Free banjo MP3 for August only :)

New CD!!!

Cello banjo, cigarbox banjo, banjolin, John Bowlin 1865 fretless, Deering Gabriella and more fun banjos on solos and duets on:

Last Chance, Chickens Crowin At Midnight, Scarborough Fair, Whiskey Before Waltzing With Soldiers, June Apple, Goodbye Girls I’m Going To Boston, Morning Has Broken, Sweet Bama, Pretty Polly, Gaspe Reel, Julia Delaney, Star Of the County Down, Needed Time & Chinkapin Hunting. $15.00

AND---a New clawhammer banjo tab book too! Simple tabs to all the tunes on "Girl With the Banjo Tattoo" cd---And--all the tunes on "Drumming On the Edge of Banjo--all in one book

the Bonus MP3 for August if you order the new cd and/or tab book, is Mole in the Ground on a John Bowlin 1865 fretless banjo. This is a brand new track, not on any of my cds.


As a special thanks to folks who already ordered cds and books in July and received a free MP3 for July--if you would like the new MP3--just drop me a quick email and I'll send it right on to you. :)











Remember that you can order both cds and the tab book (3 items) for the same postage price in the USA ($5) as it costs to order only one item. International postage ($15)

***********************************************************************************

Girl With the Banjo Tattoo :) and free MP3 in July only.

Hello Friends and Family,

Hope you are having a wonderful summer and keeping cooler than we are in Tallahassee.

We just finished a new clawhammer banjo cd—and yes—a tab book to go with it too.

If you order the new cd and/or book in July—I’ll also send you a free bonus MP3 of Mississippi Sawyer. (email attachment only)It’s not on any of my cds and is only available to you. It was originally supposed to be on the new cd, and it turned out fine—it didn’t quite fit the overall mood of the cd—but thought some of you might enjoy it anyway.

Cello banjo, cigarbox banjo, banjolin, John Bowlin 1865 fretless, Deering Gabriella & John Hartford, Chuck Lee, Cedar Mountain, Lame Horse and more on solos and duets on: Last Chance, Chickens Crowin At Midnight, Scarborough Fair, Whiskey Before Waltzing With Soldiers, June Apple, Goodbye Girls I’m Going To Boston, Morning Has Broken, Sweet Bama, Pretty Polly, Gaspe Reel, Julia Delaney, Star Of the County Down, Needed Time & Chinkapin Hunting.

AND---a New clawhammer banjo tab book too! Simple tabs to all the tunes on "Girl With the Banjo Tattoo" cd---And--all the tunes on "Drumming On the Edge of Banjo--all in one book .

Last Chance, Chickens Crowin At Midnight, Scarborough Fair, Whiskey Before Waltzing With Soldiers, June Apple, Goodbye Girls I’m Going To Boston, Morning Has Broken, Sweet Bama, Pretty Polly, Gaspe Reel, Julia Delaney, Star Of the County Down, Needed Time, Chinkapin Hunting, Rock the Cradle Joe, Coleman's March, Tam Lin, Campbell's Farewell To Red Gap, Foggy Dew, Coo Coo's Nest, Snake Charmer's Daughter, Soldiers Joy, Murat's Dream & John Bowlin's Ground Hog Strut.

This is a fun book with historical and playing notes and hints for playing tunes on many kinds of banjos. :)

They are both available on my website:

www.maryzcox.com

Thank you to everyone who has been buying my cds and books and buying them as gifts for your friends and family—you make it possible for me to continue to offer you new banjo music and tabs.

For folks who only do digital--the digital downloads are up oncdbaby now. They will be on itunes--but it usually takes a couple months before they put them up.

Hope to see you sometime this year

Best wishes always,

Mary Z. Cox

Mississippi Sawyer on the Mississippi River

Thistle and Shamrock (NPR)

Sunday night I burnt the appetizer for father's day dinner--so Bob went to the grocery store at the last minute to pick up cheese and crackers and he listened to WFSU on the radio.
Here's what Bob heard. :)

We got a pleasant surprise yesterday. When I was driving home from the grocery store I heard a track from Mary’s latest CD playing on “Thistle and Shamrock” (a Celtic music program) on our local public radio station. They have posted the playlist but have not yet posted the podcast.
http://www.thistleradio.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=44&Itemid=91

It is the June 17 program (number 1412). Mary’s track is in the middle of the list.

