D-Squared

One of the benefits of my part-time job is that I get to listen to Bob Edwards (of NPR fame) on Sirius XM Radio. The other day I heard his interview of Bela Fleck, the banjo player who burst on the scene with Newgrass Revival years ago and has been re-writing the banjo rulebook ever since.

The interview had less to do with Bela’s ability to play jazz, Bach, and previously unimagined improvisations on an instrument usually associated with people who are missing teeth than it did with the origin of the banjo itself. Having spent several years touring and playing to hundreds of thousands of school kids where we inquired at every show whether anyone could identify what continent the banjo originated on and never received the correct answer – I’ll grant that I have more than a layman’s interest.

The banjo comes from Africa, at least the precursors to it’s current form did and it came across the Atlantic with folks who were brought to this country as slaves. So Bela decided to go to Mali, Uganda, Tanzania and The Gambia to explore the origins of his chosen instrument and in the process he discovered a plethora of banjo-like instruments and some astonishing musicians and music.

He has documented his musical journey in a film, Throw Down Your Heart, and the soundtrack CD includes some astonishingly beautiful indigenous music recorded in the field with 21st century sound equipment. Bela accompanies many of these pieces and the result is not unlike Paul Simon’s Graceland, David Byrne’s Rei Momo, or Ry Cooder’s Buena Vista Social Club although the results seem even more organic.

The CD is currently available and the film is being screened around the country. He is also organizing a US tour for some of these amazing musicians. If you are a banjo fan, I don’t see how you can live without this record. If you are a world music fan, a folk music fan, if your musical taste extends beyond the pap of American Idol, it is you will love this music. It is haunting and rhythmic and rooted to the earth.

Check it out at www.throwdownyourheart.com and discover a world smaller and even more vibrant than you imagined.

The Glendale Folk and Heritage Festival kicks off Saturday and Sunday, March 21-22, 10 AM-5 PM, at the Sahuaro Ranch Park, 9802 North 59th Avenue in Glendale, Arizona.

Sahuaro Ranch Park Historic Area is an old Valley fruit ranch and vegetable farm featuring 13 original buildings, a rose garden, barnyard and historic orchards adorning the 17 acre park. This weekend it will play host to over 150 folk musicians performing, jamming, and conducting workshops at 9 different venues on the site, including D-Squared playing at 10:30 AM on Sunday in the Fruit Packing Shed.

In addition to performances of everything from folk to bluegrass, gospel to contemporary singer/songwriter, from celtic and blues to cowboy poetry and storytelling – there are workshops on ukulele, banjo, musical saw, spoons, concertina, dulcimer, guitar, songwriting, harmony singing, percussion, childrens’ music, Woody Guthrie, Stephen Foster, and American belly dancing. Ample opportunities exist for unscheduled performers to play at open sessions as well as jam and network with other players, so bring your instruments.

The Phoenix Folk Festival was held for many years at Encanto Park and organized by our friend Lon Austin. Phoenix lost interest when Lon retired from Parks & Recreation, so he has moved the festival to The Sahuaro Ranch Park which looks like an even better venue. This unique festival also includes family entertainment, historic site tours, blacksmith demonstrations, a children’s stage and activity area and much more. Food and snacks will be available for purchase. Admission is FREE!

So we invite you to join us for one of the best weekends to be outdoors in the Valley. I can smell the orange blossoms. Chuck Pyle, Sue Harris, Phil Shanks, Bill Burke, Fred Coon, Joe Bethancourt, Annie Moscow and many other old and new folk friends will be there too.

You can look this event up at GlendaleAZ.com (click on “Parks & Recreation” in QuickLinks, then “Glendale Folk & Heritage Festival”) for more details, including performance and workshop schedules (although you won’t find us on the schedule, we were last minute additions). You can also call 632.930.4200.

The Sharlot Hall Museum in Prescott has begun a once-a-month concert series for 2009 and asked us to do the February 28th events. The series is called “Defining Folk Music” and includes a two-hour daytime workshop devoted to discussion and demonstration of the folk process. The workshop is intended as a dialog between the artist and the attendees exploring how folk music is created and what forces shape it’s form and content. Have you ever wondered what inspired a particular song, where the melody came from, how the song was actually written? This is a rare opportunity to experience the music from inside the artist’s perspective and ask questions.

The “Defining Folk Music” matinee and evening performances will differ from the usual ’song and stage patter’ format. We will pick songs from our catalog that we think exemplify important aspects of folk music as well as play a few old songs that directly influenced us. Introductions will be pertinent to the song’s creation and there will be a question and answer session during the concert. Don will be closely monitored by Deb in his attempts to define or explain anything in order to keep the shows on time.

The matinee and evening performances are at 2 PM and 7:30 PM on Saturday, February 28 in the Blue Rose Theater at the Sharlot Hall Museum, 415 West Gurley Street, Prescott. Tickets for the shows are $14 General Public, $12 Members, $8 Group Rate (10 or more). The workshop will be from 10 AM to 12 PM on Saturday, February 28 in the Blue Rose Theater and tickets are $25. Tickets for the workshop plus one performance (matinee or evening) are $30. Call 928.445.3122 for information and tickets.

We believe this series represents an ambitious attempt on the part of the Sharlot Hall Museum to define and expand the role of folk music in the community and we hope that you can make one or more of these events. The series happens the last Saturday of every month from January to August. Tony Norris kicked off the series in January and the future line up includes Katie Lee, Gail Steiger, Sue Harris, and the Kiwanis Jug Band. Check out the season on sharlot.org.

On the radio front, those of you within listening range of KJZA 89.5 & 90.1 FM might want to tune in to the Folk Sessions Live! from 7-9 PM on Saturday nights, specifically on February 21 and March 21 as Don will be hosting the show and spinning some of his favorite discs. The show repeats at midnight.

Saturday, December 6, Our annual winter season concert at the Big Bug Station in downtown Mayer, AZ.
7:00 PM, $10 Suggested Donation, desserts will be catered this year! Yum.