I walked away from the conversation in possession of a brand new Elliott Elite Capo for my guitar.

I owned one of the original Elliott push buttons for years, until it disappeared at a gig several months ago. I’d been laboring along with a standard, spring-loaded, clamp style capo until now. What a joy it is to once again have an Elliott capo on my Collings!

And this new Elliott Elite is even better than the original. The Elite design is so slender it doesn’t get in the way at all. This capo really is smaller than the previous model I had, which was smaller than the standard variety spring-clamp capo. This sleek design really serves to keep the capo out of the way of your left hand as you play.

The Elite also features a longer saddle (leather padded), which makes it easier to keep the capo centered on the instrument neck. And of course, the patented Elliot push button design.

Speaking of design, these capos are finely crafted and even though it’s a small piece of hardware, you can sure feel the quality of the craftsmanship when you hold it in your hand. The screw mechanism is smooth, nothing seems loose, but neither is it overly tight. The push button is perfect, easy to use, yet secure enough that you have no fear of it coming unlatched during use.

The real advantage of this sort of capo lies in the thumb screw. As opposed to a spring-clamp sort of capo, the thumb screw allows the player to adjust the capo to have exactly the correct amount of tension on the strings. Not over clamping, allows for a very transparent sound which doesn’t adversely affect tuning the way a spring operated capo does.

If you are looking for the best capo, look no further. The price tag is serious at $160, but if you’re serious about your music, you can’t afford to use anything less.

The guitar version comes in the following standard neck widths: 1 11/16″, 1 3/4″, 1 13/16″, and 1 7/8″. If you need something special for a different neck width, give Phil a call and he’ll take care of you.

For the banjo, you have the options of a B capo or a C capo.

I took a few photos of the capo to share with you. I hope these give you a sense of the capo’s size and craftsmanship.

She was in attendance with her husband, Terry Baucom, and sent us this report.

“Terry was an instructor, along with Tom Adams, Mike Scott, Jim Rollins and Bill Emerson. Josh Goforth worked with the old time players on clawhammer and Tom McKinney was on hand for banjo set-up. There were over 50 participants this year.

A Faculty Concert was held on Friday evening, where I was honored to join the instructors as bass player and tenor singer, as Tom Adams played guitar and sang lead and Terry baritone. That was a lot of fun and was followed by a big jam session with the students. On Saturday night, Bill Emerson & The Sweet Dixie Band performed.”

The event must have gone well, as event producer Rod Johnston has already made plans to do it again in November, 2010.

The company is the brainchild of Ken Caulkins, who has modified the concept of the player piano for a variety of other stringed instruments and percussion. He has also created full-sized MIDI music boxes with actual instruments that perform upon command.

Ken is obviously a bluegrass fan, as he offers several versions of his automated music players in a Bluegrass Special line. The lovely conversation starter pictured above is his Grade 3 model, complete with banjo, guitar and bass, selling for $37,950 in cherry.

Here’s a look at one in action.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Hollender forwarded me the following video, which gives a great look at his robot banjo in operation, this time in clawhammer style.

What do you get for the bluegrass picker who has everything? You can see more and get full details on these fascinating machines at www.ragtimewest.com.

If you are interested in old instruments and the stories behind them, you’ll want to give this a look.

Or you may find sidemen touring together while their primary musical employers are taking some time off for the holidays. There are two such mini-tours for the end of 2009 that should be of interest to bluegrass and acoustic music fans.

First up, The Nedski-Mojo Show, which began this past weekend, and continues through next week. It features banjo picker Ned Luberecki, who performs with both Chris Jones and Larry Cordle, and guitarist Stephen Mougin, who works with Sam Bush. Both are superb musicians and singers, and Ned could easily hold forth for half the show as a stand up comedian.

They have a string of concerts and workshops along the east coast leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday and you can be sure to catch a highly entertaining and musically challenging program if they stop near you. A full list of dates can be found on Facebook.

Then in December, mandolinists Adam Steffey and Kym Warner will tour together briefly in Virginia and Maryland, billed as Mandolin Sessions.

