More detached notes

Neil Rosenberg, premier historian of bluegrass music, contributes articles to the Bluegrass Situation (BGS) online magazine under the series title 'Bluegrass memoirs'. Earlier this month, the latest in this series appeared, recounting his experiences at Bill Monroe's Second Annual Kentucky Bluegrass Festival at Jackson, KY, in the summer of 1972 - a pivotal time in the music's development, as documented in the recently reissued film Bluegrass country soul. The article includes two performance videos from YouTube and eleven fine, evocative photos, predominantly by Rosenberg's friend and research partner Carl Fleischauer. Well worth reading.

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Music Network, Ireland's national music development organisation, reports that Noriana Kennedy of The Whileaways will be touring Ireland next month as one of a select traditional music quartet: Noriana (vocals/banjo), Oisín MacDiarmada (fiddle), Mirella Murray (accordion), and Donogh Hennessy (guitar). Tour details and online booking links are here.

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The Malpass Brothers of North Carolina, who made a big hit at past Omagh festivals with their classic country sound, launched last year their Bluegrass & Country Music Festival at Denton FarmPark, NC, in succession to the Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver Bluegrass Festival (see the BIB for 3 Feb. 2022). Sandy Hatley reports on Bluegrass Today on the Brothers' new features and preparation for this year's event (11-13 May 2023).

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Bluegrass Today has presented two major interviews, both of them informative and stimulating, with musicians of different generations: Wyatt Ellis of Tennessee, who at 13 is already an outstanding mandolinist with a special love for the music of Bobby Osborne and Bill Monroe, was interviewed earlier this month by Mike Fiorito; and Dave Berry has interviewed Californian guitarist Jim Nunally in his 'California report' series, going into subjects such as playing with David Grisman and John Reischman, duet singing, practice regimes, instruments, and much more.

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For anyone who would like to play mountain music among (or on) bigger mountains, the FOAOTMAD news blog draws attention to the 5th Old Time in the Alps weekend, to be held on the weekend 29 Sept.-1 Oct. 2023 at Adelboden in the Bernese Oberland, Switzerland. More details, in German and English, are on the website.

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John Lawless on Bluegrass Today gives a full listing of all the nominees for the coming 2023 awards of the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America (SPBGMA, pronounced spig' ma), which will hold its Annual SPBGMA Bluegrass Music Awards & National Convention & Band Championship in Nashville, TN, a week from now (26-29 Jan.). Readers will see among the nominees many names of artists or bands who have played in Ireland - sometimes three or four out of a group of six. In fact, in the category 'Song of the Year', all six of the nominated writers have played here (if one counts Ron Spears as the whole of Fast Track).

© Richard Hawkins