There may be more than one
distinguished musician with the name Bill Evans, but it's not likely
you'll confuse the one who plays banjo here with any other - not only
because of his choice of instrument, but because Bill Evans Plays
Banjo is an album that simply couldn't be made by anyone else.
A collection of elegantly spirited original tunes, it is also a celebration
of friendships, family, experience - and one banjo - that belong to
this Bill Evans alone.
For those east of the Rockies,
there are some exciting surprises to be found here. Bluegrass may
be well on its way to become a national (or even international) music,
but regional differences haven't altogether disappeared, and the physical
limitations of distance alone are enough to guarantee that some outstanding
musicians who live out west have yet to receive due recognition. While
West Coast players like Rob Ickes, John Reischman and Darol Anger
have a national stature, others on this collection don't, and one
of the disc's greatest pleasures is the way it introduces fine pickers
like Greg Spatz of Spokane, WA. A former bandmate of Ickes and co-producer
Jim Nunally in Due West who also logged time with the venerable High
Country, Greg's supple, traditional-leaning style offers considerable
- and, for most listeners, unexpected - enjoyment. Yet Evans hasn't
forgotten old friends, either; Missy Raines and Steve Smith, both
long-time friends from Bill's days with them in Cloud Valley, are
here again, and so are others from more recent times.
What these musicians have to
work with is a fine set of material. Though each song stands on its
own, from the galloping "Germaine's Dream" to the lush ballad "When
She Smiles," they gain strength, too, from the way that common themes
and approaches pervade the set. Sinuous unison passages alternate
with arrangements that explore nuances of texture, straight-ahead
solos give way to crisp ensemble playing, and throughout there is
a steady spotlight on a variety of tones that is all too rare on an
album built around an instrument often faulted for its limited tonal
palette.
Bill is quick to give credit
for much of that to the banjo itself, a 1939 Gibson RB-75 he acquired
from Sonny Osborne, whose own mastery of tone merits every superlative
available. He says that when he got it, Sonny told him "now you have
no excuses," but there's nothing that needs excuses here. Bill is
one of those rare banjo players whose playing and writing draw freely
from across a range of sounds and styles that go well beyond bluegrass,
yet manages to remain artistically centered in the field - and when
need be, he (and his friends) can drill straight to the bedrock, as
the recreation of Bill Monroe's 1946 "Heavy Traffic Ahead" that closes
Bill Evans Plays Banjo magnificently confirms.
Players with such a broad vision
and the skill to translate it into compelling music have contributed
much to bluegrass. In a genre this history-conscious, the excitement
of creativity lasts longest when it is fortified through an almost
instinctive circling back that continually integrates old and new
into music that's recognizably both. That's an elusive goal, but it's
one that's reached here time and again. Good songs, good pickers,
a good instrument and a good, solid grounding in bluegrass; though
these things are not directly named in this album's title, it's nevertheless
an apt one. When Bill Evans plays banjo, they're all right there.
Jon Weisberger, Kenton
County, KY
Bill Evans Plays Banjo
Mighty Fine Records 906-3
Greg Spatz, Darol Anger &
Glen Duncan play fiddle; John Reischman and Mike Compton play mandolin;
Jim Nunally, Nina Gerber & Chris Sharp play guitar; Rob Ickes
plays dobro; Missy Raines, Todd Phillips & Mike Bub play bass;
Steve Smith plays mandola; and Don Rigsby sings.
1. Petersburg Gal (3:34)
Greg: fiddle, Rob: dobro, Jim:
guitar, John: mandolin; Missy: bass, Bill: banjo
There's something of a tradition
of "gal" tunes in bluegrass music, with Bill Monroe's 1969 recording
of "Candy Gal" being perhaps the most well known example. Here's my
contribution.
2. GermaineÕs Dream
(3:11)
Greg: lead fiddle, first and
third solos, Darol: harmony fiddles, second and fourth solos, Rob:
dobro, Jim: guitar, John: mandolin, Missy: bass, Bill: banjo
Yes, I really did dream this
tune, right down to the exact notes of the banjo solo. In case you're
wondering, my middle name is Germaine.
3. Kobe Blues (4:14)
Darol: fiddle, Nina: guitar,
John: mandolin, Todd: bass, Bill: banjo
The initial idea for this tune
came from my woodshedding on Don Reno's rockÕnÕroll influenced right
hand brush techniques. Along the way, everyone from Charlie Parker
to the Beatles found a place in this piece. It was completed on a
late February night, sitting on the floor in the living room of Taisuke
and Hisae Nishigauchi's house near Kobe, Japan. Eric Thompson helped
sort out the various sections back home in California.