The tune they played was "Soldiers Joy" which is on our new "Drumming on the Edge Of Banjo" CD. You can take a listen on my website if you'd like. :)
www.maryzcox.com

                                           Bob & Mary Z. Cox/ Florida Folk Festival 2010

Pix of Florida Folk Festival 2010

Mary Z. Cox & Bob Cox at 2010 Florida Folk Festival

 

Bob and I will be at the Florida Folk Festival in White Springs on Memorial Day weekend. Here is where we will be playing:

 

Friday/May 28th   12:30 PM  Song and Story Tent

Saturday/May 29  7:00 PM Old Marble Stage

Sunday/May 30  12:40 PM Under the Oaks

 

Bob and I have been working up some nice new sets and hope you will come by and have a listen and say hello. 

My new cd, "Drumming On the Edge of Banjo" and all my other cds and tab books are available in the Stephen Foster gift shop at the park.

More Back Story for Drumming On the Edge Of Banjo

On the Edge Of Banjo/ Back Story

This is not another African roots meets modern banjo cd.  It began as an American story--a blend of Afro/Caribbean, Celtic, old time, and a fusion of American music from the 17^th to the 21st century. 
It began with "The Old Plantation" painting from the 1700s.  Two men are pictured playing a banjo and drum for a dance--and we wondered--where would that music have taken them with today's awesome banjos and drums and the freedom to choose their musicians? 

We chose Yazid for this project because he is not African--but African American--and his drumming has a heavy Caribbean as well as African flavor.  He more accurately reflects the feel of the music in colonial America gone modern--more than current African/American blends.  :)

Mary Z’s family roots are Scotts, Irish, English, Hungarian and Bohemian.  Her Celtic ancestors came to the Americas in the 1600s and 1700s and her middle European ancestors in the 1800s.  We believe we have thrown the feel of this early American mix of music into the cook pot, let it simmer, and—voila-- present day acoustic fusion.

The things we played J

Goldtone 5 string cello banjo, Lame Horse open back banjo, Gibson RB250 banjo, Deering John Hartford banjo,(the black and gold one) John Bowlin 1865 fretless banjo, (made from a tracing of Mary Z’s left hand) Ken Miller custom guitar, (Bob Cox’s 000) Blue Lion mountain dulcimer, Ron Ewing dulcimette, bowed bass, (Jim Crozier) djembes, congas, bell, Revere Ware copper bottom pots and pans,(a wedding gift from Ma Cox) snapping fingers, (Gordy Cox) wind chimes from the front porch, shakers, tambourine,  Gordy’s car keys, church bells, George Clinton singing “Old Groundhog.”

 

More back story for Drumming On the Edge Of Banjo

 

Vicki Genfan (guitar) pushed me down the percussion path three summers ago. Then I took Scott Nygard's, Pan African guitar class, and had so much fun in there-(we played different parts with groups of guitars-- like a guitar drum circle) that I began looking for a drumming instructor. :) Then,  Yazid.  IMHO--he is hands down the best Afro/Caribbean drummer I've ever heard.  (he's taught ethnomusicology at FSU and has even drummed for Marvin Gaye ) I began his group class on the shore of Lake Ella and began to learn some basics of percussion.   One day I invited him to my home to just try out a few experiments with drums and banjo.  I played him a few cuts from my cds because he said he really had not heard much banjo before--so he came over and we just played for a couple hours.  :) Then he came over to play every week, and we found we really liked the way banjos and drums sounded together and we began pulling our best tunes together for a cd.  Gordy Cox moved back to Tallahassee after seven years in New York City.  He is a young, edgy, sound engineer. (he graduated from Full Sail in Orlando).  He doesn't usually work with old time banjo music--although he did record and mix much of my "Secret Life Of Banjo" CD. He prefers funk, rock, dance music and produces and engineers some pretty edgy cds and videos these days.(he just finished a video for a pole dancing school that everyone seems mesmerized with)  But he is the best.  Yazid could barely believe what he could do with his drums--and he has a great ear for blending acoustic music and percussion.  Gordy pushed and shoved us into the 21st century and we went with it--except we hung on to the traditional tunes and stayed all acoustic as we went kicking and screaming into click tracks and multiple recordings and hours, and days, and months, and almost a year and a half until the cd was finished.  Gordy likes texture and requested mountain dulcimer and guitar on some of the mixes.  Jim Crozier came by after work with his double bass and bow and added texture to the banjo and drums on “Murat’s Dream”  and then a bass /drum duet to spice up Snake Charmer’s daughter.  When I brought home a new dulcimette from the Unicoi festival—Gordy picked right up on the possibilities of it’s clear bell sound and we took it directly to the studio to juxtaposition it’s voice right next to the cello banjo.  Then Gordy took some of the raw mixes over to George Clinton's studio one day while George was in town.  He played them and George and his whole studio began dancing to the music. George graciously cut the vocal to "John Bowlin's Groundhog Strut" to help us enter the world music market. :) Oasis put our cds and digipaks together and also did the mastering on Drumming On the Edge of Banjo.  We think they did a really nice job too.  I was looking around on the web to get some ideas for art work for the cd, when I spied Rich Disilvio's beautiful dreamscapes--and wouldn't you know it--he also designed cd graphics. (quite a lot of them, in fact. :)  Rich designed all the graphics for the cd and we are all  stunned at what a beautiful job he did. :)

