A Jazz Age 'Banjo Fling' April 3-6 in Mansfield
Ninety years ago, the Hit Parade was still in the future and Rock n’ Roll was the preferred method for removing a Model T from a pothole. But America’s preoccupation with jazz and popular music was already in full spin in a place called Tin Pan Alley –- where songwriters worked day and night to produce the latest hits.
Those days and the music they inspired will come to life again April 3-6 when the Early Spring Banjo Fling beckons hundreds of musicians and vintage music fans to the Mansfield Holiday Innin Mansfield, Ma.
From Irving Berlin to W.C. Handy, the songs of the early 20th Century “Jazz Age” will be revived by traditional jazz, Dixieland and early popular music ensembles and solo artists from across the U.S. Last year, the annual music festival hosted by Foxboro’s Stone Street Strummers Banjo Band attracted in excess of 2,000 musicians and music fans for four days of concerts, jam sessions and seminars.
This year’s 16th annual edition promises to be the biggest ever, says Strummers President Paul Poirier, with a cavalcade of international jazz professionals and hot amateur bands from across the Northeast. San Francisco touring banjoist, recording artist and cruise line entertainer Dave Marty heads a lineup of that includes Cynthia Sayer, a veteran of Woody Allen’s Dixieland band, and Holland’s Tom Stuip.
Featured artists also include Paul Doerner, Mike Hashem, Kurt and Dave, Jeff Grosser and Seekonk’s Steve Caddick.
The annual festival kicks off with a concert by the Stone Street Strummers with Marty as their special guest 7 p.m. Thursday, April 3, in the hotel’s Buckingham Ballroom, based on the music of the 1920s and 30s.
Friday, April 4 begins with a series of afternoon small band concerts in the Garden Court followed by a concert at 7 p.m. in the ballroom that will include music by Stuip, Dorner, Sayer, Doerner, Caddick and the Kurt and Dave duo.
Saturday afternoon will feature performances by amateur and professional bands prior to Marty’s featured concert 7:30 p.m. in the ballroom with opener Michael Nix. A Sunday morning gospel jam hosted by banjoist Tom Fee rounds out the weekend.
The weekend will also feature demonstrations of early music recording technology with a chance for musicians to make their own wax cylinder recordings.
All performances at the Early Spring Banjo Fling are free and open to the public. For additional information, visit the Stone Street Strummers web site at http://www.stonestreetstrummers.org/ or call 508-226-2986.
Those days and the music they inspired will come to life again April 3-6 when the Early Spring Banjo Fling beckons hundreds of musicians and vintage music fans to the Mansfield Holiday Innin Mansfield, Ma.
From Irving Berlin to W.C. Handy, the songs of the early 20th Century “Jazz Age” will be revived by traditional jazz, Dixieland and early popular music ensembles and solo artists from across the U.S. Last year, the annual music festival hosted by Foxboro’s Stone Street Strummers Banjo Band attracted in excess of 2,000 musicians and music fans for four days of concerts, jam sessions and seminars.
This year’s 16th annual edition promises to be the biggest ever, says Strummers President Paul Poirier, with a cavalcade of international jazz professionals and hot amateur bands from across the Northeast. San Francisco touring banjoist, recording artist and cruise line entertainer Dave Marty heads a lineup of that includes Cynthia Sayer, a veteran of Woody Allen’s Dixieland band, and Holland’s Tom Stuip.
Featured artists also include Paul Doerner, Mike Hashem, Kurt and Dave, Jeff Grosser and Seekonk’s Steve Caddick.
The annual festival kicks off with a concert by the Stone Street Strummers with Marty as their special guest 7 p.m. Thursday, April 3, in the hotel’s Buckingham Ballroom, based on the music of the 1920s and 30s.
Friday, April 4 begins with a series of afternoon small band concerts in the Garden Court followed by a concert at 7 p.m. in the ballroom that will include music by Stuip, Dorner, Sayer, Doerner, Caddick and the Kurt and Dave duo.
Saturday afternoon will feature performances by amateur and professional bands prior to Marty’s featured concert 7:30 p.m. in the ballroom with opener Michael Nix. A Sunday morning gospel jam hosted by banjoist Tom Fee rounds out the weekend.
The weekend will also feature demonstrations of early music recording technology with a chance for musicians to make their own wax cylinder recordings.
All performances at the Early Spring Banjo Fling are free and open to the public. For additional information, visit the Stone Street Strummers web site at http://www.stonestreetstrummers.org/ or call 508-226-2986.