4. Meadows of Dan (4:13)
Greg: fiddle, Rob: dobro,
Jim: guitar, John: mandolin, Missy: bass, Bill: banjo
The first part of this tune
reminded me of something that Sammy Shelor might play, so I named
this tune after his Virginia hometown.
5. CoreyÕs Slide (4:04)
Greg: fiddle, Rob: dobro, Jim:
guitar, John: mandolin, Missy: bass, Bill: banjo
A tune that was directly inspired
by watching my daughter tirelessly play on our neighborhood monkey
bars and slide. I tried my best here to capture the relentless energy
and enthusiasm of a five-year old.
6. Catching The Dickens
(4:24)
Greg: fiddle, Rob: dobro,
Jim: guitar, John: mandolin, Missy: bass, Bill: banjo
A tune written in one quick
sitting in a Washington, D. C. hotel room just after a late night
jam session with Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerrard. Thanks to Jim for
the arrangement.
7. New Black Eyed Suzie
(3:38)
Greg: fiddle, Rob: dobro, Jim:
guitar, John: mandolin, Missy: bass, Bill: banjo
I've always loved Earl Scruggs'
elegant playing on such tunes as "Sally Ann" and "Home Sweet Home."
I tried to come up with something in a similar vein here, attempting
to capture the sound of a Foggy Mountain Banjo session outtake.
8. Raising The Beams
(3:06)
Steve: mandola, Bill: banjo
A duet written in the early
1980s for the Cloud Valley band reunites me with one of my best friends
in music. Three of Steve's four mandola courses are tuned in octaves
and the banjo is in double C tuning.
9. When She Smiles (5:39)
Darol: fiddle, Nina: guitar,
John: mandolin, Todd: bass, Bill: banjo
Another tune written during
the Cloud Valley years under the influence of evenings spent listening
to the recordings of jazz guitar player Jim Hall and days spent tortuously
working my way through Jerry Coker's Patterns for Jazz.
10. Leaving Owensboro
(4:22)
Darol: fiddle, Jim: guitar,
John: mandolin, Todd: bass, Bill: banjo
Minimalism and bluegrass banjo
potentially have a lot in common. This tune tries to make the most
out of a modest set of melodic materials, relying on changes of texture
and rhythm to keep things moving.
11. Lonesome Polka (1:26)
Jim: guitar, John: mandolin,
Missy: bass, Bill: banjo.
This one's a minor key variation
on "The Clarinet Polka." Sometimes I donÕt know why I do these things.
12. Granite Chief (3:05)
Greg: fiddle, Rob: dobro,
Jim: guitar, John: mandolin, Missy: bass, Bill: banjo.
My tribute to geological and
musical giants: Granite Chief is a peak lying about 9000Õ above sea
level overlooking Lake Tahoe, California. Sonny Osborne is the Chief,
period.
13. Heavy Traffic Ahead
(2:50)
Don Rigsby, vocal; Glen Duncan,
fiddle; Mike Compton: mandolin; Mike Bub, bass; Chris Sharp, guitar;
Bill Evans: banjo.
Bringing it all back home
with a hopefully faithful rendition of the first tune that Earl Scruggs
recorded as a member of Bill MonroeÕs Blue Grass Boys in September,
1946.
Produced by Jim Nunally and
Bill Evans. Recorded, mixed and mastered by Jim Nunally in Crockett,
CA.
Track 13 produced by Don Rigsby
and Bill Evans. Track 13 recorded at Fatback Recording Studios, Nashville,
TN.
Darol AngerÕs fiddles on track
2 recorded at Fiddlistics Studio, Oakland, CA.
Recorded February-April, 2001.
All songs written by Bill
Evans, except for "Kobe Blues," written by Bill Evans & Eric Thompson
and "Heavy Traffic Ahead," written by Bill Monroe.
Tracks 1-12 published by Fifth
Child Music, BMI. Track 13 published by APRS, BMI.
Photography by Irene Young.
Design by Sue Meyer. Logo by Jil Weil.
Darol Anger and Todd Phillips
appear courtesy of Compass Records. Rob Ickes appears courtesy of
Rounder Records. Missy Raines appears courtesy of Pinecastle Records.
Don Rigsby appears courtesy of Sugar Hill Records, Inc.
Bill Evans uses GHS strings.
Thanks to all of the musicians
who contributed to this recording, with thanks especially to Jim Nunally
for his work to help make these sounds come to life. Special thanks
to my family for their continued love and support. Kathy, Corey and
Jesse, I dedicate these tunes to you.
For information and bookings:
Native and Fine Records, 1185 Solano Ave., PMB #157, Albany, CA 94706,
(510) 528-1924.
E-mail: bevans@nativeandfine.com.
Internet homepage: www.nativeandfine.com
©2001 Native & Fine Music.
All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication is a violation of applicable
laws.
