar. Again, his touch is light with great clarity as he articulates the complex character of Prince Edward Island tunes.
Ken Perlman has taken a style of music and made it his own.
On first listening to Ken Perlman's exquisite new recording, Northern Banjo, I was struck by the fact that no one on the earth could have created this recording except him. There are 14 tracks on the recording, but most of them are medleys covering 40 total tunes. It is a tour de force bringing together Ken's exquisite melodic technique on the banjo, along with his tireless decade-long research into the music of Prince Edward Island. There is a uniquely Canadian approach to accompaniment that creates a chamber-like sound with the banjo as the featured solo instrument. In this setting -- with creative support from guitarist Ken Brown and featuring great instrumentalists Oliver Shoerer on fiddle, John Rossbach on mandolin, and numerous others -- the banjo remains at the top of the sound. Those ingredients make this recording quite unlike most any other banjo recording, and a must have for connoisseurs of the magical 5-string.
Extensive liner notes provide technical information about the banjo, the tunings, and the key changes as well as source information for the tunes. If that were not enough, there's a drawing of Ken Perlman riding in a canoe (in the great north woods) paddling that canoe with his banjo. This is a truly enduring image that depicts Ken's journey across North America with banjo in hand, and imagination in heart.
And the journey is most intriguing. There have been other articles about Ken that have depicted that banjo journey -- but this recording is a crowning achievement in a series of many. If you're familiar with Ken's work, this comes as no surprise. If you're not, here's a brief background. In 1977, Kicking Mule Records put out an album called, Melodic Clawhammer Banjo that featured Ken, along with Bob Carlin, Henry Sapoznik, Andy Cahan and Dana Loomis. The recording proved that using the clawhammer banjo style could be effectively more melodic than the traditional role of banjo as accompaniment to the fiddle. It was a splendid recording that opened the door for many players, myself included. Numerous instructional books and CD's later, on this new Northern Banjo recording, Ken has taken that melodic clawhammer challenge to a higher level of refinement.
There are many tunes to consider. Here are two that jumped out at me. Track 14 is a medley Georgina Campbell/Little Jack's Reel/Levantine's Barrel. Among the notable achievements are the key changes from G to Em to D, all out of a Double C tuning capoed at 2nd fret. And it should not be overlooked that Ken is a superb fingerstyle guitarist as well, with several important instruction books. Track 7, Niel Gow's Lament For His Second Wife is a splendid guitar arrangement of this 18th century Scottish fiddler's composition for his wife of 30 years.
As listeners, we jump into the musical story somewhere in the middle. As such, a reasonable question for any artist is, "Where do such thoughts come from? What are your influences?" Ken cited several. At the top of the list are fiddlers from whom over the years Ken has extracted his own banjo style. Of influential banjo players, Ken cites Howie Bursen and Reed Martin. Upon hearing Reed play his strikingly powerful melodies, Ken recalled thinking, "Oh my God, that is possible." Most people hear Ken play and are prone to think, "Oh my God, that's impossible."
But there is the musical axiom, "If you can hear it, you can play it." So Ken's playing begins with a lifetime of listening and cataloging sounds and melodies. He cites the importance of controlling the right hand as of utmost importance to deliver the proper attack and to articulate the phrasing. Yet hearing the syncopation, hearing the phrasing of the fiddle tunes first -- and then uncovering a way to make it happen on the banjo is the centerpiece of his work. To many it might seem like paddling a canoe upstream in the great northwoods. To Ken it is simply an achievable challenge, and his life's work.
This new recording, Northern Banjo, with its elegant and distinctly northern accompaniment provides a wonderful underpinning and musical interplay to one of North America's most extraordinary banjoists. And like the 1977 Kicking Mule recording, this proves that clawhammer banjo has more possibilities to discover.
If you are a fancier of the northern tunes, and like very precise banjo playing with a strong melodic bent, this recording will be righl up your alley. Its kinship to bluegrass is evident, but as the title indicates, this is music from the northern regions and Mr. Perlman has done an exquisite job of laking the banjo where no one has gone before.
This is Old Time music, but not the Southern Appalachian style we tend to refer to in these pages. It is a very pleasant selection of some of the styles of music that clawhammer banjo can express beautifully, with the addition of three solo tracks of Ken's beautiful finger-style guitar playing. I would cheerfully buy a CD of this alone.
