I have been listening to Sam Allison's new CD Ode To The Banjo in the car lately. Sam "Lotus Wight" has produced an album of mostly all banjo music with a few vocals and back-up instruments thrown in. Sam uses a real variety of banjos from fretless gourds to modern fretted open backs, played in a variety of styles, but his forte is clawhammer. Since I put it in the car CD player right after Sam gave it to me, I hadn't had time to read the liner notes (In Canada, they frown on you doing that while driving. . .perhaps in other places as well.). Last weekend I did read them and discovered that they consisted of a wonderful historical poem written by Sam with the title Ode To The Banjo. This CD is getting a lot of play from this banjo fan and I highly recommend it to all of you as well.
