Attractions

“She takes us into places where you’d never expect the banjo to be admitted and makes herself completely at home.” --Dick Hyman

Like many of my certain age, my early acquaintance with the banjo was limited to the theme song of the Beverly Hillbillies, the records of the Kingston Trio (and their contemporaries in 60s folk music) and, later, the soundtrack (“Dueling Banjos”) for Deliverance. But in the hands of jazz musicians from the earliest New Orleans and Dixieland bands to the swing era and beyond, the banjo has enjoyed a different level of virtuosity, if not ongoing popularity. One such musician who has helped fuel a resurgence of interest in jazz banjo is Cynthia Sayer, one of the world’s foremost practitioners of the plecturn or 4-string banjo. Her latest release, Attractions, featuring guitar master Bucky Pizzarelli, should further garner respect for one of America’s most enduring, if underappreciated, instruments.

The Banjo in American Music—A Quick Overview

While the banjo is often described as America’s only native instrument, even that distinction is dubious given the presence of similar instruments constructed from large gourds that likely made their way from Africa to the New World in the hands of slaves. A frequent medium of folk music among the underclass of early America (from plantations to back country Appalachia), the banjo rose in popularity following the Civil War and the era of traveling minstrels, gaining respectability as a “proper” source of Victorian parlor music by the turn of the century. No longer limited to the folk music of the poor, the banjo transformed the works of classical composers as well. Inevitably, the banjo became a staple of ragtime and early jazz bands. And as this new American music evolved, so did the banjo, its fifth string often removed, its natural fiber strings replaced with steel to give the banjo greater volume, the neck shortened to better support the new steel strings.

By the 1920s, the banjo reached what would be its peak in popularity as Americans enjoyed the “Jazz Age.” With the stock market crash and subsequent Depression, however, the banjo lost its appeal; big bands replaced banjos with guitars. A revival in folk music following World War II stimulated a renewed role for the banjo, as did the emergence of Bluegrass and, more recently, the appeal of Celtic and Irish music.

The role of the banjo in jazz extends back to the bands of King Oliver and Louis Armstrong, and guitar legends Eddie Lang and Django Reinhardt made their first recordings on the banjo, and even the early bands of Duke Ellington included banjoist Fred Guy. Today, we’re most likely to hear the banjo in ensembles that have resurrected the sounds of these New Orleans and swing-era bands, although artists such as Bela Fleck are pulling the banjo in other directions, including modern fusion.

Which brings us to Cynthia Sayer.

Cynthia Sayer and the 4-String Banjo

Cynthia Sayer

But how did this Ithaca College graduate in English and Drama become one of the world’s most acclaimed banjoists? Interested in a wide range of arts since early childhood, Cynthia first studied piano, but she and her siblings were exposed to a variety of musical influences. “We all played various instruments at one time or another, ranging from uke to bagpipes,” she notes, and today her sister plays harp (including an appearance on Attractions) and one brother is a trumpeter. “My mother is an amateur singer... involved in choral groups off and on since I was a kid…My father is hopelessly (according to my mother) tone deaf but loves it all.” In addition to piano, Cynthia studied viola and classical percussion, loved to sing, and taught herself to play guitar. Yet a career in music was not on her radar screen. “Music was just one of my several passions. I assumed I'd eventually get a ‘real job’ doing something I had yet to discover,” she recalls.

At age 13, Cynthia asked her parents for a drum set. Anticipating the noise of a teen drummer, her parents instead presented her with a banjo. Fully aware “that it was a bribe and I’d never get my drums… I thought, why not, I’ll check it out.” Although she continued to regard the piano as the instrument “for music,” in time, Cynthia found herself falling in love with jazz. “The banjo was becoming much more than a performance prop and a tool for a fun lifestyle in a fun profession…” Then she heard banjo legend Elmer Snowden’s recording of “Harlem Banjo.” “I was blown away. I never heard the banjo swing like that before, and with such integrity! It was simply great jazz. I saw the instrument in a whole new light…Though I already loved the sound of my instrument, that's when I started to really appreciate the banjo for what it was, and developed a true connection to its special sound.”

She was eyeing law school while finishing undergrad studies at Ithaca College, but now music seemed to offer Cynthia a realistic alternative. “It wasn't until age 26 that I finally figured out that it was OK to do something I love for my work! And that I was contributing to the world by playing music.” Banjo gigs came along—the stint with the Yankees; the beginning of what is now a fifteen-year association with Woody Allen after initially subbing in his band at Michael’s Pub. Yet despite these high profile affiliations and the popularity of banjoists such as Bela Fleck (who recently recorded a duo CD with Chick Corea), acceptance of the banjo in jazz is still illusory, though improving. “I still hear comments like ‘I don't generally like banjo yet I like your banjo playing’ often enough from jazz folks,” notes Cynthia. “Luckily, 20-somethings don't seem to have any preconceived ideas of the banjo. They lack that historic cliché reference point… [and] seem very open and welcoming of what it might do, in whatever context. I feel [acceptance] mostly comes from outside of the established jazz world. It's an exciting time for this instrument. Of course that's good news for a jazz banjo player like me!”

