"The Classical Banjo" by John Bullard John's original recording, featuring works by Bach and Handel, 1992. Available directly from the artist at concerts.
"The Classical Banjo" by John Bullard Reissued on the Dargason label, this recording includes previously unreleased material as well as selections from the original 1992 recording. Order this CD now, directly from the artist!
"Bach on the Banjo"by John
Bullard"JUST RELEASED! An exciting program of Bach, Vivaldi, Handel, Telemann and more. John's solo banjo alternates with richly orchestrated ensembles. Some of the world's most beloved masterpieces have been uniquely interpreted for the banjo and should make this release a must for your collection.
Download some sound files of John's recent recordings.
"The Classical Banjo"
John Bullard
J.S. Bach wrote a great deal for the harpsichord -- including all of the two part inventions found here. Considering the percussive similarity between the picked five string banjo and the harpsichord (a plucked keyboard instrument), it seems quite appropriate that John Bullard should use the banjo for this extraordinary recording of primarily baroque music.
Other banjoists have dabbled in the classical field, but only a few have approached the repertoire with such single minded intent. Pete Pardee, Fred Boyce (one of John's primary influences) and Brazil's Rogerio Santos have each made significant, if somewhat unheralded, strides in advancing the banjo as a "classical" instrument. This, however, is the first full-scale banjo project to express the profound beauty of Bach, his contemporaries, and Renaissance forbearers.
The chamber formats are characterized by an interactive brilliance, and are rendered even more colorful by the varied instrumentation: banjo matched with vibraphone, guitar, and strings. Playing alone, John is able to make subtler emotive choices. The solo pieces demand more of the individual since the load is unshared; i.e. there is no call and response to allow for a musical breath. In lesser hands, such baroque pieces could devolve into a series of flat scalar exercises. John, instead, employs wide dynamic ranges, rubato rhythms, slides, vibratos and moveable right hand positioning. One should also carefully note John's mastery of trills and grace notes -left hand tour-de-forces which constitute an integral part of the baroque vocabulary.
Perhaps most significantly, John brings his classical technique to bear on two of his own compositions. "October Court" is a sublimely conceived Renaissance-style piece. "Early Spring" is basically a programmatic work, placing one delicate foot in the classical world and another in the contemporary, bluegrass-derived banjo milieu. Surrounded by the violin, viola and cello, both stand tall in this imposing collection.
The sheer act of transcribing these pieces for the banjo is a daunting task to be sure. By performing them with such consummate grace and agility, John becomes a potent new voice on the instrument. In the process, he helps to confound preconceived notions as to what the banjo can (or should) do.
7/14/92 Tony Trischka Rounder Recording Artist
MUSICIANS
Steve Bennett - harp guitar: 4,5 Winner of the National Flatpicking Contest in Winfield, Kansas in 1987, Steve has had a successful career as a soloist with four recordings to his credit. Here, Steve is heard playing a beautiful 1909 Dyer Brothers harp guitar originally owned by his great grandfather. Greg Giannascoli - vibraphone: 8, 9, 10 Greg has performed throughout the United States, Mexico and the Caribbean as a percussionist and marimba soloist. He has won numerous solo and concerto competitions including the National Music Teachers Association/Wurlitzer Collegiate Artist Competition and the Montpelier Cultural Arts Society recital competition. John Patykula - classical guitar: 15, 16, 17, 18 John is head of the guitar department at Virginia Commonwealth University. A student of guitar virtuoso Jesus Silva, John made his Carnegie Hall debut in 1987. Bill Comita - cello :11,13, 20 Judith Beverly - viola: 11, 20 Catherine Hubert - violin :11, 20
Recorded at BIG AUDIO, Richmond, Virginia, 5192-7192, except "October Court" and "Early Spring", recorded at Phoenix Recording, Richmond, Virginia, 7/20/92. Engineered by Jonathan Mela All selections recorded direct to digital audio tape to preserve the integrity of the performance. No overdubs or studio trickery...it's live... Cover Art/Design by Dusty Rumsey Special thanks to: Tony Trischka, Fred Boyce, John Patykula, Jocko Macnelly, Grete Dollitz, Anthony J. Huvard, Cathy Smith, Dianne Hensley, Christine Moran, Betty and Frank Payne, Bill Hickok, Polly Bullard and Friends.
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SELECTIONS
1. Kemp's Jig 1:42 Anonymous Adapted for banjo by Fred Boyce
2. Prelude :51 Robert de Visée trans. Bullard
3. Gavotte en Rondeau 3:14 from Violin Partita #3 - J.S. Bach trans. Bullard
