This report on the European Bluegrass Summit held recently in Germany 2/7-8), is a contribution from Richard Hawkins, IBMA International Committee chair and proprietor of The Bluegrass Ireland Blog.

As a direct result of the success of IBMA’s International Summit at World of Bluegrass 2008, a group of those who had attended decided to organize a similar event in Europe, with the following objectives:

• To provide an opportunity for a wide audience of up to forty participants to meet face to face, bond, and get to know each other;
• To highlight issues affecting the promotion of bluegrass music in Europe;
• To explore issues facing different countries and different cultures; and
• To encourage closer cooperation and more effective communication.

The organising group included British Bluegrass Music Association chair John Wirtz, Scottish Bluegrass Association secretary John Sheldon, IBMA International Board representative Rienk Janssen, and IBMA International Committee chair Richard Hawkins.

B?ºhl/Baden, in southern Germany, was chosen as the location. B?ºhl city council gives generous support every year to the B?ºhl International Bluegrass Festival, and through the invaluable help of Walter Fuchs, the festival organizer, the city placed first-rate facilities, free of charge, at the disposal of the Summit. Further support was received from IBMA, making it possible to bring in Fred Bartenstein as a professional facilitator.

Despite unexpected emergencies including severe weather across Europe, twenty-eight people from thirteen countries, ranging from Russia to Ireland, came at their own expense to take active part in the Summit, which the mayor of B?ºhl opened with an address of welcome. In two days of intense discussion (7‚Äì8 February 2009), participants identified issues of chief concern:

• The involvement of young people in bluegrass;
• The development of effective contacts through internet-based networking, a booking network, and an annual trade conference;
• Fund-raising, lobbying, and marketing on a continental scale;
• The use and significance of the term ‘European World of Bluegrass’;
• The organization of regions without effective local bluegrass associations; and
• The value of coordinating pan-European bluegrass efforts within a single organization.

Volunteer working groups were set up under conveners for further study of the first four of these issues. At 4.00 p.m. on Sunday 8 February, proceedings ended with the listing of consequential tasks, including the completion of comprehensive minutes.

As had happened at the Nashville Summit, contacts outside the formal proceedings were equally important in fostering a spirit of friendship and common purpose ‚Äì aided by the excellent food, drink, and ambiance of B?ºhl. There was full agreement that the European Summit had been successful in laying foundations for further constructive cooperation.

An account of the Summit by Walter Fuchs (in German) can be read here, and reports in the local German press can be read here.

Fred Bartenstein, long time bluegrass radio personality, historian and photographer, is offering several hundred vinyl LPs from his extensive collection for sale online.

These include both bluegrass and traditional country albums, many of them iconic releases and some not available on CD.

Prominent titles that caught my eye include Pickin’ and Fiddlin’ from The Dillards and Byron Berline, Ragged But Right from The Greenbriar Boys, and Bluegrass Favorites On College And Campus from Hylo Brown.

The entire catalog can be viewed online.

Banks of the Ohio: Music from the Homeplace of Bluegrass, the weekly syndicated radio broadcast produced by the International Bluegrass Music Museum in Owensboro, KY, has announced a new host.

George McKnight will take over the duties from founding host Fred Bartenstein effective November 29. George has a long history in both bluegrass music and commercial radio, serving as stage emcee on numerous festivals each year near his home in British Columbia, and has hosted the syndicated radio program Uptown Bluegrass since 1982.

Banks of the Ohio runs three hours each week, broken into 30 minute segments that focus on music from different periods in the brief history of bluegrass music. Their mission is to both educate and entertain, offering historical background to the songs and artists, geared to long-time fans and new listeners alike.

Bartenstein welcomes McKnight as he prepares to dedicate his time to other museum work.

“I am pleased and excited about George McKnight taking over the program, as I turn my attention to other projects at the International Bluegrass Music Museum.  I hope you get a chance to tune in to my farewell show, airing the week of November 22, and to George’s maiden voyage the following week.”

Fred tells us that he has plenty on his plate moving forward…

“I’m already working with the International Bluegrass Music Museum on planning for the Bill Monroe Centennial in 2011, and also expect to be helping them with editing video oral histories of bluegrass pioneers. I will continue to be the facilitator for IBMA’s Leadership Bluegrass program. I’m participating in the Bluegrass Hotel project, celebrating the 40th anniversary of events in Kentucky which revitalized both traditional bluegrass and initiated newgrass.

In early 2009, I will be facilitating an all-Europe bluegrass music summit in Germany. All those projects are in the context of my ongoing organizational consulting practice, which goes beyond the music industry.”

We just received a note from Fred Bartenstein, sharing the sad news about the loss of a true pioneer of bluegrass music in Japan. Tatsuo “Harry” Arita is said to have brought the first Japanese bluegrass record to the United States in 1960, and Fred tells us that Harry was a loyal and regular contributor to BluegrassCountry.org.

Here is a note that was sent by Sab Watanabe (Saburo Inoue) from B.O.M. Service and Moonshiner Magazine in Japan.

Hello Bluegrass friends,

I just got the sad news that Japanese Bluegrass pioneer, Tatsuo Arita passed away today while he was tour-cruising in the Mediterranean. He was 77 years old, I believe.

He was not a musician but Mr. Arita was a key person who created the first bluegrass-like band East Mountain Boys on Oct. 17, 1958. Mr. Arita was a rare person who knows what the bluegrass band should be at that time and encouraged Don Sano to play banjo and the Ozaki Brothers to play bluegrass style mandolin and guitar.

In 1961, while he was staying at New York he heard the loudspeaker of a car announcing that a bluegrass show was in town so he went there and met David Freeman of County Records. Oh, the car was owned by Stanley Brothers. Mr. Arita and Mr. Freeman quickly became friends and they went to Bluegrass Day on July 4th at Luray Virginia, one the first ever all-bluegrass concerts produced by Bill Clifton.

Mr. Arita along with Ozaki Brothers is in IBMM Video Oral History Project which I think our Japanese will treasure forever!! Thanks to Fred Bartenstein and IBMM.

Personally, I fell in love with bluegrass when I heard a single EP record which Mr. Arita loaned to my brother Toshio in the early 60’s, Flatt and Scruggs’ Old Home Town. Since the day I heard it, my life changed forever.

Mr. Arita was behind the Japanese bluegrass scene since its heyday of the 60’s, so not many people know him. However the people who was inspired by his love of music will never forget what he gave me and us… to Japanese people, the bluegrass music.

Sab