THE ATLAS CAFE IS an atmospheric, warm, intimate coffee-house in the Mission warehouse district - a colourful (!) neighbourhood of San Francisco. It specialises in good food (their Roasted Yam Sandwich is famous in the area!), live music and a loud coffee machine (I've had the dubious pleasure of singing in competition with this one - no easy feat!) It hosts a Bluegrass Jam on the last Thursday monthly and special nights also. On this special night the place was good and busy for a presentation on The American Banjo by Bill Evans, master banjo player, author, ethnomusicologist (A doctoral candidate from the University of Berkeley, California) and ex banjo-picker (but now manager) for that wonderful band Dry Branch Fire Squad.

A little on Bill's background is justified: Bill comes with an illustrious CV having been involved with bluegrass for over twenty five years. He has presented banjo workshops across the country at major folk and bluegrass festivals and at South Plains College's Camp Bluegrass and has performed with many of today's front runners in the music, e.g. Suzanne Thomas, Don Rigsby and Friends, The Lynne Morris Band, The Kathy Kallick Band, The Gary Ferguson Band and Jim Hurst & Missy Raines. He was also founder/leader of the 1980's progressive bluegrass band Cloud Valley. For the past few years Bill authored one of the most popular monthly instruction columns for Banjo Newsletter, Off The Record and from 1993 to 1997 toured nationally with Dry Branch Fire Squad. He was also the Associate Director of the International Bluegrass Museum at Owensboro, Kentucky, for 1994-1995. Also, Bill received the 1997 Brown Foreman-Al Smith Artist Fellowship in Musical Composition from the Kentucky Arts Council, that state's highest award for achievement in the arts. He has presented tonight's The Banjo In America show at many different venues including the Cleveland Museum of Art in Cleveland, Ohio; Clarion Music Centre, San Francisco; South Plains College, Levelland, TX; The Maryland Banjo Academy; and festivals in El Paso, Denver, Stevenson, WA, and Gettysburg, PA. He showcased at the 1997 IBMA Trade Show and performed at the 1999 IBMA Fan Fest.

Bill plays an old, gut fretless

Bill introduced himself, starting the evening off with laughter: "I'm from El Cerrito. I come in peace!" To settle in he played a few pieces on his Gibson Mastertone Banjo, including Catching The Dickens and Granite Tube. He then talked a bit about the origins of the banjo and how it evolved from gourd and stick to present day sophistication. This he illustrated with a medley of tunes from about 1854 on an 1850's replica fretless banjo resembling a drum with a skin giving a deep, rich sound.

The sound in the cafe was difficult at times with lots of background noise (called 'atmosphere') instigated by interest in the unusual instruments but augmented by more 'atmosphere' - this time from the juicing machine, which sounded like a cow being milked into a steel bucket!! At least it was in time with the music and the more generous listeners would say that it added a certain je ne sait quoi. All this taken into consideration, the audience were very attentive and obviously enjoying the show greatly.

Bill proceeded to follow the evolving instrument through the years of development, illustrating each phase with different instruments and appropriate pieces. e.g. Paul Eno's Ragtime Episode (1808),superbly played on a fretted banjo from the 1880's, reminding us also that it was often played by ladies. It was considered to be a courtship instrument and was often made by a man for his sweetheart.

In this first set he also demonstrated the 'clawhammer' or frailing style, mentioning Doc Boggs, the North Virginian, coal mining, country banjo-player who was said to have influenced Bob Dylan. He also played the tune of the murder song Pretty Polly in a most strange modal tuning. A little light relief followed with a couple of Scruggs numbers (on the Gibson), Clinch Mountain Backstep and an old classical piece played high up the neck. Some British Isles-related fiddle dance tunes followed, including Bucky's Jig and The Well-Please Jig played in frailing style on the fretless gut stringed banjo. The first set ended with some African-sounding tunes - 'The Whup Jamboree and The Injun Rubber Overcoat.

The second set opened with the self-penned tune Advent, followed by a popular tune of the day from 1871, No Place Like Home. Bill played it expertly in the flowery style popular during this period. Moving up the years, Bill featured pieces in varying styles on different banjos including Murph Gribble's Altemont with some three finger style Mississippi Delta picking, Raising The Bees (self-penned), an 1850's medley of British Isle tunes (including Devils Dream) and a St.Patrick's Day Tune. A banjo made in California after the style of an instrument depicted in a slave painting (a gourd with a stick and strings) was featured next with a tune from the 1790's, reputedly from Glasgow, called Papay Ran Away

Two tunes from Bill's latest project, Native And Fine preceded the introduction of young East Coast banjo player Chris Pandolfi, a previous student of Tony Trishka and now a student of Bill's. He joined Bill in finishing a most interesting and entertaining evening in fine style with some great bluegrass picking! (Duetting Banjo's!)

A really entertaining, well presented history of the banjo in America by someone who obviously feels and knows a great deal about his subject.

Jean Brandon, Chester

23rd April 2000