Banjo Masters

The world’s most influential 5-string banjo players come together when Béla Fleck calls together his “Banjo Summit” for a unique evening of traditional and genre-splitting music. State of the Arts caught up with the tour at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, where producer Susan Wallner spoke to the legendary banjo picker Tony Trischka, a resident of Fair Lawn, NJ. She also spoke to the first winner of the Steve Martin Award for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass, Noam Pikelny.

See a performance excerpt featuring Pikelny playing “The Broken Drought” from his 2011 solo album here.