The tracks are mostly fiddle tunes with a Celtic flavour from the Northern states and from Eastern Canadian provinces, with special emphasis on Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton, with their old, faithfully preserved and expanded Scottish traditional repertoire. They are performed in Ken's clean, precise melodic style, with few or no missing notes, quite unlike the rough approximations most of us tend to thrash out in sessions, although he does play one self-penned bluegrass tune, which demonstrates the versatility of clawhammer.
Ken is ably assisted by a varying line-up of other musicians who mostly come from the Ontario area, including guitar, fiddle, mandolin, bass, uillean pipes, flute, whistle, bodhran. The players fill the tracks with tasteful and atmospheric accompaniment.
As a long established teacher of clawhammer banjo, he is aware of our needs for playing details, and he includes the banjo tunings and the keys. The sleeve notes tell us that standard notation for most of the tunes can be found in Ken's book The Fiddle Tunes of Prince Edward Island (Mel Bay).
There are some technical marvels to be studied by banjo players, such as playing in Bb while tuned in G modal, and playing in F and G while in double C tuning. I am always astonished by the fluid way he plays jigs, having totally failed to manage it myself over many years of trying, and I shall do some serious listening to this subtle and complex CD, which will be a real pleasure, as it's growing on me every time I hear it.
Here is a recording that has full marks for presentation of instrumental ensemble music. The main lead instrument is the 5-string banjo played in the melodic clawhammer style.
With 14 items, including many medleys, this 53- minute CD of essentially an acoustic focus on fiddle music is a masterpiece. The title, Northern Banjo, refers to the old-time fiddle tune traditions found and customarily played in the northeastern part of the us and the eastern part of Canada, with a significant emphasis on tunes from Atlantic Canada.
To break up the banjo and ensemble action, Ken delivers three solos of fingerstyle guitar and also includes an original banjo piece called Road to Mexico. Some cuts include many instruments all at once, but there is never a cluttered, overbearing or overproduced result on any tune.
Ken's banjo is stretched to get all the notes of a particular tune with clarity and good phrasing, but never at the expense of a solid rhythm so necessary for this kind ( or most kinds) of music.
On this CD you'll find assorted reels, jigs and hornpipes, and music that is fast, slow or of medium tempo -- a healthy variety. Perlman's banjo playing style, combined with his own instrument sound setup, is sometimes reminiscent of a four-string plectrum banjo flavour blended with the five-string drone and melody quality.
Ken's intricacies cover his banjo neck from stem to stem -- from first position up to very high registers on the fingerboard -- and he is a master at arranging both the tunes and the medleys to create changing moods.
Realizing that Perlman couldn't do it all on one recording, this reviewer would have appreciated one or two solo tunes with just banjo. Perhaps on the next CD.
It is very appropriate to have Ken Perlman's music reviewed in a Canadian publication on a number of counts, including the Canadian content of his music. Perlman's respect for the fiddle traditions of Atlantic Canada should not go unnoticed, nor should his particular field work in PEI. All of this shines through on the recording. In conclusion, this work has delightful power and a unique collection of fiddle music -- unique in that the 5-string banjo played the clawhammer way takes the lead!
Ken Perlman's first album for the respected bluegrass and old-time music
label Copper Creek finds him expanding both his own stylistic horizons and those of his new label. The repertoire here is not new to him -- Perlman has long championed the fiddle tunes of the northeastern U.S. and Canada's Maritime provinces -- but the addition of electric bass, bouzouki, uillean pipes and exotic percussion to the musical mix is new for Perlman, who has generally stuck to more austere and tradition-minded arrangements in his recorded work. The result is absolutely beautiful.
Whereas most five-string banjo players use the instrument's shorter fifth string as a drone, Perlman tends to use it as just one more melody string, with the result that his playing can sometimes be lacking in rhythmic pring. But that approach does lend itself more to the jigs and hornpipes he loves to play, and even on the reels (and one bluegrass-y breakdown) his sweetly flowing lines and carefully crafted arrangements are a joy to hear. And when he lays down the banjo and picks up a guitar for few fingerstyle settings of Irish and Scottish tunes, the sound is no less lovely.
Highlights on this program include the heart-tugging guitar arrangement of Niel Gow's Lament for His Second Wife, the intricately beautiful Braes of Auchtertyre/Caber Feidh set, and Perlman's own Road to Mexico. Highly recommended.
