Recent Media Additions

Daniel Laemouahuma Jatta plays an akonting (ekonting) song composed by his father.  

The akonting is an instrument of the Jola people of Senegal and Gambia.  Daniel's right-hand technique is of particular interest.  

The Jola of the Cassamance region of southern Senegal have named this downstroke technique "o'teck", meaning "to strike".  O'teck is virtually identical to the first banjo style documented, "stroke style", and to the contemporary style known as clawhammer or frailing.

Clarence Tross plays “Hound Chase”, also known as “Fox Chase”, “Old Rattler Run the Fox”, “The Fox and the Hounds”, or simply “The Hounds”, among various other names for Pete Hoover, Mike Seeger, and Marj Seeger on March 12th, 1960 in Durgon, West Virginia on the front porch of Tross’ neighbors house. “Fox Chase” can be traced back to traditional Irish and Scottish piping tunes about Fox Hunting, one of which is known as “The Fox Chase”.

Lewis “Big Sweet” Hairston (1929-?) performs his rendition of the African American folk ballad “John Henry”.

The story of John Henry is also told in the form of a legend, and generally follows the premise that John Henry was a steel driver (During the days of railway development and construction through out the United States), and that, at some point during his career, he is challenged by a steam-powered drilling machine which threatened to replace the work of steel drivers like Henry and his coworkers.

Amythyst Kiah was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States. Her father (who is also her tour manager) sang and played percussion in a band in the 1970s. Her mother sang in the church growing up. She attended a creative arts high school and taught herself to play guitar. When she was 17 her mother committed suicide, and singing at her funeral was Kiah's third public performance.

Kiah is a graduate of East Tennessee State University, where she completed the Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music Studies program and joined the school's marquee old-time band.

On this episode, I speak with singer, songwriter, and music educator Hannah Mayree about her journey in music, culture, tradition, and the Black Banjo Reclamation Project. 

We are proud to release a new video from our Live Outside series recently recorded and filmed in the ancient West African Village of Kirina, Mali. This performance features Mahamadou Diabate and Sayba Diabate on the traditional instruments, calabash and kora, as well as PFC Band member, Roberto Luti, on steel guitar.

Banjo maker Jim Hartel shows us old banjos, derived from instruments made by African slaves, plays the minstrel tune "Jim Along Josie," and tells about turn-of-the-century banjo models and playing styles.