Fiddle and Banjo recordings

I apologize for the lack of mandolin content, but figured this group might be able to help.

I feel in love with all things bluegrass in the '90s and spent most of the next 15 years in a bluegrass bubble, playing mandolin in a traditional band, hitting multiple festivals each year, and consuming every recording I could get my hands on. Though my tastes moved away from bluegrass and into jazz and, well all other music, really, I still feel rooted in bluegrass, Americana, and the mando, guitar, fiddle, banjo, bass, sometimes resonator world.

As my life and tastes moved away from 'that world of bluegrass', I found myself pining for good old fiddle and banjo. Looking back, it seems this was a fairly rare occurrence. Maybe one cut on every tenth album and maybe one brief stint on stage at a festival. For example, I have probably seen the Del McCoury band 25 times but only recall seeing Jason Carter and Rob M doing a duet once. But something about a fiddle and a banjo - with no other instrumentation or vocals - playing a traditional, and often basic, tune really creates something magical. The interplay of finger picking vs bowing, the staccato vs droning. . . The cognitive dissonance that somehow seems so. . . perfect.

And now that I am searching the streaming services and the YouTube, I struggle to find a few definitive recordings that feature the fiddle banjo duets. And I ask, what have ye for me to consume? I realize a lot of it is probably old time and not bluegrass, and maybe this is a sign from the universe that I need to spend more time there?

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experience,

Chris

Bruce molsky and Tony trischka : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=103EvssaPIw

Big fan of anything Jake Blount does. Here's a great track from his album Spider Tales from a few years ago. He's also a talented fiddle player as well as old-time style banjo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKdlclWxOpw

Jane Rothfield...



In 2008 Jane did an entire recording of fiddle and banjo duets with different banjo players called "I Fiddle-They Banjo"

Her website is www.janerothfield.com


https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...y_WDsWTG1FwL78

The fiddle & banjo combination is all over Old Time music. You could spend a lifetime down that rabbit hole. Not so much in Bluegrass, which is a large (by comparison) ensemble form.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZObyYXP3eA

Great stuff and thanks everyone so far for providing me with exploration material!

Chris,
Here are a couple I am involved with:

https://www.youtube.com/@fiddleandbanjo837

https://www.youtube.com/@jimwoodonlineacousticmusic2854

Many John Harford tunes on the second one. Check the playlist - All the Bullies have Gone to Rest.

Hope you enjoy,

Michael

I really like George Jackson's album Hair & Hide

https://georgejacksonmusic.bandcamp.com/album/hair-hide

+1 on Jake Blount

Johnny Warren and Charlie Cushman! Sounds just for the world like Earl and Johnny's daddy, Paul, back in the good ol' days.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXe3WbIggu0

They have an album or two as well.

Also, Gerald Evans and Joe Mullins have a pretty great BG fiddle and banjo recording from a few years back: Five String and a Fiddle, I think.

Then there's Michael Cleveland and Tom Adams' Live At The Ragged Edge CD, if you want your tradition with a little wilder edge on it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wnhMfrkxbs

Man, this is great! How did I miss all this stuff?

Lukas and Eden Pool. Here’s one example of many.

https://youtu.be/PWkr4hkn3Ow

Bob Carlin, Banging and Sawing… some cuts have guitar added but great fiddlers— James Bryan, Bruce Molsky, Judy Hyman and Brad Leftwich—playing with Bob.

Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OL...sVnkrQ7d_6ptSQ