Few banjoists have the virtuosity to conquer much of this sophisticated material with the ease and joy that he conveys. Each tune has a different set of accompanists, on a wide range of instruments, including the predictable violin and guitar, but also including viola, uillean pipes, Irish bazouki, and caxixi (caxixi?). Not surprisingly, the Scots-Irish influence is clear, and there are times that Ken magically coaxes a stocatto tenor banjo sound out of his open-back Ome. His picking is just that clean. Elsewhere, as on "Road to Mexico," you'll swear he is playing Scruggs-style bluegrass banjo. But the liner notes insist he is accomplishing all this in his incomparable, melodic clawhammer style. Ever the teacher, Ken provides banjo tunings for each selection, as if to suggest, "you could do this, too!" I found that indeed, I, too, was able to play many of these tunes (but only in my fondest dreams)
There is plenty of variety to entertain both the heart and the mind throughout the recording. Ken is also a master fingerstyle guitarist (he wrote the seminal Fingerstyle Guitar book over twenty years ago), and he treats us to three beautifully arranged acoustic guitar solo pieces. Northern Banjo is masterfully recorded, no doubt using the best of microphones to capture every nuance. On one guitar solo, "Neil Gow's Lament for His Second Wife" (presumably not to be confused with "Neil Gow's Lament for His First Wife") you can hear the air moving through Ken's ample nose as he breathes. Next time he must cut out those nostril hairs, use a cheaper mic, or else hold his breath as he plays the song!
Not surprisingly, banjomiester Ken has delivered an engaging album oozing with variety, intelligence, and fun.
Ken Perlman's Northern Banjo is a very lovely album that demonstrates Mr. Penman's fluidness on both clawhammer banjo (primarily) and fingerstyle guitar. Many of the tunes date back to the l8th and l9thCentnry although some of Mr. Penman's compositions are included as well. The charm of the album is the way his tunes fit hand-in-glove with the "golden oldies." Hence, the resulting flavor of the album is more old-timey than bluegrass, although both flavors are present.
This is an album with an appeal that should reach across many
of the boundaries of the folk music world.
Those of you who [are] familiar with Ken's work from his
excellent tutor books ... will know that Ken takes the banjo far
beyond the role of the thinking man's rhythm instrument...and
explores the furthest reaches of melodic clawhammer playing...
This album is an absolute must as it will provide you with a
superb selection of new material...
Ken's enthusiastic and scholarly approach to the project makes
the overall effect most rewarding.
In his most recent recording, Island Boy, Perlman offers a compelling string of Irish and Celtic interpretations.
His mastery of clawhammer banjo and fingerstyle guitar shines through each cut with remarkable precision and clarity.
An accomplished folklorist, musician and teacher, Perlman combines his talents to provide a complete package of
expertise...
He is at his best when demonstrating his command of the fret board. Using the banjo as his voice, he conveys
the feel of deeply rooted musical styles with effortless fluidity.
...The addition of local pianist Kevin Chaisson and John Rossbach on acoustic guitar provides
an authentic backdrop to Perlmans streaming banjo. The trio delivers a lively collection of traditional fiddle tunes played
without a single fiddle. Although there are no fretted instruments traditionally used in this style, Perlman adapts
his clawhammer technique to incorporate the banjo as seamless accompaniment to the island sound... Perlman's innovative approach and diligent study of this
musical genre has become vital to the preservation of Prince Edward Islands musical heritage.
Trying to play fiddle tunes on the banjo presents a couple of immediate problems. First, the instrument doesn't have
the sustain of the fiddle. Banjo notes are short and choppy, so long- bow notes and other fiddle effects have to be
fudged or left out completely. It's hard to be mellow on the banjo! Secondly, the characteristic metric patterns of the
clawhammer banjo style don't always lend themselves to "non-square" rhythms. Witness most banjo players' struggles to play
in 6/8 time, for example. A clawhammer player who's locked into the style may find it impossible to play anything other
than reel-type melodies; if he wants to play other types of tunes, he'll have to be creative, and find ways to break free
of the right-hand strait jacket.
So the jigs are the first touchstone as to whether this recording succeeds. I'm happy to report that Ken comes
through admirably on the two tracks of jig medleys included. The notes are crisp, emphasized properly in the triplets,
and Ken even gets in some of the "cranning" twists that a fiddler might use to attack the notes. Pickers wanting to
venture into the wilds of 6/8 time should pay close heed to tracks 4 and 11 on the CD .
For the recording as a whole, Ken seems to have made a sincere attempt to capture the individual feel of the original
PEI fiddlers' versions of the tunes; at least, the "feel" varies from brushy and rhythmic to precise and staccato on various
tunes. Even without hearing the fiddlers, though, this set of tunes is fine listening, and stands up well on its own merits.
