Matt Flinner

This week’s video comes from a show by the Matt Flinner Trio at the O.C. Tanner Amiptheater in Springdale, UT on June 2, 2012.  The tune, “Raji’s Romp,” was inspired by an interception and touchdown run by B.J. Raji of the Green Bay Packers a couple of years ago, which helped the Packers go on to the Superbowl by defeating the Chicago Bears.  I finally got around to writing my tune of the day after the game was over, and being a Packers fan, I was in a good mood.

The tune was written for a show at Avogadro’s Number in Ft. Collins, CO on Jan 23, 2011, and is featured on our “Winter Harvest” CD.  For more info or to order a copy, click here.

The Midwest Banjo Camp has been happening for the last eight years; being a mandolin player who still loves to play the banjo, I was honored to be asked by Ken Perlman to teach this year as a bluegrass banjo instructor.  It was my first time being hired as a banjo teacher at one of these camps, so I was curious to see how it would go.

Here’s my first class:

Right off the bat you’ve got a room full of banjos.  And though the jokes do indeed creep into my mind (the Far Side cartoon in which the classical conductor is shown to his room in Hell can’t help but occur to me), you hold off because you see that these people are sincerely here to learn (plus, frankly, you’re grossly outnumbered).  And they’re putting themselves out there in a situation that is probably new to most of them.  And they’re probably a little nervous about playing in front of everyone else.  And as time passed I began to realize that this wasn’t just a banjo camp, it was kind of a safe haven where banjo players go to talk about banjos, to listen to some of their favorite players, to hang out and play banjo tunes and talk about string gauges and head tightness and alternate tunings and just be together as kindred spirits.  And for four days, guys like Bill Keith and Mac Benford are not just respected musicians, it’s like they’re supreme rulers of our little world on the campus of Olivet College.  And it goes without saying that they really don’t need to hear the same old jokes from some jackass mandolin player.

As I enter this banjo world I’m reminded of my own banjo story: I’ve been a complete banjo nerd for a good part of my life (from age 10 to age 23 or so, and off and on since then).  I lived and breathed the music of Alan Munde, Doug Dillard, Bill Keith, Butch Robins, Pete Wernick, Bela Fleck and of course Earl Scruggs.  I’d sit in school and imagine having the banjo in my hands, and tuning the 4th string down to C just for fun and then try to figure out how to play the Star Spangled Banner in my head.  On the nerd scale I was probably damn near if not right at a 10.  But the banjo brought me comfort and I could lose myself in it for hours just playing “Old Joe Clark.”  It was never a chore, it was just something I loved to do.
So imagine my excitement when I get to actually play with a couple of these guys—Alan Munde and Bill Keith—in jam sessions and in a few classes we were teaching together.  Here I am sitting in a circle of folks watching Bill Keith tear into “Cherokee Shuffle” in his inimitable melodic style, and I’ve got the next solo.  I feel a little giddy, I have to say.  And I think all the students in our circle do, too.
When I was a teenager, the record that I was obsessed with probably more than any other was one by Sam Bush and Alan Munde titled “Together Again for the First Time.”  Being a big Munde fan, I tried to learn everything he played on any record I had with him on it, and that record with Sam Bush represented, to me, the height of Munde’s playing.  Intricate, difficult tunes, standards played in new and exciting ways, and a relaxed yet adventurous vibe that made you laugh while your jaw was dropping.  I was also getting pretty heavily into the mandolin at that time, and Sam Bush’s playing became my model.  I learned every note of his fiddle solos on “Forked Deer,” and playing those solos over and over again on the mandolin was a huge part of my musical education and growth.
So anyway, we instructors were asked to play two tunes each as part of the staff concerts on Friday and Saturday nights.  Having that recording so embedded in my consciousness, how could I not ask Alan Munde to play “Forked Deer” with me?  So I did.  And he agreed.  And my banjo nerd-dom came full circle.  I was thrilled to be playing my favorite tune with one of my all-time heroes.

Alan Munde and Matt Flinner, Midwest Banjo Camp 2012

By the way, “Together Again for the First Time,” which has been out of print for many years, is soon going to be reissued on Compass Records.  It’s long long overdue, and I hope it will receive the attention and praise that it so richly deserves as a fantastic representation of the music of two giants of modern bluegrass, and as (in my humble opinion) the absolute forefront of instrumental bluegrass music of its time.
So back to the camp…by Sunday I felt pretty saturated, but there were still a couple of classes to teach, and one demonstration to give about playing fiddle tunes on the banjo.  And lo and behold, the other instructors on the session are Alan O’Bryant, Russ Barenberg and Alan Munde.  It was a great way to end the camp for me, and I got to be part of some of the most fun jamming I’ve done in a while with three guys I respect so highly.

