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BRC Activities

Be It Resolved, Yet Again

December 31, 2022

One of the Latin mottos of the Gainor & Friends jam band is, “Negatori musika populatum diminuendi versus bandito.” Roughly translated, this dictum mandates, ” Play no music if the audience is smaller than the band.”  Over the years, we have not infrequently been remiss in adherence to this lofty injunction. On some occasions, the jammers have performed before less than a handful of listeners who responded to our music with a silent wave of gratitude.  Greek philosopher Plato (428-348 BC) advised, “Music is the best medicine for the soul.”  Centuries later, John Logan (1744-1788) intoned, ” Music is the best medicine for the mind.”

During the recent Holiday season as pictured above, the G&F jammers readied themselves for the New Year with unflagging resolve to continue rejoicing, mind and soul, in the fun and fellowship of Bluegrass music. We are ever thankful to the folks in our audiences and their generous tip donations to the Children`s Hospital.

From the BRC: All good wishes to our BRC readers in the New Year. 

BRC Activities, Cell Perches & HVO, Jamming

A Jam Endures

December 17, 2022

About 40 years ago, a weekly jam session was inaugurated on Thursday evenings in the basement of local hardware store that was owned by an avid Bluegrass guitar/mandolin picker. Attendance at this soon popular year round musical get-together was by invitation only, and the included participants showed-up faithfully regardless of rain, ice, sleet, or snow. The musicians came from different walks of life and embraced diverse sociopolitical agendas,  but the respectful climate of the jam was friendly interaction and tolerant camaraderie. Because of the shared love of Bluegrass music, the meeting succeeded as a mini societal model of mutual acceptance. In the below photo, the gracious jam host Windell is standing (second row) far left. It was not unknown for Mitch Jayne, the bass player for the Dillards, to stop-by on occasion and enjoy the fun and music.

As many years past-by, and some members aged-out, relocated to another state, or passed away. The jam session endured for decades until host Windell sadly passed away earlier this year. Two of the jam regulars, however (blue shirts far left front row), have continued the rich  tradition of this special Thursday night picking session by convening it on an alternating week schedule between their two nearby homes. Participation is still by invitation only, and the jam session has survived the covid pandemic. To celebrate the continued success of the cheerful climate orginally cultivated by store owner Windell, the BRC founder (holding banjo) crafted the “Fiddlin` Bill Cell Perch” for his teammate Bill (blue plaid shirt) as a thank-you gesture signifying their successful partnership in sustaining this enduring jam tradition.

The sturdy red oak smartphone holder bears treble clef signatures, stars, fiddles, and guitars. The heavenly star-swooshes represent musicians who have passed away with the years, and the small mother of pearl stars represent the current active members. On the top of the center post is a slight larger star that represents a nonagenarian original jam session senior member (green vest front row center group photo) who still plays music with us regularly.

The underside of the cell perch is a signature location for a BRC inlay. A hand saw and claw hammer signify that the original site of the jam session was the basement of Windell`s hardware store.

Fiddlin` Bill received his cell perch at the weekly jam session with much gratitude and has stationed the desktop implement in his home recording studio as seen above. We are privileged to continue this weekly jam legacy.

Combining musicians from all three local jam sessions,  a recent festive Seasonal gig at the local brewpub was filled with Holiday sing-alongs enjoyed by the audience and performers alike. As usual, all tip money was donated to the nearby Children`s Hospital.

From the BRC: Happy Holidays to all BRC readers from all of us.

 

Antique Banjos

The Journey of a Mystery Zither

December 3, 2022

The 6 and 7 string antique zither musical instrument is sometimes called the “English banjo” compared to its 5 string American cousin.  In 1846, William Temlett designed a 6 string banjo with a short “thumb” string on the neck in his Brooklyn, NY, shop.  Temlett patented a 7-stringer in 1869 and named it his “zither-banjo” while claiming to be its inventor. The successful  American concert banjoist Alfred D. Cammeyer relocated to London in 1888 and popularized the zither banjo to eager British audiences. In 1893, the Essex & Cammeyer partnership began marketing their brand of zither banjos which were manufactured by the Temlett, Weaver, Wilhurst, and Windsor factories.