Ken went to PEI for piano accompanist Kevin Chiasson, which I'm sure helps flavour the tunes as they'd be played
on the Island. John Rossbach's guitar fills out the sound, sometimes helps drive the up-tempo numbers, and-the mark of
a good rhythm guitarist-doesn't get in the way.
These days "Celtic" music is being played on many instruments from outside the tradition, and clawhammer-style
banjo fits nicely into this spectrum-quite differently than the tenor banjo, which has already become a staple...
Ken Perlman's explorations will be of interest to Celtic music fanciers as well as banjo players.
And pickers can revel in superb playing -- this recording is a must-own for anyone who plays the style.
Perlman also switches to fingerstyle guitar on some cuts which brings to mind the work of Pierre Bensusan.
This is a wonderful album that travels through the wide range of traditional music.
The recording quality is excellent. The sound is clear without being sterile, the melodies shine through sounding completely natural.
The players are all quite good, and they never sacrifice the essential elements of tune and feeling to show off.
All of this goes together to make a great album of traditional tunes with an up to date feel, bringing
the best of new ideas along with respect for the traditions.
When the general population thinks banjo, most of them think in terms of Bluegrass, Dixieland, old time,
or Irish tenor-style music. Few people associate the banjo with other types of music. It's only recently that folks like Bela Fleck have openly challenged those cliched visions
of the banjo's place. For many years now, one of the people to take exception to this restricted view of the banjo's
position has been Ken. He was the first person whose music made me realize how versatile the banjo could be.
In my opinion, Ken is the undisputed king of the melodic banjo style, and with "Island Boy" he once again shows us
all why... I know there are other great melodic players but none of them have mastered that style and applied it as Ken
has. This album takes Ken's work many steps beyond what he's done in the past . On " Island Boy," Ken applies his
style to the uniquely regional style of Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton. This is where Ken really stretches the
limits.
Having spent several years studying the style and playing with the top "old timers" of the P.E.I. area, Ken has
incorporated the feel and texture of this music to the point that he makes it his own... It's one thing to "play the tunes,"
and quite another to play the music; and yet another thing to understand the music you're playing. Ken does all of these
and it shows on the album...
This album is a brilliant illustration of the versatility of the banjo and Ken Perlman. It has crept into my list of CDs
that just stay in the machine and get played over and over. I would put it on the MUST HAVE list for those of you who
want to hear what a banjo can do in the right hands -- and Ken's are the right ones for this music.
By itself, the compilation is a great gift to Canadian music, but Perlman has taken it a step further.
A gifted instrumentalist and teacher, Perlman has taken many of the tunes from the book, plus a few from
Cape Breton, and transcribed them to banjo, and occasionally to guitar, on Island Boy (1996). Hearing these
familiar tunes played on banjo gives them new life and freshness. Kudos to Perlman for this original, delightful album.
As with Lee Murdock, we declare Perlman an Honourary Canadian for his outstanding contribution to Canadian folk
music.
The tune repertoire of PEI has developed independently of fretted instruments, and Perlman has done
a solid job of translating its bowed nuances to the banjo. At best, 6/8 rhythm is quite difficult in clawhammer
and triplets and grace notes require great skill to execute. Perlman has developed a tremolo with his picking index
finger for the triplets which not only works but also links his playing with contemporary Celtic banjo. The slower
strathspeys and airs are rendered here in lush solo guitar arrangements which have much of the same dreamy
appeal of the O'Carolan airs currently popular among soloists of the DADGAD persuasion...
Most of the tunes themselves come from Irish, Scottish and French-Canadian sources; what makes
them regionally distinctive is the playing style, which tends to be a bit
less frenetic and more deliberate than is the norm for traditional Celtic
music, though with the piano pounding out the backbeats it's all you can do
to keep from dancing around the room while you listen. There are
particularly nice arrangements of "Inverness Jig" and the "Upper Denton
Hornpipe" here, and Perlman trades in banjo for guitar on the stately
"Glenfiddich Strathspey"/"Homeward Bound" set...
All of this is thoroughly delightful listening.
This recording draws the listener into it. It is not a loud or
uproarious thing. Loaded with good Celtic tunes from Prince
Edward Island...
In places, Perlman eschews the banjo for guitar, and we are
treated to first class fingerpicking of a highly complex and
expressive nature. His stately technique on a steel string guitar
possesses a strong drive and full delivery.