Steffey may be the most prominent bluegrass mando man in the biz these days. He has been named Mandolin Player of the Year six times by the IBMA, and his current CD and DVD releases are hits with the public. Most folks first came to know his music when he was a member of Alison Krauss & Union Station, and he has toured since with Mountain Heart and now, Dan Tyminski.

Warner is a founding member of The Greencards, a fascinating, genre-bending outfit of acoustic musicians who formed in the US, though none were native born. Kym hails from Australia, but lives now in Nashville.

You can find information about the Mandolin Sessions dates at Mandolin Cafe.

Shelton was diagnosed with leukemia, which at age 73, is an awfully serious bit of news. He had been receiving chemo and other treatment at the Centennial Medical Center in Nashville, and was released this past Friday (11/13).

Here is the report we received from Allen’s daughter in law, via Fred Robbins:

“He still has a way to go on his recovery, but the doctor told them (him and Mrs. Shelton) that as long as they are very careful (wearing masks, gloves, and limited visitors) he could recover at home.  They were thrilled to get out of that hospital room.”

That’s wonderful news for Allen’s many friends and admirers of his tremendous contribution to the world of 5 string banjo.

The result with Michael Lawrence is Bach and Friends, due for DVD release early in 2010. The film looks at the timeless music of Johann Sebastian Bach through the eyes of 21st century musicians in a variety of genres. Lawrence has made a dozen or more documentaries, many focused on musical topics and personalities.

Mike told us that this Bach film began as a small project, but starting with his connections in the bluegrass world, has grown to include interviews and performances from some of the biggest names in contemporary music. Bach and Friends features several names familiar to bluegrass fans (Chris Thile, Béla Fleck and Edgar Meyer), along with jazz singer Bobby McFerrin and classical notables Joshua Bell, Sharon Isbin, Glenn Gould and The Emerson String Quartet.

“The whole idea of the movie is to bring young people – and people who aren’t familiar with Bach – to learn more about him. The project started with just an idea and my savings, and I had no idea there would be so many luminaries in the movie.

I spent about a year producing from the second floor of my house, and I just started contacting people, and they said yes.”

Lawrence runs a one-man operation (Michael Lawrence Films) and came to classical music from a bluegrass background. He played banjo as a young man, and with no options to study banjo in college such as there are today, he gravitated to guitar. He was a member of the very first graduating class at The Peabody Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Aaron Shearer, and performed as a classical guitarist.

Film scoring and original music for films was Michael’s introduction to the world of the cinema. He provided music for more than a dozen projects, most notably The Other Americans, which won numerous Emmy Awards in 1969. Lawrence soon found his place behind the camera, and as writer, producer or director, has more than 20 films to his credit, aired on PBS, HBO and CNN.

After a career close to classical music, it was his bluegrass roots that got the Bach Project off the ground.

“Béla was the first big name person who came aboard, which led to Edgar Meyer and Chris Thile. I knew of Chris from Nickel Creek, but had no idea he played Bach.”

Click here to view the embedded video.

Though he expects that Bach and Friends will eventually be broadcast on television, the first step is producing a 2 hour documentary on DVD. Lawrence said that the DVD is due for release in January 2010 – a 2 DVD set to include the documentary on one disc, and all of the musical performances strung back-to-back on the other.

Here’s a look at Béla’s contribution…

Click here to view the embedded video.

More video samples can be found on Lawrence’s web site.

Michael said that while his professional career now revolves around film and classical music, he still keeps up his bluegrass chops.

“I play bluegrass about once a month at a jam here in Baltimore – so I’m usually a little rusty, but it’s always fun.”

The music of JS Bach has had appeal to banjo and mandolin players for some time, with its focus on linear melodies that can be adapted well to these instruments. Hearing Bach perfomed on the harpsichord (for which much of it was written) really brings the banjo to mind, and perhaps this new film will spur a study of this lovely music by younger string players with a bluegrass bent.

If you’ve ever wanted to be a music video producer, now’s your chance. Steve wants a music video for his tune Wally on the Run, so he’s holding a contest. You can create your own video to his song and enter to win $1000.

Since the song was written about Steve’s dog Wally, the video must contain one, or more, dogs. You can visit the contest page at DailyMotion.com for more details, and to watch some of the current entries. You’ll also find a link there to a page on Steve’s site where the track Wally on the Run may be downloaded for free during the contest timeframe.