Good news for jazz fans like me is that Cynthia Sayer has never let the perceived novelty of her instrument impede her development and choice of projects, the most recent of which is the supremely delightful release, Attractions (Plunk Records).

Attractions

Cynthia Sayer

The “attractions” open on a swinging traditional note with Bechet’s “Viper Mad,” introduced via give and take between Robinson and trombonist Jim Fryer. Cynthia’s vocals give way to her first interaction with Pizzarelli, as the banjo takes on a sound similar to that of the hot club chamber groups that depended entirely on guitar. The brass section (Robinson, Sandke and Fryer) have a heyday and Greg Cohen’s acoustic bass groans like an ancient creaky door. Irving Berlin’s “Shakin’ the Blues Away”, in addition to a growly solo from Fryer, perfectly demonstrates Cynthia’s strength in taking an earlier generation’s style of swing and making us feel that we are hearing it for the first time. Also swinging from the rafters, on Django Reinhardt’s “Swing De Paris” Cynthia sets the banjo trembling as she manages to coax a full hot club sound from just one instrument. But of course she is not alone here, with the addition of violin and guitar, particularly some sonic trading with Pizzarelli and Sara Caswell’s beautiful tone in the violin’s upper register. (I would love to hear her play some Copeland!) A brief bass solo and masterful cymbal work from Joe Ascione wrap up an all-instrumental track.

There’s a bit of country in this set: Most blatant is Hank Williams’ “Half as Much,” as Cynthia’s banjo provides the comping for her vocals. More subtle is the spin given to Harburg and Arlen’s “Over the Rainbow,” where Sayer employs a more causal, more clipped phrasing in her vocals than one expects. Caswell’s lovely relaxed violin gives this a country feel, as if it really is coming from the wheat fields of Kansas. But then the arrangement morphs from bluegrass to swing as Cynthia picks up the banjo with Pizzarelli following on guitar, the pair engaging in conversationa smooth, academic clarity from emerging from guitar and a bouncy questioning from the banjo. One can easily imagine adding a harmonica to the interaction. The familiar “You Are My Sunshine” can’t help but have a bit of country tang, starting out as a voice and bass duet before Robinson adds a wailing sax solo. Sayer’s banjo solo is multilayered while her vocals again display unique phrasing, and the subsequent interweaving of banjo and tenor sax adds another layer of delight.

An interesting addition, “Aba Daba Honeymoon” (Fields and Donovan) features a popping banjo introduction and just a trace of absurdity conveyed in Cynthia’s straight singing of the silly lyrics. Pizzarelli shines with his finely incised lines and chords while Cohen’s basslines keep the pulse in sync with the comic storyline. Sayer conjures two banjos with ascending chords against the bassline counterpoint; Ascione takes a brief solo break, and one can’t help but imagine adding a tap dancer to the proceedings. Two tracks bring along a taste of tango: With Caswell’s violin and Cohen’s bass in rich support, Sayer’s own “Banjo Tango” begs to involve the likes of Yo Yo Ma. A more traditional tango, “El Choclo” (A.G. Villoldo) displays virtuoso banjoing over swaying basslines and guitar chords; Cohen’s bass solo is deliciously sinister.

The bassist also takes the spotlight on Tiny Grimes’ “Romance Without Finance,” supporting Sandke’s Armstrongish romp with some engaging harmonies. The ensemble is also highlighted on the traditional “Dark Eyes,” from Sayer to Pizzarelli to Cohen, with snippets of trumpet, clarinet and soprano sax (Robinson is busy), and a constant pulse from Ascione. Cynthia’s songwriting is the focus on “The Gift,” which includes some nifty hand percussion, wonderful lyrics (e.g., “dreams are little bits of sleep”), and Scott Robinson’s bari sax, which swings and swirls.

The final track brings the banjo into the very respectable world of classical music via gypsy roots, with a stunning solo arrangement of Liszt’s “Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2.” Surely as rhapsodic as the banjo can be, the dark reading creates a Balkan soundscape that evokes the traditional balalaika in a showcase of virtuosity in line, rhythm and harmony.

Overall, the vocals add some interest and of course the lyrics help give life to the stories in many of these songs. But it’s the banjo that truly engages the listener as well as the rest of the ensemble, and in the hands of Cynthia Sayer, the banjo has plenty to say on its own.

Cynthia Sayer’s Attractions is available from her website at www.cynthiasayer.com . Andrea Canter blogs on jazz and more at www.jazzink.blogspot.com. See November 29th for more thoughts on the banjo.