This recording is recommended to all lovers of clawhammer
banjo, Celtic tunes and fingerpicked guitar. There are hours of
listening pleasure contained here along with a wealth of good
tunes.
Drawn largely from his recent work with Cape Breton fiddlers,
this new album "Devil in the Kitchen" on Marimac Recordings]
features Celtic tunes from that area. This album only has three
guitar tunes on it... For banjo players, that is good news as it
means more of Ken's immaculate banjo work. This new album is
awesome, and even better it has an accompanying tab booklet that
steps you through some truly beautiful arrangements. This is an
impressive album, and I encourage every serious banjo player to
add it to their library... A technical masterpiece, with copious
liner notes!
The CD opens with Perlman on fingerstyle guitar...playing
"Professor Blackie." The arrangement is beautifully
performed...It is a soothing opener for the collection. After the
opening guitar solo, Perlman jumps into "The Bay of Fundy"...
This is Perlman at his best -- a pure melodic clawhammer style
fully imitative of the plectrum style banjo, with none of the
drone sound or rhythmic structure associated with the southern
clawhammer style. The piece moves quickly as Perlman plays some
of his variations on the basic theme.
"Cape Breton Johnny Cope"/"Miss Lyle"/ "The Black Mill"
demonstrates Perlman's mastery of the style played on this album
as he combines pull-off triplets with some of the picking
tremolo. As Perlman notes, he is using his index nail with a
down-up- down motion to imitate the ... sound of this type of
music on tenor or plectrum banjo. More is heard on the following
track, with a sound reminiscent of Seamus Eagan...
This CD represents a large collection of Celtic tunes from the
Northeast U.S. and Canada, well-performed by one of the premier
melodic clawhammer players alive. Highly recommended for anyone
interested in this type of music, including fiddle players
looking for tunes and/or phrasing and melodic ideas. The liner
notes are well written, with sources and history of the pieces
included.
The first video takes us from the most basic fingerings and
strums through to a good solid intermediate playing level... He
uses an easily understood and workable system to identify the
roles of both hands and give the students a handle on what and
how the hands are used...By the time we get to tape, two a
certain level of mastery has been achieved. The second tape
continues to build upon this groundwork...
Perlman's analysis and highly detailed presentation should
help unravel the mysteries. Upon completion of these tapes the
student will [have] the flexibility to improvise and a repertory
of outstanding diversity.
Perlman has taken the jig and given it a home on the five
string banjo. Given the basic rhythm of clawhammer banjo... this
was no small feat. He plays a bit of a rag during an intro
sequence and again it was amazingly good. Again, ragtime rhythm
and the basic timing of the clawhammer stroke do not fall
naturally together. His phrasing and use of left- and right-hand
techniques open a new world to the clawhammer banjoist. If you
want to play clawhammer banjo, get these tapes.
The book...includes sections covering banjo terminology, the
fretting hand, tablature notation, the plucking hand, hammer-ons,
pull-offs, slides, the single- note brush,...double-thumbing,
alternate-string pull-offs, triplets, syncopation and advanced
right- and left-hand techniques.
The manual contains a large section on Irish and New England
traditional tunes and is what I feel the best treatment to date
on banjo arrangements of these idioms.
Ken Perlman is the author of what is quickly becoming known as
the definitive volume in the style, Melodic Clawhammer Banjo...
For the clawhammer player who thought it couldn't be done,
Perlman provides better than a half-dozen tabs in jig- time (6/8)
and waltz time (3/4)... The book is well worth the price for
clawhammer players into some fancy tunes.
All Music Guide (artistdirect.com)
by Rick Anderson
John Salmon, DJ of "Sugar in the Gourd," Old-Time Music Internet Radio Show
Thanks to Gary at Copper Creek for sending me a promocopy of your wonderful CD... I really like Northern Banjo -- one of my favorite releases of the year.
Pow'r Pickin' (June '02)
The cover of Ken Perlman's new release features a cartoon drawing of Ken in a canoe, using his banjo as a paddle to propel him down a pastoral Canadian river. His recording takes us on a melodic clawhammer expedition throughout the Northern half of North America. Ken reminds us that there are actually people living up there (with their own country and everything) that have a distinctive and important musical heritage as rich as anything in the Southern Mountain music tradition.
San Diego North County Bluegrass & Folk Club Newsletter (June-July '02)
Copper Creek Records from Roanoke, Virginia is slowly establishing itself as the bluegrass label of the future. They are gradually building up an impressive roster of artists that are sure to be the bluegrass stars of the future. This is the way Sugar Hill, Philo, and Flying Fish Records started out twenty-plus years ago. Copper Creek has three new releases that are worth noting.
