Another great rehearsal for the Sydney Banjo Band the other Wednesday ( 18th January) with a solid group of 13 banjos, an acoustic guitar, supported for timing and rhythm by John Bates on Tuba ( with an occasional vocal) and Jim Morrell on snare drum.
The audience number swelled to around 30 which for a fledging group was a great fillip for the players.
If you happen on this site and can get to Club Ashfield...5 Charlotte Street, Ashfield, Sydney some 20 metres on the north side of the Ashfield Railway Station ( see a map at the end of this post) come along from around 6pm when we gather, some for a quick meal and start playing 6.45pm through to a little after 9pm. In the upstairs bistro/function area.
Talking of happening onto our site...an email late in the day from a Canadian couple, Patrick and Laura Longhurst who were in Sydney visiting relatives has made contact for a further visit to the Club when they are next in Sydney..
Look forward to meeting them. They are from the Toronto Banjo Club, in Toronto, Canada.
The next rehearsal for the band is...
Wednesday 22nd February at Club Ashfield.
..... with a planned visit to the South Steyne former Manly Ferry, moored at Darling Harbour with some playing on the wharf beside for an hour or so on Tuesday 6th March...
So lets have a photographic stroll through the night......
A panorama of our group from several photos "stitched" together...the banjo on the seat is mine....
I was pleased that the three lads, Shardyn, Makarim and Tayzin made the night...they left the next day for the Tamworth Music festival, where they are making a name for themselves.
Tayzin who has a banjo has been learning trombone from our tuba player, John Bates and brought a double bass for the evening. Their mother Alita also played banjo with us..
One of the melody lead players on the night was Ted Gerome on an annual visitto Sydney from his home in Ligonier, Pennsylvania in the US.
Ted is a member of the Pittsburgh banjo club where their leader and editor of the US banjo magazine, "The Resonator", Frank Rossi is a great supporter of our Club.
The photo below shows myself, DQ, Ted Gerome and Frank Rossi at a PBC concert at Bethyl Park in Pittsburgh, August 2008.
Ted with John Wilson during the rehearsal...
The other main leads were Paul Baker and Cliff Parsons...
Paul shown with a student of his, David English to his left, John Bates on Tuba and Stefan Simmonds and Ed Condran.
Cliff Parsons on lead with Ed Condran and John Packham....
A panorama of some of the audience....
One of the audience, regrettably I didn't catch his name, obviously a professional cartoonist, did a sketch of the night on a table napkin and gave it to me. I scanned it when I got home...
Hugo Pfandler brought along several harmonicas with his banjo and provided some additional lead and took a chorus with Ted on "Georgia on my Mind"
Well known Sydney guitarist who plays with "Gadjo Guitars" and the "Singers Workshop", Cameron Jones was on acoustic guitar...Gary McFetridge, beside him & to the right, played lead on several numbers, including "Washington Square", the Village Stompers version...
Where to find club Ashfield....??
Well the 66th Australian Jazz Convention held in the mid north Queensland city of Bundaberg, 26th -31st December 2011 is now over and the sets we played went over well.
Regrettably neither Ted Gerome who was over from Pittsburgh, USA nor Lance Macguire from Brisbane who were to come and play lead could make it.
But John Wilson, myself on banjo and Hugo Pfandler on harmonica and banjo took up the challenge and the sets went smoothly.
We were aided by Reg Packer from Swan Hill in Victoria and Peter Ransome from Brisbane who sang and played for us and Australian Jazz icon, Kate Dunbar also sang "Rose of Washington Square" for us....
Judy took some photos for us, I've cleaned them up a bit and stitched three together to get a panorama of the SBB for several sets and there are photos of the usual street parade through Bundaberg.....
Those with access to get to Sydney, remember the next rehearsal is at Club Ashfield, Wed. 18th January, 6pm for a meal, 6.45pm start playing in the upstairs bistro/function area in Club Ashfield, 5 Charlotte Street, Ashfield, beside Ashfield Railway station.....
The following rehearsal is Wed. 22nd February.
Left click on the images to enlarge them....
The street parade assembles.....
We march off...
Reg Packer sings "When you're Smiling".....
DQ speaks to the audience as Hugo readies to bring in a song, perhaps "Honeysuckle Rose" on harmonica and then banjo.....
Another set and Kate Dunbar sings "Rose of Washington Square".... what a voice...trained at the Sydney. Con during WW2, now 88 years old and still the best blues singer in Australia...
John Wilson, Ray Towers and Lasz Mahrer.....
We were helped by Nev Ollis on sousaphone and drummers Ian Hill and Mike Williams......
Nev Ollis, sousaphone; Hugo Pfandler on Harmonica/banjo, Peter Ransome and DQ.....