Alan O'Bryant

If you’re a banjo nerd like me and you’re wondering where to go to get that little bit of inspiration or direction you feel you’re lacking (or if you just want to talk about string gauges or head tightness), I’d highly recommend the Midwest Banjo Camp in 2013.

It’s been a sad year in American roots music, as we say goodbye to another giant in bluegrass and folk music, Arthel “Doc” Watson.  It seems like we just lost banjo legend Earl Scruggs—just when we caught our breath we got the sad news that Doc passed away on May 29.  Like Earl, Doc was in his late 80s (he died at age 89), and kept performing until the end. And also like Earl, he brought so much beautiful music and positive energy into this world…

I looked around for some videos of Doc performing, and thought I’d share some of my favorites with you.  Seems to me we should start with “Black Mountain Rag”—one of Doc’s signature tunes, and one that has been copied perhaps more than any other by aspiring young guitar players.

I saw some liner notes written by Pat Brayer on a David Grier album several years ago that drew a direct line in the history of bluegrass guitar from Riley Puckett to Doc Watson to Clarence White to David Grier. I think Pat nailed it (though personally I’d probably add Tony Rice as another offshoot from Clarence White). Doc was the first person to really play lead guitar in the bluegrass style that we call “flatpicking,” and it must have seemed pretty revolutionary in the early 60s to see this unassuming man tear into “Black Mountain Rag” or “Whiskey Before Breakfast.” Doc’s influence was huge—flatpicking guitar began with him, and to this day he’s still the standard reference for so much of it.

But merely calling Doc a bluegrass artist or a flatpicker doesn’t do him justice, as there was so much more to Doc Watson music than just bluegrass or old-time music. He was a great country blues player as well (he often credited Mississippi John Hurt as a major influence), and his Merle Travis-style fingerpicking was a big part of his music.

Here’s an early clip of Doc playing another of his signature songs: “Deep River Blues.”

I first saw Doc perform around 1981 in Park City, UT at a little club. He had his son Merle Watson with him (Merle tragically died in a tractor accident in 1985) along with T. Michael Coleman on the bass. So many of Doc’s classic recordings were made during this period; Merle’s bluesy fingerpicking and slide guitar added a wonderful dimension to Doc’s music. Here they are from sometime in the early 80s performing a two songs: “Make Me a Pallet” and “Streamline Cannonball.”

And I have to include my all-time favorite version of the standard “Sittin’ on Top of the World.”  This is from Doc’s very first LP from 1962, and it’s just Doc by himself.  I find his his bluesy guitar playing and understated singing very moving…I’d highly recommend this one!

Here’s another rendition of Doc playing that song much later in his life.  He tells a story about picking cherries as a young man, and helping his younger sister (who, like him, was blind) get up into the tree to sit next to him.

When you go through Doc Watson videos on YouTube, you find a big variety of stuff that spans about 50 years. And it’s all good. Someone told me a few years ago that Doc still practiced the guitar every day, even well into his 80s. I don’t know if that was true or not, but I’d certainly believe it. His playing was still fiery, tasteful, and solid—and always so highly musical right to the end. Doc seemed to be a fully formed artist when he emerged in 1962 with his first Vanguard record, and looking back over his career you see a great body of work that never suffered with age, never seemed “burned out” or tired, and never even really repeated itself. And it was always delivered with grace and charm. Go seek out Doc and Merle’s “Down South” CD, or that first solo record, or “Pickin the Blues” (with Merle Watson and Sam Bush!), or “Portrait.” Or anything he did. You won’t be disappointed.

Doc Watson was the heart and soul of bluegrass guitar. He will be greatly missed.

This week I thought I’d introduce the “Music du Jour” project into the video of the week. As you may know, on most of the Matt Flinner Trio shows we write new music the day of the show to perform that night—basically one tune by each member of the trio, for three new tunes every night. I’ve been hesitant to add these new “du Jour” performances to our video channel, as I don’t know what tunes will end up getting recorded on our CDs, and I’m not sure I want to end up with a CD full of material that is already out there on YouTube. Anyway, I liked this performance enough to give it a go. I wrote this tune while on the road between Richmond, VT to Putney, VT. After rejecting a few ideas, the idea for this tune seemed to take shape somewhere near White River Junction; hence the title.
In our du Jour shows we’re often trying to change things up to keep the material fresh and varied. I gave the main melody to the bass and then tried to pass it around a fair bit to vary the texture. Then in the middle, Ross and I trade solos and build up into the reprise of the B melody back into the bass melody—sort of a backwards version of the beginning.