Reviews for Island Boy (Wizmak
Recordings)
Sing Out! (Feb.-Apr. '97)
Perlman set about the task of adapting his traditional clawhammer
style to capture what he terms the "distinctive kick and drive"
of [Prince Edward} Island music... Island Boy is the recorded
result of this experiment, a collection of reels, strathspeys,
hornpipes, jigs and more done in a distinctive melodic banjo
style that brings to mind favorable comparisons to the playing
of Tony Ellis and the late Carroll Best. With piano backup from
Islander Kevin Chaisson and guitar backup by John Rossbach, this
is banjo music with a unique twist that makes for good
listening...
The Old Time News (Friends of American Music & Dance,
U.K.: Winter '96/7)
The CD is full of the most intricate and deftly played
arrangements...
Flagstaff Live!(Arizona: by Michael Morales, Feb 24-Mar 1 2000)
Deep within the depths of the sea lies a single oyster, capable of forming a gem precious to the hearts of so many people.
There exists a similar creator of gems in Ken Perlman, whose illustrious career has focused on playing, teaching and
reviving traditional forms of folk music.
Crossroads (by Sharon Goldwassar Aug / Sept '97)
Not far from the dance floor: Ken Perlman's exploration of the musical legacy of Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.) comes
to life through his distinctive melodic banjo playing and fingerstyle guitar. Perlman's clean, solo playing lets the tunes
speak for themselves in a voice that mingles the Scottish. Irish and Acadian-French heritage of the island.
Ken's respectful adaptations of P.E.I. fiddling conjure up warm images of the old-time dances and gatherings that still
thrive on the island. Kevin Chaisson on piano and John Rossbach on guilar offer just the right touch of accompaniment.
You want to settle in and listen to this unique and comfortable album many times.
Express & Star (Wolverhampton UK: by Garry Copeland, May 30, 1997)
I first heard Ken Perlman more than 20 years ago on a banjo sampler released on Stephan Grossman's Kicking Mule
label. Since then, he has established himself as the main man in the field of clawhammer banjo -- successfully combining a
career that includes writing excellent instruction manuals, recording and musical scholarship. This album is the result of
field trips researching fiddle tunes from Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton. The material is a fascinating cocktail
of Scottish, Irish and Acadian airs which Perlman plays on banjo and fingerstyle guitar accompanied by pianist Kevin
Chaisson and guitarist John Rossbach. The result could have been a bit dry and dusty, but this is far from the case.
All three musicians were obviously having a ball. This is an album clawhammerers won't want to be without.
Canadian Folk Music Bulletin (Mar/Apr. 1997)
What happens when you take a guy who happens to be a co-inventor and prominent player of the "melodic clawhammer"
banjo style and set him to studying fiddle music in Prince Edward Island? You guessed it -- soon Ken Perlman was
developing ways to play PEI tunes on the banjo, and now he's put out the results on CD for us all to hear .
Gajoob Website (Reviewed by Kevin Slick 3/21/2000).
Expert clawhammer banjo is featured on this album of traditional tunes
from Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton. Fans of celtic music will enjoy this
recording as will any old timey folk followers. Most of the cuts feature the standard old timey/Celtic fiddle tune instruments,
all well played and recorded with a nice warm feel.
John O'Regan (Irish Broadcaster)
Ken Perlman's Island Boy sounds like an intriguing idea on paper
-- take a selection of Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton
fiddle tunes, and play them on a 5-string banjo with guitar and
piano accompaniment. Not only is it interesting on paper, it is
interesting to hear as the combination works quite well
together... "Lord MacDonald's Reel" and "Belfast Jig" both rely
on energetic interplay with banjo, guitar and the unique Cape
Breton piano style working together. The fingerstyle guitar solo
"Glenfiddich Strathspey" adds an almost baroque change of tempo.
Island Boy is an excitingly varied and energetic album...with a
delightfully different approach.
Banjo Newsletter (By Dan Levenson April '97)
Northern Journey Online (Dec. 2000)
American multi-instrumentalist and folklorist Ken Perlman has compiled a wonderful selection of fiddle tunes
from Prince Edward Island. Drawn from Perlman's field recordings of PEl music, the compilation was published
both as a CD and as a book with the tunes transcribed. A Mel Bay publication, the book and CD are titled
The Fiddle Music of Prince Edward Island: Celtic and Acadian Tunes in Living Tradition (1996)...
