Recently, on a rainy night on the lower east side of New York, Tony Trischka and his band took the stage
at the nightclub, Tonic. A roomful of the faithful brushed aside the weather to cheer on another display of
jazz fusion derring-do on the outskirts of "banjo music."
With Scott Neumann on drums, Bob Bowen on bass, Rolf Sturm on lead guitar and vocals, and Michael Amendola
on sax and flute, Tony unleashed his electric banjo and, wearing a slide on his left hand, launched into "Forty-four,"
a blues-tinged composition by Rolf.
They followed up with "Half Crazy with the Heat," then followed that with the title cut of Tony's current album
"Bend." Rippling jazz arpeggios fed off of the initial bent note of the Keith peg. There were 2 or 3 bars of a fingerpicked
reggae-sounding segment before it settled into a bluegrass rhythm.
"Quasi Koti," a Michael Amendola composition, with Michael on flute had a distict oriental feel. At times the banjo notes
sounded like a hammered dulcimer. A shimmering strum from Sturm on the headless electric guitar backed up by the
flute created the sensation of watching birds in flight. Wind chimes and small cymbals contributed to the oriental mood.
Tony showed his bluegrass chops with renditions of, "Old Joe Clark," "New River Train" and "Earl's Breakdown."
While Tony Trishka can certainly pick a bluegrass number with the very best, and teaches primarily in that genre,
he is rightfully known as an innovator, who has helped lead the way for the banjo's use in more avant-garde styles.
At the conclusion of the show, we got a chance to talk to Tony and learn the sources of this adventuresome spirit.
Tony stretches out on a bluegrass classic "Old Joe Clark" Jamming with reed man Michael Amendola
Beginnings
We asked what music he'd been exposed to as a child and he reeled a small representation off the top of his head:
"Beethoven's Ninth Symphony," "The 1812 Overture," "My Fair Lady Soundtrack," "The Theme and soundtrack
from Exodus," and "El Salon Mexico" by his "main guy," Aaron Copeland.
Along with early influences, he mentioned that his mother had gone to school with Pete Seeger's wife Toshi and
that at an early age, he'd seen Pete's first group, The Almanac Singers. He said that, within the family record collection
was the Almanac's Talking Union, a set of 78 rpm records.
The Right Instrument
Tony paid his dues before settling in at banjo. From approximately 7 to 9 years old he studied the flute, from 9 to 11,
the piano and from 11 to 13, the guitar. He got his first banjo at age 14.
He'd heard Dave Guard of the Kingstron Trio playing banjo on "Charlie and the MTA" and managed to find a college
student to teach him bluegrass-style banjo while he was still in high school.
There was never a particular point where he needed to make a choice to be a professional musician He got his first
paying gig at 14 years of age playing banjo 15 minutes for $15. "That's pretty good," he thought, and never looked back.
The Early Career
An important turning point early on came while he was playing for two bands. A member of the band Country Granola,
he was also a member of Country Cooking, headed by Pete Wernick. Rounder had asked Pete to do a solo album, and Pete,
thinking he'd only be repeating earlier work at that point, suggested to them that they record Tony, who had been writing
his own material. Thus, Tony's first album, Bluegrass Light, was recorded in 1973. He followed this up with Heartlands in 1975.
There were already hints on these early recordings of what was to come, with inclusion of drums and sax on certain tracks.
Also, when Pete was approached to write an instructional book, he suggested Tony for the job and Tony's career as an
instructional author was started. Melodic Banjo was published in 1973 and Teach Yourself Bluegrass Banjo in 1977.
The year 1973 was notable in that Tony moved from his native Syracuse to New York City where he played with the group
Breakfast Special.
Making Connections
Tony's associations from here on become a labyrinth. In 1978, he became the musical leader for the Broadway show The Robber
Bridegroom and toured with the show. He also played with the group Monroe Doctrine.
Lifting a list of credits straight from his on-line bio, we find: He played with artists such as Peter Rowan, Richard Greene, and
Stacy Phillips. In the early 1980s, he began recording with his new group Skyline, which recorded its first album in 1983.
Subsequent albums included Robot Plane Flies over Arkansas (solo, 1983), Stranded in the Moonlight (with Skyline, 1984)
and Hill Country (solo, 1985). In 1984, he performed in his first feature film, Foxfire. Three years later, he worked on the
soundtrack for Driving Miss Daisy. Trischka produced the Belgian group Gold Rush's No More Angels in 1988. The following
year, Skyline recorded its final album, Fire of Grace. He also recorded the theme song for Books on the Air, a popular National
Public Radio Show, and continued his affiliation with the network by appearing on Garrison Keillor's Prairie Home Companion,
Mountain Stage, From Our Front Porch, and other radio shows.
One of Tony's more high-profile associations has been with Bela Fleck. He earned the appellation as "Bela Fleck's mentor."
Bela has been quoted: "You think about somebody like Miles Davis or John Coltrane, people who learned everything about
jazz and then digested it and it came out a a new way. I think Tony's very similar, he's that kind of figure in the banjo world.
