Josh Shilling shot some video onstage during Mountain Heart’s show with Tony Rice and Terry Baucom on Friday night in Morganton, NC.

Josh snuck up on Tony while he was playing the extended intro to Manzanita, and shot through the whole tune with the band.

The video quality isn’t superb, but the vantage point is one we don’t often get to see – and Rice absolutely kills on this song.

You can find info on the other shows that Tony Rice and Mountain Heart are doing together this summer on the band’s web site.

If it seems like we are writing quite a bit about Steve Martin and his banjo CD, The Crow, quite a bit of late, it’s only because the wider entertainment media is as well. Of course we’ll always cover what’s happening in and around the bluegrass world, and it certainly is a pleasant situation to note how often Martin and his banjo get noticed by the press – even if it’s only partly for his music.

Saturday’s (5/30) edition of The Wall Street Journal contains an interview and concert review of Steve Martin’s May 27 show at the Rubin Museum in New York City with Steep Canyon Rangers.

Martin may have fostered his image as a wild and crazy guy on Saturday Night Live, but he is in fact very serious and thoughtful artist, more given to caution and reflection than impulse and abandon, something that Jim Fusili notes in his WSJ piece:

Supported by the Steep Canyon Rangers, Mr. Martin whipped up rousing bluegrass breakdowns and a cute tune about a boy racing to get to school. But during the best parts of the evening, he offered thoughtful readings of his delicate compositions, which are supple, never morose and rich with unexpected minor chords. By playing with tender restraint, he suggested a counterpoint to his familiar comedic persona. Though his face often was knit with concentration, it also glowed on occasion with tranquility, as if he’d found moments in which he lost himself within his music when expressing its layered emotions.

Unsurprisingly, Martin’s show isn’t afraid to use himself as the butt of a joke, and with enough truth in the bit to ensure that it hits home.

Though he incorporated the banjo into his comedy act as far back as the mid-’60s and originally released five of his compositions that appear on "The Crow" in 1981, on his album "The Steve Martin Brothers," the 70-minute show here was only Mr. Martin’s second full-fledged concert as a banjoist; he played a fund-raiser at Club Nokia in Los Angeles on May 11. He’s considering a tour, but he told me he’d make a decision after the three-show stand here and two sets Saturday night at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. After the sales bump from "Idol," the concerts fall somewhere between a road test and a labor of love; as he told the audience at the Rubin Museum, "If everything sells out . . . I will only lose $12,000."

You can read the full Journal article online.

The Bluegrass Blog congratulates Steve Martin for the success of his musical endeavors, and hopes to see many more similar efforts. For a man who has had such a powerful impact on comedy, film and stage drama, he deserves kudos for stepping out where his exploits are less well known.

But then, we also knew that his love for the banjo would win out.

Their are links to a few other reviews of the New York shows on the Steep Canyon Rangers web site, including this terrific photo gallery from Ryan Muir.

Our beloved five string banjo is getting its props this week from the jazz world, with both the venerable Down Beat magazine and AllAboutJazz.com giving space to prominent banjo jazzers.

Down Beat has B?©la Fleck on the cover of its June issue, on newsstands now, with an article by Geoffrey Himes. The piece looks at Fleck’s busy touring and recording schedule, and how much pleasure he derives from his work.

As soon as he finished the Flecktones’ tour last winter, he recorded his new album with bassist Edgar Meyer and tabla player Zakir Hussain. Then he went back out on the road with the Sparrow Quartet, the chamber-music/old-time string band led by Fleck’s girlfriend, Abigail Washburn.

When that ended at the end of February, he went into rehearsal for his March/April tour with some of the African musicians on his new album, Throw Down Your Heart (Rounder). At the same time he had to prepare the theatrical release of the documentary film of the same name about his 2005 trip to Africa. In June and July, he will tour again with a different set of African musicians. In September and October, he’ll hit the road with Meyer and Hussain to support their album with shows as a trio and with local orchestras.

Having rattled off this schedule, Fleck seemed more tired than before. But when he talked about the prospect of playing with Hussain, Washburn and the South African singer Vusi Mahlasela, his weary grin spread wider. It was as if he couldn’t believe what he had gotten himself into but couldn’t wait to do it.

"There’s such pleasure in learning new music," he said. "I love busting my ass and feeling like I’ve got it. It’s hard for me to turn down the opportunities that come my way.

Look for the full piece in the print edition.

Canadian banjoist Jayme Stone is also featured in an interview this week at All About Jazz. He talks about how he retained his love for the banjo even as he became interested in performing as a jazz artist.

All About Jazz: What made you interested in jazz?

Jayme Stone: I love the spirit of invention, interaction and improvisation in jazz. Those qualities are something I try to bring to all of the music that I play and what I look for in other musicians. (more…)