Memphis Dateline (by Fetzer Mills, Sept 15-30, 1998)
The playing on it is exquisite and the tunes are heartbreakingly beautiful.
OLD-TIME HERALD (by Jon and Marcia Pankake, Summer 1998)
Ken Perlman occupies a position in old-time music analogous to that of Stefan Grossman in
tile blues. That is, each man is a consummate instrumental performer who is even better-known as a teacher
and author of book, sound, and video instruction based on traditional playing styles. Island Boy presents
Perlman as performer, playing fiddle tunes he collected on Prince Edward Island, and this disc serves as an
illustration of his fine article in the O.T.H. (vol. 6, no.2). Here he has arranged the jigs, reels, and strathspeys for
clawhammer banjo unobtrusively backed by guitar and piano, and, in some examples, for solo fingerstyle guitar.
All-Music Guide (by Rick Anderson Aug. 1999)
With Devil in the Kitchen, Ken Perlman proved hat you can play Celtic
music very effectively on the clawhammer banjo. With Island Boy, he shows
that the same is true of the music of Cape Breton and Prince Edward Island.
The results are every bit as lovely this time out, and may be a bit more
accessible to the average listener, since the texture of the music is
enriched by the addition of accompanying guitar and piano.
Reviews for Devil in the Kitchen
(Marimac Recordings)
Bluegrass Unlimited (Sept. '94):
Ken Perlman should be no stranger to lovers of the melodic
clawhammer banjo. He has taken this art form to places that it
hasn't and may well never have been, since its heyday in
antebellum America. Mr. Perlman has written a book on clawhammer
style and recorded several albums prior to this release. This
labor of love ["Devil in the Kitchen" on Marimac Recordings] is a
culmination of an extensive collecting trip he made to Prince
Edward Island. It has been the thrust of his work to play Celtic
music on the five-string banjo. From listening to this it appears
he has come a long way to perfecting this blending of two
disparate tangibles...
Banjo Newsletter (May 1994):
A brilliant player and re-inventor of modern melodic down-stroke
(clawhammer) banjo playing is Ken Perlman. Ken also plays
outstanding finger-style guitar... As far as I know, I have every
tape, book and BNL column he has ever done...
Fiddler Magazine (Fall 1994):
...Over 30 tunes are represented in this collection ["Devil in
the Kitchen" on Marimac Recordings] by one of America's great
melodic clawhammer players. Perlman, well-known for his books
Melodic Clawhammer Banjo and Clawhammer Style Banjo has also
written several guitar books...
Review for Clawhammer Style Banjo
Video-Instruction Tape
Bluegrass Unlimited (Oct. '95)
Ken Perlman was one of several "melodic clawhammer banjo" players
represented on a Kicking Mule record with that moniker about 20
years ago. This recording along with all of his subsequent
recordings have done much to solidify his role as one of the most
creative practitioners of this art. He has stretched the
boundaries of what can be done on the clawhammer banjo...
Reviews for Clawhammer Style Banjo book
(Centerstream)
Bluegrass Unlimited (Oct.'83)
This is an exceptionally well-organized book which really lives
up to its subtitle, "A Complete Guide for the Beginning and
Advanced Player." The author has a gift for explaining the
multi-faceted clawhammer style of banjo playing in a clear,
step-by- step manner which would appeal to players of all levels.
Through photos, diagrams and concisely written passages,
virtually every technique from the simple brush stroke to he
double grace note is covered... There is much attention to
rhythmic nuance, and just about any question that might arise in
the reader's mind is anticipated and dealt with insightfully.
Frets Magazine (June '83)
This is an excellent resource for clawhammer banjo players of any
skill level...His most recent work presents both the rudiments
and advanced techniques for clawhammer banjo. The text...is
interspersed with high-quality photos that beautifully
demonstrate hand positions... Part one deals with the more basic
material ... [and] about 30 tunes are provided to reinforce these
techniques...Part two is for more advanced players and covers
such techniques as double thumbing, quick slides, fretted
pull-offs, ornaments and harmonics. In this section 50 tunes are
provided...