Drumming On the Edge Of Banjo :)

Worldgrass by Mary Z. Cox & Yazid

Afro/Caribbean drumming with Celtic clawhammer, frailing fusion banjo.(plus cello banjo, guitar, bowed bass, dulcimer, dulcimette, pots and pans and featuring George Clinton (PFUNK) vocals on "John Bowlin's Groundhog Strut. "

Banjos in History in Cashiers, NC

New Lame Horse banjo

Here's a pix of my new Lame Horse open back banjo prototype.
I'm thrilled with its tone and the wood is really beautiful.
If you'd like to see close up pix and hear a couple MP3s--here is the link to Jenkins Brothers Guitars.
http://www.cjenkinsluthier.com/Lame_Horse_Instruments/Shooting_Star_Banjos/Shooting_Star_Banjos.html
Here's my review of this banjo. :)

Review of new Lame Horse Shooting Star banjo prototype.
Sound


Clear and pretty tone. Records extremely well. Good volume for playing with other instruments without being too bright or ringy.

Sound Rating

10

Setup


Yes, it was set up nice, but it was shipped from Texas and I had a local luthier set it up for the new environment.

Setup Rating

10

Appearance


The wood and craftsmanship on this banjo are breathtaking--but very tasteful and not gaudy.
The pot is made of 48 solid blocks of wood.
The pot is bubinga and anigre. Both are
west African woods, which are very beautiful, and very good tone
woods. The neck is anigre, maple, and bubinga. The peghead overly is
ebony, as is the fingerboard. The peghead inlay is mother of pearl
(gold and white), and the inlay at the 5th fret is ivory.

Appearance Rating

10

Reliability


It has those new black tuners that are so expensive--but they work wonderful.
This whole banjo is made of quality parts and workmanship.

Reliability Rating

10

Customer Service


Chris Jenkins is the best. This particular banjo was the prototype for this model.
This is a top notch luthier who is interested in producing an awesome open back banjo for the Lame Horse Instrument line.

Customer Service

10

Components


Everything is lovely on this banjo. I particularly like the clear woody tone--it has the woody tone without sounding muddy. The ebony fretboard is particularly smooth and easy to finger.
There is a pretty scroll at the top of the scoop. The inlays (a small lame horse and a shooting star) are understated but exquisite.

Components Rating

10

Overall Comments


Love this banjo--we bonded immediately and it had to stay here. It is one of my favorite banjos.
You can hear an MP3 of it on my webpage:
maryzcox.com
You can see detailed pix of it and hear sound samples on the Lame Horse web site:
http://www.cjenkinsluthier.com/Lame_Horse_Instruments/Shooting_Star_Banjos/Shooting_Star_Banjos.html

Overall Rating

10

RK Ne Plus Ultra banjo at St. Malo beach

Here's a quick video of me ( Mary Z. Cox) playing Foggy Dew under the sea wall at St. Malo. (France) The waves are pretty loud, but the tide is coming in. When the tide is out--you can walk out to islands in the English Channel. Once the tide is in, it fills to the top of the sea wall and sprays over on the sidewalk and street. So, guess I'm actually playing this tune at the bottom of the English Channel. :)

Be A Banjo Star Workshop/April 2009

Here are some pix of the workshop I taught at the John C. Campbell School last week.
The students were awesome. :)

Spring festivals and banjo workshop

(pix by Lee Howell)

The crab apples and azealas are blossoming in Tallahassee, and we have a few fun events coming in March and April. Many folks ask us, "when are you playing someplace near here?" Here are three events in or near Tallahassee. Hope you will come out and join us and have a good time.:)

