Banjo Diary: Lessons from Tradition

It's easy to connect with author and banjoist Wade's love of American folk music. It radiates from his book, The Beautiful Music All Around Us (also reviewed in this issue, p89), and in the photos of Wade in the liner notes as a young man sporting Jewfro hair in the early 70s, doting on some of the traditional musicians from whom he was in the process of learning the 18 tunes presented here. As is also the case with the book, it's a bit hard to make out Wade's intentions with this musical legacy. He's assembled a group of (presumably) contemporary musicians to back him in exploring banjo styles, but the Grammynominated liner notes, which read like an appendix to the book, are less than clear in comparing and contrasting the styles. Furthermore, the arrangements, for which no specific credit is given, don't always adequately showcase Wade's banjo, and veer towards a contemporary ‘designer folk’ approach, which tends to overwrite the old-time roots of most of the material. For some reason Wade's playing is occasionally off-tune and off-rhythm on the opening tracks, but it improves in later tracks, particularly ‘Santa Anna's Retreat’ and the ‘Under the Double Eagle’ march. But Wade isn't much of a singer, affecting an airy style that doesn't bear the lyrics well. The generally able ensemble is particularly impressive on a pair of rags.