Banjo History, and Berlin today

Soundcheck | May 3, 2010

Banjo player Charlie Poole and the North Carolina Ramblers were one of the most popular string bands of the 1920s. Infused with ragtime and pop, their style of swing music was way ahead of its time. Today on Soundcheck, composer Henry Sapoznick talks us through the life and influence of Charlie Poole and the newly released three-CD box set of the remastered original recordings of Charlie Poole. Also: Wunderamerikaner Frank Dodge founded the privately-funded chamber music series Spectrum Concerts in Berlin, Germany. In a country where government funding supports the majority of arts, Spectrum has been unique in that it receives no government subsidies and relies solely on tickets sales, program ads, foundations and contributions by private individuals. Dodge visits us to talk about the group’s success and what American musicians can learn from his experience abroad.

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