Detached notes

On the Deering Banjos blog, David Bandrowski introduces a video (also on YouTube since January) of Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi performing 'I shall not be moved', a song that became an anthem of the civil rights movement in the USA during the 1960s. She links the song with her experience of learning from the African-American fiddler Joe Thompson, and both of these to the principles of purpose, service, and community.

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Ken Perlman (USA), master of 'melodic clawhammer' banjo, announces that the next two online live instructional banjo workshops in his 'Clawhammer Clinic' series will be 'Playing Celtic reels with taste and authority, clawhammer style' on Mon. 21 Mar., and 'Playing in the key of D from open G tuning (gDGBD)' on Mon. 11 Apr., together with a reminder of the last chance to register for the Suwannee Banjo Camp this coming weekend (12-13 Mar.).

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For upright bass players faced with the lasting difficulty of lugging the thing around, have a look at Bluegrass Today where John Curtis Goad draws attention to the R.C. Williams Company, designers of music accessories, and two of their recent products. The dbl Bass Buggie™ is a pair of wheels with handle and harness to fit any bass from 1/10 to 4/4 size. The Amazing Bass Stand doubles as a comfortable chair to use while practising, and can take a load of up to 500 lb. Similar stand/chair items are also made for guitar, banjo, and fiddle, and we imagine that dobros, mandolins, and their players would probably find that these suited them as well.

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'Little Roy' Lewis had his eightieth birthday two weeks ago (see the BIB for 24 Feb.), and is very much alive. Much more about him and his foster-daughter Lizzy Long (photo below) is in the Mountain Home Music Company press release for Welcome to the show, the new album by the Little Roy and Lizzy Show, which is due out on 29 Apr. and can be pre-ordered.
PS: Their new single can be heard on Bluegrass Today and YouTube.

© Richard Hawkins