The contest ends December 1, 2009, when Steve will choose the winner. 1st place will receive a cash prize of $1000, and presumably some promotion as the winner. 2nd place will receive $0.99.

Below is a short video from Steve explaining the contest.

It’s called The Banjo Guru, and is a group blog written by a trio of experts: Mark Bramlett, John Drummond and Greg Earnest. Bramlett is the general manager of Banjo.com’s retail operation, Earnest is an Atlanta-based picker and banjo teacher with a knowledge of pre war banjos, and Drummond is the owner on Banjo.com, and a fine picker himself.

All three share their thoughts and experience in the banjo world with regular postings online at www.thebanjoguru.com.

Brown has never limited herself to a single type of music. As banjo player with Alison Krauss & Union Station in the late 1980s, she showed that she had a distinctive voice on her instrument, and much of her music since has focused on melodic, jazz and jazz-inflected original compositions.

The band includes her husband Garry West on bass, John Burr on piano, and Larry Atamanuik on drums.

Their complete 27 minute set can be streamed online.

This particular video features Doug McKelway interviewing John McEueun, who was instrumental in the production of Steve Martin’s newest CD, The Crow.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced that Steve Martin will co-host this year’s (82nd) Academy Awards (otherwise known as the Oscars).

Martin has been getting a lot of press recently for his banjo playing. He was involved with the 2009 IBMA Awards Show in Nashville, performing with the Steep Canyon Rangers. He has also performed on the most prominent of TV’s late night talk shows.

It is unclear at this point if Steve will break out his banjo at the Academy Awards, but his co-host Alec Baldwin is certainly feeling the pressure.

“I don’t play the banjo but I’m thrilled to be hosting the Oscars – it’s the opportunity of a lifetime,” said Baldwin.

The announcement on the Academy’s website includes the following in their brief bio about Steve.

He is currently touring with the bluegrass band Steep Canyon Rangers in support of his latest album “The Crow:  New Songs for the Five String Banjo.”

Perhaps Steve should receive an official appointment as a bluegrass ambassador?

Mazer describes it as follows:

“Description: Deering 5-string banjo, GDL model, walnut neck and resonator. The word “Mazertone” is inlaid at the 21st fret.

The banjo is in a worn Deering case with some stickers on it. The case handle has been replaced with bungee cords.

Reward offered for safe return – no questions asked! Please call Dan Mazer at 202-489-3028.”

Long-time bluegrass fans know Allen for his banjo playing with Jim Eanes and Jim & Jesse. He always played with a driving sound, but also developed a distinctive, jazz-inflected swing style which formed the perfect accompaniment to the more country flavored music of Eanes and the McReynolds. Shelton also recorded a number of classic banjo albums under his name, and was known for his use of a dobro-banjo in the later years of Jim & Jesse’s touring days.

As much as his immediately-recognizable banjo sound, Allen was known for his huge smile and his warm, friendly manner.

Fred passes along this update from Allen’s daughter-in-law:

“We had hoped he was coming home [Saturday Oct 31], but now it looks like it will be next week. We’ve spent [Friday] helping Mrs. Shelton get the house ready for his arrival. He is feeling pretty good, the Dr. just wants some of his numbers to increase before he lets him go home.”

Wonderful news!

Here’s a video from 1988 of Shelton playing one of his most popular tunes, Bending The Strings.

Thanks largely to a big surge of votes following a previous post on The Bluegrass Blog, banjo picker Cluny Macpherson from Victoria, BC made it to the 3rd and final round of a contest to win up to a $100,000 college scholarship. The Class Act Canada contest will award 10 deserving students from around the world with an all-expenses-paid education at Sprott-Shaw Community College in British Columbia, Canada. Voting ends this coming Friday, and the judges will select 10 winners (out of 20 finalists) based on the merit of contestants’ video entries as well as their ability to earn votes.

Cluny intends to work in the field of geriatric nursing. His video entries have displayed some nice banjo chops while also speaking of his desire to make a difference in the community by serving elderly residents.

