George Stavis is a singular player, among the finest 5-string banjo
players of his generation. Although trained in the traditions of Pete
Seeger and Earl Scruggs, in the late 1960s Stavis developed a unique
approach to the instrument which expanded it in both popular and
exotic directions. His first solo album, , on the Vanguard label, is
considered a landmark for improvisational performance (“. . . one of
the essential albums, in any genre, of the 1960s.” –Glenn Jones),
one that brought the banjo into the “world music” category, with
its evocations of jazz, classical and Indian music. Later, Stavis
developed the electric banjo, fronting a popular West Coast band,
Oganookie, who performed up to 160 nights per year. In the mid-’80s,
Stavis released a folk orchestral album, , which featured his
long-time collaborator, violinist / fiddler Robert Stern, and included
such notables such as Darol Anger and Mike Marshall on violin and
mandolin, respectively. Stavis has performed on eight recordings,
including four as principal, and has opened for such artists as Richie
Havens, Neil Young, the Grateful Dead and Jean-Luc Ponty, as well as
performing duets with the another of the banjo’s most notable
innovators, the late Bill Keith. His early work has recently been
re-released in Italy and the UK, and a recent solo piece can be heard
on (Tompkins Square). Though he has not been an active performer in
recent years, he still plays out from time to time, and recently
performed to a rapt audience at the . Stavis currently lives in Dobbs
Ferry, New York. Elkhorn is the musical project of guitarists Jesse
Sheppard (Philadelphia) and Drew Gardner (New York City). While the
duo frequently collaborates with a wide variety of musicians, their
sound is rooted at its core in the interplay of Sheppard’s
twelve-string acoustic fingerpicking with Gardner’s electric lead
flowing through. The music draws from many sources; including folk,
psych, blues, jazz, and world music. “The Storm Sessions,”
Elkhorn’s sixth album since forming in 2013, is being released on
February 7th by Beyond Beyond is Beyond Records. As Jesse Jarnow
writes, the album “is filled with flickering textures that might
create warmth on a cold day, or a bubble of human atmosphere inside a
dreary dystopian vacuum, no matter the weather outside.” GEORGE
STAVIS
music
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22/02/2020 Last update