This video was made at the Next Stage Theater in Putney, VT on March 25, 2012 (the same day the tune was written).  We hope you enjoy it!

This week’s video is a beautiful tune written by Ross Martin, “Bitterroot.” This tune was written in Hailey, ID (in the Sun Valley area) after driving from Missoula, MY through the Bitterroot Mountains. When we arrived at the venue (the Ezra Pound Home, which is operated by the Sun Valley Arts Council) about 90 minutes or so before showtime, we asked each other how our tunes were coming along. Ross said something like, “I’m about to start writing mine.” And in what must have been about 30-45 minutes, this is what he had. I guess there’s nothing like necessity to facilitate inspiration! Or maybe it was just the beautiful drive.

This is the first tune we knew we had to record for our “Winter Harvest” CD, and it helped set the tone for the whole disc. This video was recorded at Down Home Guitars in Frankfort, IL (just outside of Chicago) on Oct 15, 2011. Enjoy!

Not much to say about this one. If you like banjo music, especially loud and fast banjo music, and you wonder how the banjo could be made to sound faster and louder, then this video might be for you. Recorded at the Ghost Ranch Bluegrass Camp with help from Eli West.

In January of 2012 I got to be part of something unique. Bassist Greg Garrison puts together a series in Denver called “Improvised Roots,” in which jazz musicians and bluegrass musicians meet with the commonality of improvisational ability, interest in roots music, and a good dose of courage. His lineup for the January shows included singer/guitarist Aoife O’Donovan, local sax giant John Gunther, myself, Matt Flinner on mandolin and banjo, and one of my musical heroes, Dave Douglas, on trumpet.
So the instrumentation for much of what we were going to play was to be bass, banjo, sax, trumpet and voice. Pretty weird ensemble. And I have to say I felt a little nervous being the only chordal instrument. I’d have to practice more ways of playing a Bb7#9 chord to try to keep things interesting. Not to mention I don’t play the banjo all that often these days, and I’m called upon to play with some stellar players and a guy who I consider to be one of the best and most creative jazz musicians alive today.
It turned out to be a very fruitful mix for two nights at the Dazzle Restaurant and Lounge. Aoife’s often deceptively complex yet memorable songs went nicely into Dave’s intricate arrangements and virtuosic solos from him and John. And Greg tied the whole thing together with his tune, “Not Sure What That Is.” We figured out how to blend as an ensemble and in the end I think we achieved that ultimate goal of making the whole greater than the sum of its parts. And it was an absolute thrill ride. Thanks to Greg, Dave, Aoife and John for all the inspiration I walked away with.

When you’re in an instrumental group that plays mostly original material, you’ve got to go back to your roots from time to time to establish that connection with your past and remind everyone where all this music really comes from. Bill Monroe was the Father of Bluegrass Music, and wrote a lot of classic songs like “Blue Moon of Kentucky,” “Uncle Pen” and “I’m Going Back to Old Kentucky.” He also wrote many many classic instrumentals such as “Rawhide,” “Big Mon” and this tune, “Wheel Hoss.” When we go back to our roots, Bill Monroe is certainly one of the places we go first.

This tune was recorded during our 100th “Music du Jour” show at the Chautauqua Community House in Boulder, CO on April 28, 2012.

This is one of our favorite older tunes to play.  It is generally credited to Willie Narmour, and is named after his home county of Carroll County, Mississippi.  If you want to go back and listen to his original 1929 recording, click here.  Ross got this tune from a Doc Watson and Clarence Ashley recording, and I learned it from a Mike Compton recording with the Nashville Bluegrass Band.  There are many versions out there, from Gid Tanner to Fiddlin’ Doc Roberts to Larry Sparks to Chet Atkins, and they all vary quite a bit in form.  As is the case with many older tunes, it has evolved somewhat since its original version.

This was recorded at one of our favorite venues, Village Concerts in Palmyra, VA, on Nov 7, 2010.  Polly King’s place is a warm, intimate and welcoming setting that always makes us and the audience feel good.  Thanks Polly!

This week’s video features a few of our favorite musicians: Cahalen Morrison, Eli West and Ryan Drickey playing Norman Blake’s “Church Street Blues” with the Matt Flinner Trio.  Cahalen and Eli are a great modern old-time duo, and their “Holy Coming of the Storm” CD is a must-have.  And Ryan Drickey is a fiddler with a keen sense of adventure; he’s a classically trained player who has become a master of old-time fiddling (one of very few to make that leap convincingly).  Anyway, we’re big fans of these guys and were excited to get to play with them on our High Street Concerts show in Lyons, CO on January 22, 2011.  Watch for Cahalen & Eli’s “Our Lady of the Tall Trees,” coming soon (and produced by Matt Flinner!).