Non-feuding banjos

Tenor and plectrum banjos showed up among some old-time bands of the 1920s and '30s; one of the most widely known bluegrass instrumentals was originally recorded as a 'feud' between a 4- and a 5-string banjo; and Dom Flemons played a 4-string banjo in the Carolina Chocolate Drops. A new combination is announced on the FOAOTMAD news blog - a collaboration between US players Mark Olitsky and Cary Moskowitz (above), on 5-string 'minstrel' banjo and 4-string plectrum banjo respectively.

Playing together at the Clifftop festival in West Virginia last summer, they decided to take it further and record a CD, Duets, which is expected to be ready for release this spring. If you're likely to want a copy, please let them know via this link. Their playing together (in the recording studio) can be sampled on a 5-minute YouTube video.

Possibly another ripple on the same wave - We Banjo 3 will be playing at the International Bluegrass Music Museum's ROMP festival in Owensboro, KY, this coming midsummer.