There is a strong possibility that I may be toting my new 5 string cello banjo to some of these events--so if you have never heard one, this is a good chance to get up close for a listen and look. :)

Also, there are a couple openings in my "Be a Banjo Star" workshop at the John C. Campbell School in April. This will be the first time we've been in the springtime and we hear that it is really pretty then.
If you have been to this workshop before and would like to come again--please let me know and I'll work in some new tunes with the techniques for you. :)

New on Banjoquest!
(Field videos of banjoists, banjos, tunes, and banjos in locations you may or may not have seen or heard before. :)
I've added Ernie Williams, Tommy Bledsoe, and Mark Johnson and there will be more fine banjoists appearing on Banjoquest soon.
http://banjoquest.blogspot.com

Hope to see you soon. :)
Best wishes,
Mary Z. Cox

'









Date: 3/7/2009
6:45 PM - 9:00 PM





Saturday, March 7th, 2009


Cracker Coffee House

Bob & I will be hosting the March 2009 Coffee House this year instead of February. March is Bob's birthday month--so we will be celebrating folks with March birthdays as well as St. Patrick's Day. :)
Sign up by 6:45 with Larry Hoover in the auditorium to play a tune.
White Springs FL 34432

This is great fun and would love to see you there. We've already heard that Mike and Ellen Sheppard, Jim Crozier, and Michael Vicky are going to be there too.

Contact Information:
Name: Larry Hoover

Location Information:
Stephen Foster Park auditorium
White Springs, FL
United States








Suwannee Valley Quilt & Old Time Craft Festival

Date: 3/14/2009







Mary Z. & Bob Cox - 2:00 PM


US Hwy 129 & Hwy 26
Trenton FL 32693
USA


Price: free
Suwannee Valley Quilt & Old Time Craft Festival

http://thingstodo.msn.com/trenton-fl/events/show/86118279-suwannee-valley-quilt-old-time-craft-festival Mary Z. & Bob Cox play banjo, dulcimer & guitar at 2:00 PM on the Old Railroad Depot stage--old time music and dancing in the afternnoon with Tom and Ellen Hogan & the Flying Turtles and the Hot Pepper Steppers :)
Contact Information:
Web site: http://thingstodo.msn.com/trenton-fl/events/show/86118279-suwannee-valley-quilt-old-time-craft-festi

Location Information:
Trenton, FL
United States







Tallahassee Community Friends of Old Time Dance

Date: 3/28/2009
7:30 PM - 10:30 PM






Saturday, March 28th, 2009


Tallahassee Community Friends of Old Time Dance

Drumming On the Edge of Banjo with Mary Z. Cox & Yazid - 7:30-10:30 PM

Tallahassee FL
850-421-1559


Price: TBA
Two time Florida Banjo Champion, Mary Z. Cox, and African Caribbean drummer, Yazid, blend early Florida roots music in highly percussive rhythms for dancing and listening.


Yazid (William Johnson) is a professional drummer and percussion instructor that plays regularly with several performance and dance groups all over Florida. His musical background ranges from professor of ethnomusicology at Florida State University to drummer for Marvin Gaye.

Mary Z. Cox, banjo recording artist, plays banjo with her guitarist husband, Bob Cox, in concerts and workshops from coast to coast, and has also played for old time dances in Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina for many dance groups.

Mary Z. & Yazid are very pleased to introduce this new sound that draws from the not so diverse African/Caribbean and Southern banjo cultures. The banjo is, after all, a drum with strings.

Yazid and Mary Z. are currently recording a “Drumming On the Edge of Banjo” CD which will hopefully be available in 2009.
For more details:
Contact Mary Allgire at (850) 421-1559 or by sending e-mail to: maryallgire@yahoo.com
or mail to: TCFOOTD, P.O. Box 5992, Tallahassee, FL. 32314
Contact Information:
Name: Mary Allgire
Phone: 850- 421-1559

Location Information:
Tallahassee, FL
United States







Will Mclean Festival

Date: 4/3/2009






Friday, April 3rd, 2009


Will Mclean Festival



Mary Z. & Bob Cox at Willfest


Dunnelon FL


April 3, 4, 5, 2009
More details arriving soon.
See festival website for latest information.


