Tony Trischka’s EarlJam: A Tribute to Earl Scruggs, featuring Michael Daves, Jared Engel, and Duncan Wickel

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Tony Trischka is bringing his EarlJam to Godfrey Daniels as he celebrates the release of his new album, “Tony Trischka EarlJam”!  Join us for an evening with the legendary Father of Modern Bluegrass as he plays homage to Earl Scruggs alongside Michael Daves, Jared Engel, and Duncan Wickel. 

ABOUT TONY TRISCHKA

Tony Trischka is a Grammy-nominated banjo player, songwriter, and educator. He is considered one of the pioneers of progressive bluegrass music. Trischka has released over 30 albums and has won numerous awards, including the International Bluegrass Music Award for Banjo Player of the Year in 2007. He is also a prolific teacher and has written several books and DVDs on banjo playing.

Trischka was born in Syracuse, New York, in 1949. He began playing the banjo at the age of 12 and quickly became a proficient player. In the early 1970s, he moved to New York City and began playing with some of the leading figures in the bluegrass scene, including Béla Fleck and Steve Martin.

Trischka is a highly respected figure in the bluegrass world. He is considered one of the most innovative and influential banjo players of all time. His playing style is characterized by its speed, accuracy, and technical virtuosity. He is also known for his innovative use of the banjo, often incorporating elements of jazz, blues, and rock into his playing.

Trischka is a prolific composer and has written hundreds of songs, many of which have become standards in the bluegrass repertoire. He is also a gifted teacher and has written several books and DVDs on banjo playing. He is a popular workshop clinician and has taught at many music festivals around the world and to students worldwide on his online, interactive Tony Trischka School of Banjo.

Trischka is a true master of the banjo and his playing has inspired countless other musicians. He is a pioneer of progressive bluegrass music and his work has helped to expand the boundaries of the genre. He is a true legend of bluegrass music and his legacy will continue to inspire musicians for generations to come.

Visit Tony Trischka’s website: tonytrischka.com

“Trischka Is Known As The Father Of Modern Bluegrass.” 

The New York Times

NEW ALBUM! TONY TRISCHKA EARLJAM • Release Date June 7, 2024

Tony Trischka playing Earl Scruggs with today’s leading bluegrass and old-time stars makes Earl Jam a real aural treat! Featuring guests Sam Bush, Vince Gill, Del McCoury, Bruce Molsky, Billy Strings, Molly Tuttle, and more.

One afternoon during the height of COVID, Tony Trischka opened a small package with a thumb drive. It contained some extremely rare recordings of Earl Scruggs and John Hartford jamming, mostly taken from private gatherings at Scruggs’ house during the 1980s and ’90s – over 200 songs and tunes – and his mind was blown! He’d been studying Scruggs for over 60 years, but now he heard exciting new information in these solos, chock full of twists, turns and exciting revelations. Trishka immediately began transcribing and learning his favorites. Inspired, he featured a number of these pieces as part of an overview of Scruggs’ career, premiering the concept at the venerable Joe’s Pub in New York City.

When Down The Road’s Ken Irwin heard a recording of the show, he and Tony agreed there should be an album of this unique material. Months later, we have that album recorded with guest vocalists Sam Bush, Dudley Connell, Michael Daves, Sierra Ferrell, the Gibson Brothers, Vince Gill, Del McCoury, Bruce Molsky, Billy Strings, and Molly Tuttle.

Though the back-up Tony plays on Earl Jam is his own, inspired by Scruggs, every solo is note-for-note Earl’s, from those jams. Tony felt that these tapes might never see the light of day, so he recorded this album in hopes that a host of others could experience the same excitement he felt on hearing Earl’s “new” music. Ultimately, Tony’s recreations of Scruggs’s solos reflect the same kind of intensive woodshedding that Glenn Gould did with Bach’s published scores.