Reviews for Clawhammer Banjo &
Fingerstyle Guitar Solos (Folkways)
Sing Out! (Jan.-Mar. '84)
When Ken Perlman plays, his instruments take on other aspects. On
"O'Carolan's Welcome," for example, Perlman's guitar takes on the
intonation of a harp. He doesn't burst out of the traditions of
old-time clawhammer banjo and blues guitar, but he has added new
dimensions to both styles. On both instruments he takes Celtic
dance tunes and weaves their melodies with almost classical
attention. His arrangements are precise and deliberate, but never
predictable. In fact, Perlman's subtle nuances are played with
such clarity that each listen brings revelations. This
album's...design is to celebrate the melodies and intricacies of
these songs. And to that end, Perlman has succeeded splendidly.
Frets Magazine (Jan. '84)
For frailing fans clawhammer master Ken Perlman has released
Clawhammer Banjo & Fingerstyle Guitar Solos...Admirers of left
hand legerdemain will want to study some of the maneuvers Perlman
manages with his fretting fingers.
Bluegrass Unlimited (March '84)
One problem in "melodic" playing in both the bluegrass and
clawhammer styles is that ... the tunes can lose some of their
rhythmic punch. There's not much problem with that here... On
the side of the album devoted to banjo, "Beaumont Rag" and "St.
Anne's Reel" come off particularly well. The second side, [which]
consists of mostly Irish tunes played fingerstyle on guitar [is]
very pretty."
Reviews for Melodic Clawhammer Banjo
book (Oak).
Frets Magazine (Feb. 1980)
Melodic Clawhammer Banjo by Ken Perlman is succinct,
comprehensive and logically ordered -- a perfect starting place
for the frailer interested in melodic playing...this book should
provide hours of challenging and interesting playing for
intermediate and advanced players.
Pickin' Magazine (Oct. '79)
Perlman's treatment of rhythm is good, especially in the area of
jigs and hornpipes. For me this breaks the banjo out of the old
"bumptiddy" mode.
Reviews for New England and Irish Fiddle
Tunes for Clawhammer Banjo
(Now Basic Clawhammer
Banjo, Mel Bay Publishing)
Fretwire Magazine (U.K., Jan. 1981)
Contains lucid and comprehensive instruction...I would recommend
this book to anybody who can play basic banjo and wants to make
his playing more intricate.
Bluegrass Unlimited (March '81)
Pickers like John Burke and Art Rosenbaum set the stage for the
melodic clawhammer style in the 1960s, leaving room for folks
like Ken Perlman to refine and perfect playing complex melodies
on the old time banjo.
Banjoist's Broadsheet (U.K., April 1981)
Mr. Perlman's main contribution [is] that he has refused to alter
the tunes and manages to frail melodically elaborate tunes by the
use of well-thought out left hand techniques...The tunes are well
selected and all are delightful.
Reviews for Fingerpicking Fiddle Tunes
(Mel Bay Edition Known as Traditional Dance Tunes for Acoustic Guitar
ACOUSTIC GUITAR (by Russell Letson, May 1997)
Ken Perlman's books have long been among the best places to learn the Anglo-Celtic-Appalachian end of fingerpicking,
so this reissue o fhis 1978 Fingerpicking Fiddle Tunes is very welcome. The 31 selections, invery readable tab
and standard notation, come from both sides of the Atlantic and range from beginner pieces such as "Old Joe Clark" to
metrically tricky numbers such as the Northumbrian "Nancy." A CD of new recordings replaces the old seven-inch
floppyrecord.... A very useful book for beginning and Intermediate players.
The Fiddle Web website (Feb, 1997)
I had a copy of he original edition and learned a few of the
tunes. As a budding guitar player it opened up the world of
fiddle tunes to me. For that I am forever grateful and I trust
this edition will do the same for another generation of players.
Bluegrass Unlimited (1980)
Perlman began to develop a style of finger-picking that was
suited to playing fiddle tunes...the result is a delicate and
beautiful style for solo guitar.
Pickin' Magazine (Feb. 1979)
This book quite nicely puts the phenomenon of playing traditional
dance music on a fingerpicked guitar within the reach of the
common fingerpicker. Using a highly readable system of tablature,
Perlman progresses through a logical grouping of dance types that
gives the reader a good working knowledge of why a hornpipe isn't
the same as a reel... and what that means to a guitar player...
This is an interesting and challenging book that won't be easily
outgrown.
Pinewoods Folk Club Newsletter (Dec. 1978)
Occasionally someone will show exactly what the acoustic guitar
is capable of... as Ken Perlman does [here]. The arrangements are
clearly written and musically sound. There is no clutter here
[and] each note tells. In arranging these tunes Mr. Perlman has
lost none of their original flavor. Indeed some of these tunes
sound so well on the guitar, they might have returned to their
natural home.