If you get a chance, please visit Class Act Canada to see Cluny’s new video. According to the contest rules, each IP address can vote 10 times in a row each day. No personal information is required, and just takes seconds to vote–Cluny mentioned that after the first post about this in the Bluegrass Blog, he jumped up 10,000 votes that very day. Competition is tight, and he’s currently around #18 out of 20. But with a few more days of clicking, we can help a great banjo player reach his very commendable educational and professional goals.

Remember, you can vote 10 times in a row each day. Thank you!

In 2009, Béla Fleck’s name is familiar to music lovers all over the world, both in and out of bluegrass. In 1978, however, he was a teenaged phenom, just coming to the attention of… well, anybody not following the minutia of banjomania.

For most folks, even those who had heard rumblings of this mega-talented youngster from “up north”, Tasty Licks’ self-titled debut on Rounder was their first taste of Béla’s burgeoning banjo revolution.

When this album first hit on LP, the “names’ on the album were mandolinist Jack Tottle and resonator guitarist, Stacy Phillips, both of whom had prior Rounder projects and popular instructional books on the market. Though Tottle and Phillips have gone on to make lasting contributions to our music, this reissue’s import is now focused on its glimpse of the young Béla Fleck.

Rounding out the group were Robin Kincaid on guitar and Paul Kahn on bass. This album was billed as “Northern bluegrass” when it was released in ‘78, as the band was based in Boston, MA, at a time when this was worthy of note on its own. Bobby Hicks also provides fiddle on two tracks.

Butch Robins has a hard-earned reputation as a raconteur, envelope-pusher and controversialist. He is also, of course, a banjo innovator whose impact might have rivaled that of Fleck, had his music been more widely heard. Butch spent many formative years playing with Bill Monroe, an apprenticeship that informs his approach to music, none less than Monroe’s constant admonition to “make your own sound.”

Fragments Of My Imagicnation offers a fascinating look at Butch as he is transitioning from a more traditional Scruggs-style player to the sort of inventive, groundbreaking picker that fully emerged on his later releases Forty Years Late and Grounded, Centered, Focused.

On Fragments he was joined by then New Grass Revival members Curtis Burch, John Cowan and Sam Bush, plus a second banjo cameo from Béla himself. Butch had played bass briefly when New Grass was starting up. Can you imagine where they would have gone had he been the banjo picker from the start?

Both of these reissues are being offered as digital downloads in iTunes, with audio CDs available exclusively from Amazon.com.

• Tasty Licks – iTunes Amazon.com
• Fragments Of My Imagicnation – iTunes Amazon.com

Wernick has long been known as a pioneer in bluegrass banjo instruction. His beginner book, Bluegrass Banjo, has sold better than 200,000 copies and his many instructional DVDs are also popular items. He was also a member of Hot Rize, a festival phenomenon in the 1990s who still performs reunion shows. Pete performs these days with Flexigrass, and as a duo with his wife, Joan.

His 25th Anniversary Winter Banjo Camps will be held in January 2010 at The Boulder Inn (Best Western).

• January 4-9: Basic Skills Banjo Camp
• January 11-16: Intermediate Banjo Camp
• January 18-23: Advanced Banjo Camp

Full details about these camps, including how skill levels are determined, can be found at www.drbanjo.com.

These brief comments came to Fred from Allen’s daughter-in-law:

“Just wanted you to know that he has had several good days. We’re hoping he may get to come home soon.

My family got to go and visit today. He seems to be doing much better. He received many cards over the weekend and today and he wanted me to let everyone know how much he has enjoyed them.”

Cards can be sent to:

Allen Shelton
Centennial Medical Center
Room 3306
2410 Patterson St.
Nashville, TN 37023

There is a comment thread on The Banjo Hangout where fans have left messages, which the Shelton family is following.

During the month of October only, you can order any Colorado Case Company branded soft case, case cover or rigid case in pink.

We will then donate 25% of the base case price to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. This money will be used to help find a cure for breast cancer through increased research and awareness.

In addition to this gorgeous pink color, we will be embroidering a pink ribbon on each case at no extra charge.

This offer is only valid through the end of October 2009. Full details online.

This particular video features Doug McKelway interviewing Jens Koch and Cia Cherryholmes.

Click here to view the embedded video.