NOT to be missed at JKBF

The organisers of the Johnny Keenan Banjo Festival apologise for selling one particular item, in yesterday's announcement of the workshop schedule, very short indeed.

The schedule (reproduced on the BIB yesterday) originally showed for 4.00 p.m. on Sat. 22 Sept. 'Lecture "History of the banjo": Michael J. Miles'. If you thought that sounded a little dry, you would be right; but instead, what will actually be happening is a very special concert performance by a unique artist. The organisers now make everything clear:

Michael Miles is one of America's most inventive clawhammer banjo players. Add guitar, vocals, jazz instruments, orchestras, and complex historically-themed theatrical presentations to the mix and, two decades later, Michael has a critically acclaimed catalogue of original compositions, stage performances, music CDs, and music instruction books.

'From Senegal to Seeger' is Michael J. Miles' acclaimed one-man show featuring musical and written works of Pete Seeger, Carl Sandburg, Woody Guthrie, Walt Whitman, Johann Sebastian Bach, Mark Twain, and others.

Protest, passion, politics, poetry - the banjo is the voice of the people, and 'From Senegal to Seeger' unshackles that voice. 'From Senegal to Seeger' is a journey into Americana - a social and political portrait of America through the eyes of the banjo.

In this 90-minute tour-de-force Michael performs on seven banjos, playing music that spans 300 years and charts the transformation of the banjo from an African instrument to the quintessential expression of the American voice.

We are very proud to present Michael J. Miles' very important performance detailing the history of the banjo!

Read the full details here.