[Dixielandjazz] New Respect For Banjoists

[Stephen G Barbone]

Banjo players often are the butt of jokes. Here's a review from the  
Oklahoma City paper about a Wachter concert with the Philharmonic in  
rebuttal..

Cheers,
Steve Barbone
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband



CONCERT REVIEW: Virtuoso proves banjo can hold its own with Orchestra.

The Oklahoma City Philharmonic recently brought to a close its 2007-8  
pops series with a concert that introduced banjo virtuoso Buddy  
Wachter. I admit to being rather skeptical about the idea of  
integrating an instrument more identified with bluegrass and Dixieland  
into the orchestra. But with his combination of musical prowess and  
engaging personality, Wachter won me over along with the rest of the  
audience.
Irv Wagner led the orchestra in an eclectic mix of orchestral  
features, from Broadway ("Magic to Do” from "Pippin”) to The Beatles  
("Hey, Jude”). Martha Burger, a Chesapeake Energy Corp. executive, won  
the opportunity to conduct the orchestra (through a "Be the Maestro”  
fundraiser) in E.E. Bagley's stirring march "National Emblem.”

A first-half highlight featured "Hey, Jude” as it might have sounded  
as written by Johann Sebastian Bach (a resonant chorale), Johann  
Strauss (a Viennese waltz), Franz Joseph Haydn(imitating his  
"Surprise” symphony) and in Dixieland style (a jazzyBourbon Street  
treatment).

For those who only identify the banjo with the theme from television's  
"TheBeverly Hillbillies” or the raucous duet from the movie  
"Deliverance,”Wachter demonstrated that this instrument is capable of  
far greater range and tonal variety.

In Pablo de Sarasate's "Ziegeunerweisen,” Wachter reduced the banjo's  
volume to much quieter levels in an extended passage that evoked the  
sound of a Russian balalaika. The piece then segued intoJohannes  
Brahms' "Hungarian Dances,” with high-spirited displays that deftly  
captured Eastern Europe's gypsy nature.

Many in the audience had no idea what was to follow when Wachter  
introduced another selection: a hit number from a Broadway show called  
"Away We Go.” That was the musical's name before it was changed to  
"Oklahoma!” What a surprise to hear Wachter play it in such infectious  
fashion.

Wachter demonstrated some complex dexterity in a medley from "Fiddler  
on the Roof,” ranging from the rousing "Tradition” and "To Life” to  
the wistful "Far From the Home I Love” and "Sunrise, Sunset.”

"This is a proud night for the banjo in Oklahoma City,” Wachter said  
at one point. The longer he played, the more convinced audience  
members became. A Stephen Foster medley sampled the sounds of the Old  
South with numbers such as "Camptown Races,” "Swanee River” and "Oh,  
Susannah.”

A George M. Cohan medley, in turn, spotlighted such patriotic gems as  
"It's a Grand Old Flag,” "Over There” and "Yankee Doodle Dandy.”  
Wachter, accompanied by piano, bass, drums, trumpet and trombone, then  
created a joyous foot-tapping delight in Abreu's Latin-flavored "Tico  
Tico.”

Wachter again refuted the notion that a banjo can only sound tinny and  
raucous in Jay Ungar's delightfully poignant "Ashokan Farewell.” The  
soloist then brought the audience to its feet in rousing renditions of  
"The Stars and Stripes Forever” and "Tiger Rag.”

While the banjo may never completely shed its associations with  
Dixieland and bluegrass, thanks to Wachter's tireless efforts, it may  
deserve a reassessment. At the very least, the banjo is likely to earn  
a legion of new fans.

— Rick Rogers