mshardin - Posted - 03/15/2008:  12:08:46

Hello again old boys,

I'd like to buy a dozen or so albums to immerse myself in CH sound. Ideas?

Edited by - Banjoman on 03/15/2008 14:10:00

GerryH - Posted - 03/15/2008:  12:43:32

Each of Mary Z. Cox's CDs are excellent. You can get them at www.Maryzcox.com and from iTunes. I also admire Adam Hurt's two CDs - "Intrigue & Insight." The CD compliation "Old Time Banjo Festival" is wonderful. These are some of my favs.
GerryH

Bill Rogers - Posted - 03/15/2008:  12:56:34

Walt Koken, Reed Martin, R.D. Lunceford, Bertram Levy, Mike Seeger, Ken Perlman, The County "Clawhammer Banjo" series, Donald Zepp's MP3s at zeppmusic.com, the MP3s on the Banjo Newsletter website, for "Round Peak style, see the YouTube videos of Tom Collins (BHO alias "FretlessFury") as well as the Fred Cockerham and Tommy Jarrell material on County. This is an eclectic list of players--you'll hear many approaches to clawhammer, all excellent. There are enough examples here to give you a lifetime of immersion in the style.

Bill

dustyelmer - Posted - 03/15/2008:  13:06:55

if you're looking for clawhammer in a string band context i'd suggest the Camp Creek Boys "Old Time String Band"; the Fuzzy Mountain Stringbands self titled album; Brad Leftwich & the Humdingers "The Humdingers"; Fred Cockerham, Oscar Jenkins & Tommy Jarrell "Stay All Night ... and Don't Go Home"; and in more of a fiddle/banjo duet context i'd suggest Wade Ward "Uncle Wade: A Memorial to Wade Ward - Old Time Virginia Banjo Picker, 1892-1971"; Franklin George "Traditional Music for Banjo, Fiddle & Bagpipes"; and the Clawhammer Banjo records. all of these are readily available on iTunes.

- Dusty

prossignol - Posted - 03/15/2008:  13:10:54

Check out the Folkways re-release of Hobart Smiths' "In Sacred Trust"...some fiddle, some guitar, a little piano, and Lots of the BEST clawhammer banjo picking EVER. A lot of Tom Paleys' stuff with the New Lost City Ramblers is good. Definitely the "Clawhammer Banjo" series of albums has great stuff ( Fred Cockerham, Wade Ward, etc.) I have a ton of clawhammer stuff in my music library, but much of it is pieced out of a number of Folkways, old time, country records etc. not just from single albums of clawhammer stuff. You could also check out albums from Dan Levenson, Bob Carlin, Mike Seeger.....My current favorite all banjo album is Mike Seegers' "southern banjo styles" although this is a survey of many styles including clawhammer.

"....I wish I had that pan full of squirell head gravy..."

tonehead - Posted - 03/15/2008:  13:28:13

http://cdbaby.com/cd/banjogathering

2 CD set with nothing but banjo ( a little singing)


Play it like you mean it.

banjo bill-e - Posted - 03/15/2008:  13:37:29

I can't say enough good about the Banjo Gathering CDs. Wonderful variety of banjo sounds and techniques, and they all are really good to outstanding. I have developed a great deal of respect for some of our fellow hangout members who are on those CDs. I am now a big fan of Bruce Molskey, and that Dan Gellert is just amazing! You will get a great overview of what old time banjo is all about. This has my highest recommendation.

handsup8 - Posted - 03/15/2008:  13:39:22

All great suggestions.

I think the Bob Carlin record "Banging and Sawing" is indispensable. Not only is it a great record on its own, but also the banjo and fiddle are separated by channels on the recording so you can listen to the cut as presented, isolate the banjo or take the banjo out and play along with fiddlers Bruce Molsky, Brad Leftwich James Bryan and others!

The Wade Ward "Memorial" album is a great one. I would also suggest that you check out the Digital Library of Appalachia and search for Clyde Davenport, Ernie Carpenter and Melvin Wine. Many of their excellent fiddle recordings for this archive are accompanied by fine banjo players like Gerry Milnes, and you can listen to/download their tunes via mp3.

The album "High Atmosphere" (which I just bought on CD after playing it to deaf') has cuts from a wide variety of traditions. Wade Ward is on there, Fred Cockerham and Frank Proffitt but also George Landers backing himself sparsely on banjo songs. (As a bonus this recording contains some great solo ballads as well!)

Finally, I always want to put in a plug for Bruce Molsky's banjo playing. Known to most as a fiddler, he is also a great, driving and simply complex player. His version of "Chinquapin Pie" on the record "Poor Man's Troubles" is super fine. You can google him and see a great version of him playing the "Golden Willow Tree" on the banjo.

I have one quibble with Prossignol's suggestion of Hobart Smith's excellent playing on "In Sacred Trust:" I think Hobart only plays one tune in clawhammer style on that collection, cut #24 "Old Joe Clark." Nevertheless, it's a very cool cut because he contrasts his father, King Smith's, "old" way of playing it [clawhammer] with his own, "new" up-picking approach. I use this tune with banjo students to differentiate claw from up-pickng. Cheers, Ted.



Handsup8

RedZinger - Posted - 03/15/2008:  13:56:54

Hi,
This earlier thread may be helpful:

http://www.banjohangout.org/forum/t...IC_ID=100396

I second the Banjo Gathering recommendation, also Old Time Banjo Festival is another great sampler. Lately I've really enjoyed Laura Schulman's Pretty Little Dog CD and Dan Gellert's Waitin on the break of day CD -- two very different sounds.

Rob

handsup8 - Posted - 03/15/2008:  13:57:17

Actually, I must apologize to and remove my quibble with Prossignol. When I go back and look at the notes to "In Sacred Trust" it seems that Hobart was clawhammering all those tunes which I just assumed were up-picked because of the speed, pluckiness and clarity (almost achieving bluegrass rolls) of his playing. The liner notes describe this style as "double-noting" in a way that shows his playing on this record is primarily clawhammer.

The "Old Joe Clark" will have to become an example I can use to contrast frailing (or "long-rapping" as Hobart calls it) with clawhammer (or "double-noting").

I guess I should know what the heck I'm talking about before I talk about it! THanks, prossignol, I will now go back to these great clawhammer recordings with new ears! Ted

Handsup8

Edited by - handsup8 on 03/15/2008 14:00:10