Tony was ahead of his time. My springboard was Tony Trischka, and without Tony, none of what's happened with my music
would have happened."
In 1999, Tony and Bela collaborated on the CD Solo Banjo Works.
Some Advice
When we asked Tony what advice he'd give to aspiring musicians, a lot of his own life's map seemed to emerge. First, he stated,
"If you have to ask whether you should be a professional musician, you probably shouldn't be…You have to have an inner drive,
a compulsion." He also advised aspirants to be flexible, be open to different styles of music and different instruments. Mirroring a
lifetime of mentoring, he suggested adding teaching to the mix.
Tony is widely known for the workshops he conducts. During the summer, there's usually a steady flow of 5-day workshops,
In winter, more of the one-day. He comes in with a game plan, emphasizing hand position and timing, all with a bluegrass point
of view. However, he says, input from students is important
Road Memories
Tony has played all over the world, and when we asked about memorable gigs, he spoke of a trip to Czechoslovakia during the
cold war years. Here was an American of Czech heritage playing before a stadium filled with thousands of freedom-hungry Czechs.
The band's singing in English added to the political edge. The audience was so enthralled with Tony and the band, that after the
band's encore, the entire audience separated by the show's MC into thirds, sang a triad to the performers as a tribute. On a subsequent
trip as a solo performer, Tony's wife was called out to join him onstage and it happened again.
Current Collaborations
Tony continues long-time associations with top-notch musicians today. He still performs with Skyline. This involves the members of
Silk City, covered in Acoustic Live in December, 2000, with Barry Mitterhoff (mandolin), Danny Weiss (guitar, vocals) and Larry
Cohen (bass) as well as singer Dede Wyland.
He also gets together with Darol Anger, Mike Marshall, and Todd Phillips to play as the progressive bluegrass band "Psychograss."
Website: www.tonytrischka.com
Upcoming gigs include:
Jan. 4 Caffe Lena Saratoga Springs, NY Solo
Jan. 5 Caffe Lena Banjo Workshop
Jan. 5 Colony Café Woodstock, NY Solo
Jan. 6 Club Passim Cambridge, MA Solo
Jan 8 Bamboo Room Lake Worth, FL (tentative) Solo
Jan 11 Triumph Brewing Co. Princeton, NJ Solo
Jan. 31 Snake & Weasel Portland, OR Solo
The Bottom Line: Part II by Richard Cuccaro 15 W. 4th St. NYC 212-228-7880 www.bottomlinecabaret.com Our original intention had been to give this venerable intitution a full issue of its own. Since we pushed ahead to a shared issue last month, we figured we'd complete our homage this month. In our first article, we mentioned the theme shows, one of our favorites being the WFUV Required Listening Series. An unforgettable introduction took place with Susan Werner's first appearance. Her classically trained voice and her obvious depth of musicality sent an immediate message that we were in the presence of a major talent. It still did not prepare us for her writing skills. She sat at the piano and sang, "I Don't Miss You very Much at All" and we were totally hooked. Apparently, the Bottom Line management was as impressed as we were. Besides booking her numerous times thereafter, she was one of the first people to be signed to their own Bottom Line record label a few years ago. Some of the artists I was inroduced to this way included Eddie From Ohio and Dan Zanes. Most of the time, the artists included in the Required Listening shows were people we weren't at all familiar with. A nice surprise occurred when Greg Brown was included along with some other new names. We needed no introduction to Greg's work, having heard him many times on WFUV. We'd never gotten to see him live, though, so this show was a special treat. As an adjunct to this, we attended a show with both Greg and Garrison Keillor not long afterward. Garrison opened the show and after a reading of "Lake Wobegone Days," proceeded to introduce his "guitarist" --Greg Brown. I had not known at that time that Greg had been a mainstay on broadcasts of Prairie Home Companion. His accompaniment to Garrison's somewhat atonal singing turned out to be another fun moment in this special evening. I remember one of the few times I made the effort to attend a show in "standing-room-only" capacity. Richard Thompson was co-billed with Shawn Colvin. I was already smitten with Shawn, and I had just gotten acquainted with Richard's very dark sense of humor. We were enthralled with Shawn's "Shotgun Down the Avalanche, as well as her covers, and hearing Richard's "Vincent Black Lightning" was exhilarating. Richard's humor had an unusual edge. At one point, he recalled a long-ago showdown between Jerry Lee Lewis and either Little Richard or Chuck Berry -- I can't remember. Jerry Lee completed a blistering number, set fire to the piano, and said: "Follow that, N…er!" The adoring audience at the Bottom Line seemed a bit shocked at Richard's disregard for political correctness and responded with a few nervous giggles, but with mostly silence. Richard seemed unconcerned and repeated the remark later, just in case the audience didn't get the joke. We got it, Richard! One time, I actually got to make physical contact with a Bottom Line performer, but it wasn't all that unusual. John Hiatt had just had huge initial success with his breakthrough album, Bring the Family. He performed a song from the album, "Memphis in the Meantime," where he sings, "I don't think Ronnie Milsap's ever gonna record this song." He followed it up with a new song that I really enjoyed. Since I was right up front, next to the stage, I was able to yell up to him, "I think Ronnie's gonna want that one!" He responded by reaching down and giving my