The Banjo and its Influence on American Music

Faculty: Don Vappie
Date / Time: Saturday, February 20, 2010, 2:00 pm
Fee: $10.00* / $15.00
Age Recommendation: For all ages

Join Don Vappie to explore the banjo (tenor and six-string) and its influence on American music.  The banjo, an important part of the instrumentation of early jazz ensembles, has African origins and its history aptly illustrates the musical legacy of the New Orleans Creole culture, a society that sprang from the mixture of French, Spanish, African and American Indian people with strong ties to the Caribbean Islands. Vappie will share the banjo’s rich history as well as debunk this instrument’s past and current stereotypes.

About Don Vappie:  Born in New Orleans, Don’s versatile background playing funk, rhythm and blues, and pop music enhances his unique perspective on music and performance. In 1995 he formed the Creole Jazz Serenaders (CJS), performing classic jazz from the 1920s through the 1940s. As one reviewer wrote, “[Don Vappie & the Creole Jazz Serenaders] … remove the barriers of time… making the music fresh for today’s audience.”

The CJS recording “Creole Blues” played to international audiences as part of Delta Airline’s inflight entertainment and is one of Offbeat Magazine’s “100 Essential Louisiana CDs.”  Joe “King” Oliver was the subject of a Public Radio International broadcast radio series entitled, “In Search of King Oliver,” a celebration of Joe “King” Oliver’s music. This led Glen Pitre, film producer/writer, to make Don & the Creole Jazz Serenaders a part of his film The Home Front available on DVD.

In addition to his work as a producer, composer and arranger, Don has performed/recorded with Terence Blanchard, Benny Waters, Doc Cheathum, Peggy Lee and continues to be a regular guest with Wynton Marsalis and The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra as well as a guest artist at numerous festivals and venues worldwide.

These workshops are in support of the concerts, The Louis Armstrong Hot Fives / Hot Sevens, the early music of Louis Armstrong.  The concerts will take place at the Lincoln Theatre on Friday & Saturday, February 19 & 20, 2010 at 8:00 pm.  For concert tickets or more information, click here.

For Teachers:
Smithsonian Jazz offers the “Louis Armstrong Education Kit,” a classroom curriculum guide for grades 5 – 12 on the website, www.smithsonianjazz.org/class/armstrong/kit/kit.asp.  The guide, which incorporates National Standards in Arts Education and U.S. History, contains lesson plans, biographical materials, a glossary, bibliography, discography, photo gallery and an accompanying CD for guided listening experiences.

This project has been made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts as part of “American Masterpieces: Three Centuries of Artistic Genius.”