The Sydney Banjo Bands last rehearsal shows the group is moving on in numbers...despite some regulars being unable to attend, we had a new chap Dave, learning banjo attend, introduced by Bill Maclean.
Currently the band has 20 members getting "The Resonator" as a member band of Banjos Unlimited, the US banjo group...
"The Resonator" is the magazine of Banjos Unlimited, skilfully edited by Frank Rossi, leader of the Pittsburgh Banjo Club ...it allows us to access contacts and parts, music etc....
The next rehearsals are Wednesday 18th January and Wednesday 22nd February again at Club Ashfield...5 Charlotte Street, Ashfield, beside Ashfield Railway Station on the northern side.
Then we're playing beside the former Sydney harbour Manly ferry, the "South Steyne"....
See further down for details....
Want to hear and see the band playing....?
Log onto this URL...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw9vPCaRl_g&feature=related&noredirect=1
First up...Seasons Greetings to all of you from DQ.....
I took along my camera for the evening and left the banjo during several numbers to take a few snaps of the band.....
Stroll through them with me....
Left click on the images to enlarge them....
The band readies to practice....
Cliff plays the electric banjo that he built himself.....
Paul Baker, Cliff Parsons and Bill Maclean did most of the lead melody playing....
Makirum and Shardyn....
Tayzin on trombone....
John Bates, tuba...Stephan Simmonds and Ed Condran.....
Ed Condran and John Packham..
Gary McFetridge and Barry Graham, foreground. Gary played some lead and Barry sang several items...
I've arranged for the band to play on the wharf, weather permitting beside the former Sydney Harbour ferry, the "South Steyne"...permanently moored now in Darling Harbour, beside the old Pyrmont Bridge...more timing details later.
The date is Wednesday 22nd February 2012....
As well, we're pleased to have Ted Gerome, prominant player from the Pittsburgh Band Club and who was instrumental in setting up the SBB back in Sydney for three months...he'll be at our next few rehearsals and possibly the Australian Jazz Convention in Bundaberg over Christmas/New Year...
I collected Ted from Sydney airport Thursday morning, by a quirk of fate he missed the rehearsal by half a day....
Recently...Wed.26th October the Sydney Band Band held another rehearsal with 13 banjos playing and John Bates on tuba and Jim Morrell on snare drum for some rhythm and timing....
Once again the staff at Club Ashfield assisted...thanks to Amanda O'Grady....with some dates and no charge for the room.
We meet in the first floor Bistro/Function area, many getting there about 6pm to have a light meal and drink with the rehearsal starting around 6.45pm.
We play till 9pm with a short break midway.....
There is usually a small audience and their attendance is welcomed and appreciated..if you've stumbled onto our site and can get to Club Ashfield why not come along for some toe tappin' music...
See further down for details to the Club....
I've posted some photos I took during the evening...by no means complete as I'm playing myself as is obvious by the lone banjo on a seat....
Left click on the images to enlarge them...
Got a banjo, acoustic guitar, ukulele, mandolin?
Come join us...we provide the chord sheets for the songs we play...we have lead melody players and the abilities of those we cater for are from beginners to professional...
Many play in paid jazz bands...something to aspire to...
If you don't try you will always wonder.....
This is the last rehearsal this year and I'll be looking for a date in January...I'll keep you informed....
Some of us will attend the 66th Australian Jazz Convention at Bundaberg, Queensland, playing in various jazz bands and I've entered the Sydney Banjo Band in the convention so we will be playing several sets and some impromptu jam sessions through the week.
Lance Maguire from Brisbane will be the main melody lead banjo and he and I have prepared some 50 tunes to play from and I'll have chord books available covering these for all to play from....
When..?
26th December to 31st December.....
See...
Main melody leads for the evening were Paul Baker, left and Cliff Parson, RHS.....
David English, foreground and Ed Condran....
Ed, David...Bev Long and John Packham....
Shardyn and Makirum .........
Stephan Simmonds with Ed Condran...
Jim Morrell with John Bates behind his tuba.....
Cliff Parsons with John Wilson down from Newcastle...still recovering from an illness he played several melody leads on the night and brought his trumpet to assist in some numbers....
Hugo Pfandler with his White Swallow tenor.....
White Swallow banjos had a stand at the Merimbula Jazz Festival in June 2000...DQ admires one...proprietor and manufacturer, Alan Funk stands to the left....
Gary McFetridge......
As mentioned in the previous blog....Bill Maclean posted some videos on Youtube....
Club Ashfield....
A bit of banjo information and miscellania....
On eBay some years back was a "banjo playing machine"...the photos tell it all....
Below ...a Gibson "Delta Queen" tenor banjo
Below, a Gibson "Oriental" plectrum banjo...