outstretched hand a tap with his. My companions got excited and asked, "What did you say to him?!!" It became apparent that John liked to do this and repeated it with a number of other audience members at this show and at another Bottom Line show we attended on another occasion. When I became involved with Fast Folk Musical Magazine as a volunteer at the Fast Folk Cafe some time later, it was after seeing the Annual Fast Folk Revue at the Bottom Line. Jack Hardy had appeared on WFUV with one of his discoveries, Patrick Brayer. The songs were very unique. After he announced the annual show along with the call for help, I couldn't get to the Bottom Line fast enough. I never saw anything like it! One talented performer after another, one great original song after another! Patrick shocked everyone, by bringing the show to a halt, telling an unreheased, unexpected story, completely fictional, about meeting Bob Dylan. He said Bob had invited him over to his house, and he went, thinking Bob wanted to hang out with him. He said when he got there, Bob pointed at a box near the door and said, "I was gonna throw these clothes away, but I thought you could use 'em!" Patrick then gestured to what he was wearing and it brought the house down. During that same show, Jim Infantino, a singer/songwriter from Boston also brought the house down with his manic ode to caffeine, paranoia and workaholism, "Stress," building his wired performance higher and higher finally screaming out: "Everybody!…Sing…a-long…with… me! …c'mon! …it's…a…folk…song!" The annual Fast Folk Bottom Line shows, with their past backlog of discovered stars, such as Lucy Kaplansky, Richard Shindell, and John Gorka were captured on tape and are available on CD as well as the rest of the Fast Folk collection from the Smithsonian Institution Folkways Catalog.
Tony Trischka (just beyond the piano) joins the Downtown Messiah orchestra. Tony with David Johansen for a second number.
"Jiggs" acts out the 12 Days of Christmas in a deliberately comic fey manner.
Two of our favorite shows that we like to attend each year are The Downtown Messiah and Glen Burtnick's X-mas Extravaganza. This year at
The Downtown Messiah, a backdrop of starry lights, shown above, added to the magic of the performances. During the X-mas Extravaganza this
year, along with the usual giddy rock versions of Christmas songs, three George Harrison songs were added to pay tribute to the recently departed Beatle.
There are some wonderful stories posted at the Time Line link on the Bottom Line web site. One of our favorites involves an appearance by Miles Davis:
In the middle of this three day engagement, Miles' muse must have taken the night off because about 25 minutes into his set, he decided he played
everything he intended to play that night. Sam Ellis, the stage manager of the Bottom Line could not believe that Miles just left the stage.
Sam approached Jim Rose, Miles' tour manager, horrified and exlaimed, "Miles only played 25 minutes!" Without missing a beat, Rose shot back,
"But what a solid 25 minutes!" Allan and Stanley, embarrassed because they didn't feel comfortable charging their patrons for a show that lasted
only 25 minutes, decided to give a full refund to the fans as they filed out of the club. Imagine Allan and Stanley's astonishment when the customers,
instead of being indignant at Miles, were somewhat bemused at the club owners' dismay. More than one customer said, "Hey man, it's nice of you to
do this, but you don't have to...everything's cool! When you come to see Miles, anything can happen - that's Miles."
Another involved Ravi Shankar:
As Allan Pepper tells it: "The afternoon of this engagement I had gotten a call at home from our stage manager Mark Silag, who said he had a couple
of major problems. …because of the nature of this very serious and culturally important music there could be absolutely no smoking or service during
the musician's performance, and furthermore the musicians would also require a rather large riser on stage because they played sitting down and had to
be elevated for the audience to see them. Mark was frazzled. We didn't have any kind of a riser, and he was concerned that Stanley and I would flip out
at not being able to serve during the performance.… Mark had a sound check that was to begin in one hour and a mad dog tour manager who was
demanding that things be done his way. …What to do? Stanley and I agreed, as long as we could serve until Ravi actually started to play, we could
live with the restriction of no service during the show. OK, first problem solved. Now, how do we handle the riser situation? Mark hesitated for
15 seconds and then said, "leave that to me. I just got an idea" When Stanley and I got to the club, we were astounded at the three foot high riser that
covered most of out 16 foot stage. Ravi played great that night and there was no smoking or service during his performance. … Where did the riser
come from? Mark smiled and said while we were on the phone that afternoon trying to solve the problem, he noticed the club was getting a beer delivery.
He quickly piled the cases side by side and one on top of the other across the stage. Next he covered the sides and the top with some black velour and
presto we had a riser…Ravi and his musicians had performed two shows during which people could not eat, drink or smoke …without being aware that
they were sitting and performing on a mountain of Heineken boxes."
A memory lost: Although my wife and I agree that we became acquainted at a Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, she insists that we were introduced before that,
while waiting on line for a Bottom Line show!
So with that aside… let's all get to the Bottom Line and participate in some more unforgettable experiences!