(above) The Watchung Arts Center proudly presents Tony Trischka on Saturday, January 18 at 8 p.m.
The Great Banjo Virtuoso, at Watchung Arts Center – January 18th
The Watchung Arts Center proudly presents Tony Trischka, the man who made the banjo bigger, jazzier and more worldly! Some musicians open up whole new realms. In the world of the banjo, the music that marked the change came from Tony. Up out of bluegrass and country and then all over. To roots in Africa. To heights of jazz. Banjo, unbound. Trischka set it free. Embracing all manner of possibilities, while keeping one foot firmly planted in the traditional bluegrass roots that first inspired him to make music. The performance will be on Saturday, January 18, 2020, at 8 p.m. and is followed by a dessert reception and an opportunity to meet Mr. Trischka.
Now 70, Tony Trischka has over the past half-century garnered a reputation as one of the most influential figures in roots music. “[I]n fiddle- and fret-conscious circles from Nashville to Groton, Mass.,” the New York Times wrote in 2006, “[Trischka] is known as the father of modern bluegrass.” As a banjoist he set new standards for genre-bending virtuosity, inspiring legions of younger players, among them Béla Fleck. Through his tireless efforts as an educator and such divergent projects as his collaborations with his friend and fellow banjoist Steve Martin, he’s helped to elevate and transform his chosen instrument’s profile within American culture. His forthcoming album, This Favored Land, is a visionary exploration of Civil War history featuring an all-star cast.
Born in 1949 in Syracuse and raised in a home filled with music, he fell in love with the banjo through the Kingston Trio’s 1963 recording of “M.T.A.” Trischka moved to New York City in the early ’70s and released his landmark solo debut, Bluegrass Light, on the Rounder label in 1974, synthesizing everything from bluegrass and country to psychedelic pop, modal and free jazz and fusion. Many other milestone albums followed, including 1983’s A Robot Plane Flies Over Arkansas, which refined the eclecticism of Bluegrass Light; and 1993’s World Turning, a global history of the banjo that ignited Marc Fields’ comprehensive 2011 documentary, Give Me the Banjo, which Steve Martin narrated and for which Trischka acted as musical director and co-producer.
Trischka’s Grammy-nominated album Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular, released in 2007, and Great Big World, from 2014, feature Martin within a mix of veterans and up-and-coming luminaries. He produced Martin’s Grammy-nominated Rounder album from 2011, Rare Bird Alert, which touts performances by the Steep Canyon Rangers, Paul McCartney and the Dixie Chicks. Through his theme song for Books on the Air and performances on A Prairie Home Companion, Mountain Stage, From Our Front Porch and other programs, Trischka has been a frequent presence on NPR. In addition to his Grammy nominations, he’s earned a number of honors, including the International Bluegrass Music Award for Banjo Player of the Year, 2007. In 2012 he was named a United States Artists Friends Fellow.
Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 ($22 WAC members) at the door, or online at watchungartscenter.eventbrite.com, or in person at the Watchung Arts Center office or by mail. Include an email address or phone number with mail orders.
The Watchung Arts Center, located at 18 Stirling Road in Watchung on the Watchung Circle, is a multi-disciplinary arts facility serving Watchung, the surrounding communities and the Tri-State Area. To obtain more information about upcoming performances, classes and workshops, and monthly art exhibitions, please visit WatchungArts.org or call 908-753-0190.
