Chris Sands – Classic Ragtime Banjo

Wednesday October 22nd 2014 ~
Cecil Sharp House, London

 

The evening of October 22nd 2014 saw a really extraordinary concert of music at Cecil Sharp House in Camden, London.

“Classic” Fingerstyle banjo was the sound of the Edwardian Britain. Played with an intricate and demanding technique similar to that of classical guitar this style is very seldom heard these days.

From the 1890’s to the First World War this tuneful, honest music was massively popular in the concert stages, the music halls and the parlous of Britain and the US.

Chris Sands is the undisputed world virtuoso of the style today, and for this concert he teamed up with sensational young banjo player and Royal College of Music graduate Elias Sibley.

The evening was a musical triumph. Here’s a breakdown of the programme:

Set 1:

  • The Wimbledon Winner (Sands)
  • Georgia Medley (Morley)
  • Two Heads Are Better Than One (Sands / T. Bailey Jnr)
  • Return of the Regiment (Grimshaw)
  • Chim Chim Cheree / Over the Waves Medley(Sands)
  • South Pacific Medley (Sands)
  • The Snap (Sands)
  • Going for Gold (Sands)
  • A Gay Gosoon (Ossman)
  • Summertime Rag (T. Bailey Jnr)
  • Sarabande (J S Bach arr Bernard Sheaff)
  • Anti Political Correctness Rag (Sands)

Set 2:

  • Peach Blossom (Morley)
  • Jazbos Holiday (T. Bailey Jnr)
  • Syncopatin’ Shuffle (Lawes)
  • Cute & Catchy (Lawes)
  • Magnolia Waltz (Morley)
  • Bill Symonds – I’ve got to dance till the bad gets through! (G. A Spink)
  • Freckles (Morley)
  • Whistling Rufus (Mills)
  • Bollington Banjo Rag (T. Bailey Jnr)
  • Nola (Arndt)
  • A Brass Band Contest (Prior)
  • Yankee Doodle Medley

Listen to the show

An edited version of the show was broadcast the following evening on
London arts radio station Resonance FM.
You can hear the broadcast here:

Links:

Thanks to:

Recording copyright © Russ Chandler 2014. Other material appears with permission.