During the past couple of weeks in the Low Lands, hommage has been given to two great banjo players who are no longer with us. The news of Bill Keith’s passing has been received with sadness all over Europe, as many people not only greatly respected and admired him as a musician but also considered him a good friend. There were many bluegrass festivals in Europe that Bill visited each year, giving masterclasss on the banjo, explaining the circle of fifths, or just to listen to the European bands or to just chat about this and that. A banjo player from Belgium wrote to me: “A year after I lost both my parents, I now lost my father in music.” The musicians who host a monthly concert+jam in the town of Mazy in Belgium dedicated the previous edition to Bill. Unfortunately I could not attend, but I think it was a great gesture and I’m sure it must have been a beautiful evening.
Though not a bluegrass banjo player, Derroll Addams’s distinctive style of not-quite-clawhammer, his singing voice and his storytelling stage presence inspired many Europeans to pick up a banjo during the time when he was living here. A documentary has been made about his life: I Was Born In Portland Town. It will be screened during the Steel String Festival in Muziekclub ’t Ey in Belsele, Belgium, 26-29 November. From 1 November until 20 December, that same club hosts an exhibition of Derroll’s hauntingly beautiful paintings and watercolors.
From the ‘70’s until the ‘90’s, it was not unusual for folk and bluegrass concerts in Europe to be broadcasted live on radio or television, or recorded by dedicated amateurs for their own listening pleasure or just for the sake of saving it for later. Decades later, people cleaning up their attics sometimes discover beautiful material, and if it’s really good, it might be suitable for official release on CD and/or vinyl. This year, two albums with archive recordings of Derroll Adams’s music were released: Banjo Troubadour (Starman Records, Belgium) and Live in Haarlem 1977 (Strictly Country Records, the Netherlands).
For more information:
The bluegrass/oldtime/folk concert+jam in Mazy is held every last Friday of the month. http://www.bluegrassjam.be/122331831
The documentary about Derroll Adams:
http://www.derrolladams.org/nl/born-in-portland-town.html
Derroll Adams, Banjo Troubadour (2015):
http://www.derrolladams.org/albums/banjo-troubadour.html
Derroll Adams, Live in Haarlem 1977 (2015):
http://www.derrolladams.org/albums/live-in-haarlem.html
Derroll Adams’s artwork:
http://www.derrolladams.org/en/oil-paintings.html http://www.derrolladams.org/en/watercolours.html