The BRC mailbox recently received a query from a musician in the US who just bought what he believed was a 7 string banjo from an acquaintance who had purchased the instrument years previously while living briefly in India. The mysterious instrument proved to be the English permutation of a 5 string American banjo. The peg head documented that the instrument was marketed by Robert J. Heath & Sons who were musical instrument sellers in Wales, UK. This family firm was listed in local trade directories from 1884 to 1967. Its shops were located at 51 Queen St. in Cardiff and at 70 Taff St. in Pontypridd. The multi-generational enterprise was affiliated with a musical instrument factory in London.

Boston banjo scholar Jim Bollman graciously examined several photos of the instrument and reported: Hi Barry- This is a British zither banjo, usually strung with wire and gut (nylon). There’s not a lot of interest in these in the US, probably worth a couple hundred bucks to a motivated buyer (who will be hard to find). They almost always have a closed back and a tunneled fifth string. Cheaper models used guitar tuners to save a few quid (one tuner left unused) – these were usually played as a regular five string. Best, Jim

Somewhere on its journey, this unique zither banjo had a geared guitar tuning peg installed on the neck at the fifth fret to fine-tune the 5th string. Adjacent to it on the fretboard is the original drilled entrance hole for the 5th string to traverse a tunnel inside the neck up to the slotted head-neck junction where the string would exit via another drill hole and be wrapped around a nearby tuning peg spool. The guitar style peg head configuration left one tuning peg unused in the conversion to a 5 string instrument.

With a little TLC repair work, this English gem could be restored to a playable zither treasure. For  further information on the 19th century evolution of Anglo-American  banjo design and the trans Atlantic travels of another not dissimilar antique instrument, please enter “journey” in the website search engine. For an historical note detailing the 17th century arrival of the African banjo in the Western Hemisphere, please enter “banza” in the website search engine.

From the BRC:  Many thanks to the musician who kindly shared his fascinating antique banjo with our readership.

Art Shows

A Wintery Showcase

November 19, 2022

The  “Gift of Art” winter show at the community gallery is a members-only mid November tradition that opens annually at the beginning of the Holiday season. The BRC craftsman submitted a “Snowy Owl”  themed banjo to the exhibit. This large and solitary bird lives in the high Arctic tundra. A thick layer of feathers insulate the avian, including its feet, from the bitter North Pole temperatures. The Snowy Owl hunts both day and night and lives on a diet of mostly lemmings eaten whole. The young owlets are darker, and males get slowly whiter with age- sometimes almost pure white. The females, however, are festooned with rows of dark feathers giving them an almost checkered coat. Snowy Owls nest on the ground and sleep with one eye open. They can fly at speeds approaching 50 mph. The scientific name for this arctic avian is Bubo scandiaca. A plurality of owls is called a parliament.

On the peg head beneath the North Star, a Snowy Owl perches above the truss rod cover which bears a snowflake and crystal of ice. Dark juvenile owlets are seen on the fretboard beneath northern stars, and more snowflakes and ice appear at the 5th fret space. On the evening before the exhibit was hung, a caller phoned the gallery and inquired if a BRC banjo was submitted to the show. She was advised- yes;  and so she requested and was sent the entry form photo of the banjo. The caller then promptly purchased the Snowy Owl without having seen it in-person, and she agreed to retrieve it after the gala opening reception. It was destined to be a holiday gift for her husband.

On the eve of the Winter Show opening, the BRC craftsman and Bluegrass pals (below) entertained a Senior Center throng with a seasonal pre-Thanksgiving performance.

On the following evening at the gala art league reception, members and guests (below) examine the already sold wintry owl themed BRC 5-stringer.

From the BRC: Have a restful Thanksgiving holiday.

Art Shows

Patrons` Party

November 5, 2022

Once a year, the local  community art league conducts a fund raising event to which its members donate original works that are showcased at a gala evening reception and can be purchased at markedly discounted prices. This autumn, the BRC craftsman donated a “Bobcat” themed banjo to the annual “Patron`s Party” benefit.

All the donated art works are hung beforehand in the exhibit hall for ten days, so patrons have an opportunity to browse through the collection and prioritizing a purchasing agenda. Tickets are then bought by customers to attend the festive evening reception where they are scheduled into in a randomly generated round-robin time table to buy items via a Zoom format a few days later. All proceeds go to the art league.

During the gala Patrons` Party, members and guests closely study the “Bobcat” banjo while awaiting their placement in the round-robin buyers` schedule.

From the BRC: With the Holidays just around the corner,  it’s a good occasion for bargain-hunting.