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Using 8 different banjos, including Senegalese Halam and fretless minstrel banjo Miles plays the music from his one-man show.
Genre:
Folk: Traditional Folk
Release Date:
1999
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The Magic Banjo
© Copyright-Michael J. Miles
(791022105421)
Record Label: Right Turn On Red Music
SPECIAL: 10% discount if you buy more than one copy of it today!
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THE MAGIC BANJO
created and performed by Michael J. Miles
"Highly recommended....an exhilarating musical and multi-dimensional journey....a provocative political and social history of America." HEDY WEISS, CHICAGO SUNTIMES
The Magic Banjo is a one-man show featuring the musical and written works of Pete Seeger, Carl Sandburg, Woody Guthrie, Walt Whitman, Johann Sebastian Bach and others.
This is a journey into Americana--a social and political portrait of American through the eyes of the banjo. Mixing compelling songs and driving banjo instrumentals with superb literature and journal extractions from some of America's most telling writers and thinkers, Miles has woven together a magical journey into the heart of America.
Punctuated by humor and music, this show provides a thoroughly enjoyable experience that has played to sold out theatres across the midwest and at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC.
Eight different instruments are used including a Civil War minstrel banjo and an African 3-string Halam carved from a tree trunk,. The sounds include folk songs, ragtime, union songs, train songs, and selections from Miles' own compositions.
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"Musician's one-man banjo show is magic. Captivating...entertaining.. thoughtful...vivid images of America....a treat to hear."
Elaine Schmidt, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 2004
"Miles gives a mesmerizing performance because of his charisma and apparent love for storytelling and the banjo. His voice is strong, warm.... And it seems as if Miles' fingerwork on the banjo entranced the audience."
Roseanne Wasielewski, UWM Leader, 2004
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Remarkable banjo playing highlighting a traditional style
author: Bob Clayton
I didn't know what to expect from this CD -- despite the samples online, I didn't have time to give it a deep listening. Once I put it on, though, I was pleasantly surprised to hear a modern player using the early Minstrel style fretless banjo so much. The Minstrel banjo is tuned lower than modern ones, it's fretless, and has a large, deep shell (13-14" across). The result is a thumpy, lower-pitched tembre that is felt as much as heard, sometimes. You expect Minstrel banjo players to present only Stephen Foster or Dan Emmett dance tunes, and modern players, even those who do play the old-time down-picking style, seldom play that banjo. Michael Miles does, and it's very refreshing! Of course, not all the tunes are on a Minstel banjo, but all the playing is top-notch. His sense of rhythm is impeccable, and the tune-playing doesn't get old. The singing is good, too, though vocals are not his strong suit. Not every song is perfectly chosen, but every one is perfectly played. I recommend the CD, even if I sound negative (I have high standards). You'll like it, I'm sure.
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