[Dixielandjazz] Banjo, historically African?

[Steve Barbone]

Funny how some designate the banjo as a "white" instrument. The below
history is an excerpt is from:

http://www.classicbanjo.com/history.html

start snip - - -

"Universally acknowledged to be a descendent of instruments brought to
America by African slaves, the banjo was primarily associated with that
culture until approximately 1840. It was at this point in history that
minstrelsy took the nation by storm, with white musicians dressing up in
blackface and often oversized clothes, caricaturing black life and music.
Minstrel shows usually had a banjo player (in addition to fiddle, tambourine
and bones), whose approach to the instrument was usually to strum the
strings with the nails of the right hand using a sharp downward motion,
creating a somewhat wild, violent sound. This style of banjo playing was
referred to as stroke style; and was similar to how slaves are believed to
have been playing at the time."

end snip - - -

Just like jazz? Blacks start it and whites popularize it? ;-) VBG.

Lets also not forget that James Reese Europe had an "Society" orchestra in
1913 and 1914 that included 5 banjo-mandolins, one of which was probably
Noble Sissle. The rest of the group was Cricket Smith, cornet; Edgar Campbel
Clarinet; Tracy Cooper, George Smith and Walter Scott, violins; Leonard
Smith and Ford Dabney, piano.

And before that, (1912?) his Clef Club orchestra, 105 pieces at Carnegie
Hall (some believe this was the first jazz band at Carnegie) contained at
least 20 banjos and or mandolins.

Perhaps we need to explain this bit of banjo history at gigs? :-) VBG.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone