Forum - Banjo Ben Clark

A Most Surreal Moment

#1

Last Thursday, May 2, my wife & I drove three hours to Saratoga Springs to see the Kruger Brothers at Caffe Lena. It’s a wonderful little historic coffee shop and very intimate with the performers. I was in banjo heaven with Jens Kruger sitting right in front of me. I couldn’t keep my eyes off his left hand.
After the show they mingled with the crowd at the merchandise table. Jens asked where I was from. I told him, “The far northern end of I-81.”
He looked at me for a moment then said, “I’m from the far southern end of I-81.”
One more pause, then the grenade exploded as Jens added, “I guess we live on the same street.”

:scream:Screw him. :scream:
I’m still the best banjo player on my block! :grin:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cv09HSXxUl8

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#2

I think he’s the best banjo player on the planet right now, all things considered. And perhaps the most humble of his caliber. Long live Jens.

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#3

@BanJoe. I’m new to the banjo world so I’ve never heard him before, but I visited your link and I love that! He’s so good! I really enjoyed that. Thanks for sharing!

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#4

Like you, I was a late bloomer, and came to the Kruger Brothers by accident.
During the pandemic they did a series of live streams, and I was hooked.
This was the show that did it, and “Learning to Fly” was the song that finalized my admiration for Jens Kruger. Enjoy the show!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kqdym1bQa7o&t=128s
(Note: The first 8 minutes are the “pre-show,” which is audio only of them warming up. After that, it’s regular.)
Over the course of time, I was amazed to see Jens was master of Scruggs-style, Melodic, as well as clawhammer, single string and plectrum banjo!

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#5

I went to that same concert a couple of months ago. I saw a small book at the merchandise table “Travels with Uwe.” I really enjoyed reading that, it certainly speaks to the mental aspect of playing an instrument. One of my favorite lines from the book; don’t just be someone who practices, be a practioner. Like a doctor that practices medicine, or a lawyer that practices law. ‘Be a practitioner of your instrument.’ That thinking kind of takes away the pressure of “having” to practice. Anyway, deep thoughts.

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#6

I have the book as well & certainly agree. It’s filled with little nuggets, like “If you get tense when you play, open your mouth. You can’t be tense with an open mouth.”
I thought he was nuts until I tried it. It works!

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#7

I’m going to have to try that but …what if he’s just chucking at the image of all these open mouthed banjo players. :slight_smile:

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#8

Funny that you raise this @BanJoe This past week I have been watching a horse trainer on YouTube working with a stressed Clydesdale Horse. He put his fingers inside the horses gums and the horse let go of all it’s tension.

I am not endorsing or recommending this procedure for horse trainers or banjo students. I’d worry that I’d likely loose a finger or two.

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#9

Watching Uwe play, he often has his mouth open & playing like a lightning storm!

One thing about the Kruger Brothers… they don’t put on a “show.”. They say they are too ugly for show biz.
But they do put on an extraordinarily good concert!

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#10

Did Jens happen to tell the story of how he came to write ‘Beautiful nothing’? After telling that story, he opened the tune with a simple, put powerful, G chord. There’s a long rest in Beautiful Nothing, and when he got to that rest, he let it sit there, in silence, for what seemed about 30 seconds. You could’ve her a a pin drop in the entire room. It was a very powerful moment.

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#11

As a matter of fact, he did. And you’re right about that long rest. The recording is beautiful, but the pause lacks the impact it has in real life as the entire crowd holds its breath.
The more I listen to him, the more impressed I am with his ability to use the banjo in any genre. He will uses pinches to imitate a brass section, arpeggios as woodwinds and play behind the bridge to make it sound like skeletons dancing! He has a way of muting the strings right at the bridge to make his banjo sound like an electric blues guitar. Then he will dig into a bluegrass song like “Reuben” and you think he will rip the strings right off.

Of course, that’s not how Earl would do it.

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#12

It’s these things you mentioned, @BanJoe, that make me consider him the best banjoist on the planet.

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