Contact Information:

Location Information:
Dunnelon, FL
United States



Be A Banjo Star: Banjo workshop with Mary Z. Cox

Date: 4/12/2009


Sunday, April 12th-17th 2009

John C. Campbell Folk School

Be A Banjo Star: Continuing Clawhammer Banjo
April 12-17 2009


Expand your repertoire of banjo tunes, while improving your technique and tone. We'll explore tunings beyond basic G, begin drop thumbing, and play together as a class to steady right hand rhythms and practice simple chordal back up.
This is going to be great fun--the food and facilites are awesome at Campbell--and it will be a week of fun and banjo!)
Contact John C. Campbell Folk School for free color catalog and registration.
Contact Information:
Web site: http://www.folkschool.org
Phone: 1-800-365-5724

Location Information:
One Folk School Road
Brasstown, NC 28902
United States




www.maryzcox.com
webpage

www.secretbanjo.blogspot.com
a secret life of banjo blog :)

Ragtime Annie on Goldtone Cello Banjo & Chuck Lee Banjo

Happy Thanksgiving

 

If you order "Walkin' That Banjo Home" CD and/or tab book before the the end of November from my website--I'll send you a free bonus experimental MP3 by email. :)

Old Blue Bus review of Florida Banjo

Old Blue Bus
an audio blog with no particular destination
Monday, October 20, 2008
New Release: Mary Z. Cox - Florida Banjo


Florida Banjo is the latest CD from one of our favorite old-time banjo players. Mary Z. Cox has introduced the art of pre-Scruggs style banjo to an entire generation. Through her workshops and classes she has unleashed a vibrant community of old-time banjo and dulcimer players on a musical world that had all but forgotten the beauty of clawhammer style banjo. As usual, Mary has also provided tabulature for the songs on Florida Banjo available as a book for aspiring banjo players.

The fifteen songs on Florida Banjo not only showcase one of the most amazing practitioners of old-time banjo, but some other mighty fine musicians as well. As expected, Mary's husband Bob Cox adds his delightful flat-picked guitar. The sounds of Bob's guitar and Mary's banjo intertwine so effortlessly, as only a duet with decades of musical intimacy can. Other guest artists adding to this thoroughly enjoyable album are Kerry Blech, Jim Crozier, Lo Gordon and Ellen Sheppard.

Mary Z. Cox was interviewed by Larry Wines for his syndicated radio and television show "Tied to the Tracks." The show has yet to air, but the interview is available online (video here.) Be sure to watch all five segments, each featuring a wonderful performance by Mary Z. Cox, often accompanied by Bob Cox.

For those of you that already own Mary Z. Cox's CDs, Florida Banjo is a must-have, as I don't know of anyone who owns only one Mary Z. Cox CD. All six of Mary Z. Cox's CDs are cherished treasures in my own collection. Those of you not yet initiated, give a listen to the track below and watch the video above. Then follow one of the links below to start your collection.

Mary Z. Cox - Wind That Shakes the Barley.mp3
beautifully performed on her custom Deering GDL Banjo.

Artist: Mary Z. Cox
Ttile: Florida Banjo
Artist Website: maryzcox.com
Mary's blog: A Secret Life of Banjo
MySpace: myspace.com/banjodreamin
CDs and downloads available at:
maryzcox.com
CD Baby
County Sales
Elderly Instruments
Amazon.com
or your local independent record store.

posted by Ed at 10/20/2008 09:05:00 PM

Drumming On the Edge of Banjo (Mary Z. Cox & Yazid)

A new sound coming in my secret life of banjo. :) Acoustic percussion has been working its way into the edges of my banjo, resulting in a new group forming (Bob & I are still very much recording and performing our duet--this is an additional group that we think world music fans will enjoy.

We are "Drumming On the Edge Of Banjo" and here is our short bio.
Two time Florida Banjo Champion, Mary Z. Cox, and African Caribbean drummer, Yazid, blend early Florida roots music in highly percussive rhythms for dancing and listening.

Yazid (William Johnson), a former professor of ethnomusicology at Florida State University, and drummer for Marvin Gaye, is a professional drummer and percussion instructor that plays regularly with several performance and dance groups all over Florida.

Mary Z. Cox, banjo recording artist, plays banjo with her guitarist husband, Bob Cox, in concerts and workshops from coast to coast, and has also played for old time dances in Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina for many dance groups.

Mary Z. & Yazid are very pleased to introduce this new sound that draws from the not so diverse African/Caribbean and Southern banjo cultures. The banjo, is, after all, a drum with strings.

Yazid and Mary Z. are currently recording a “Drumming On the Edge of Banjo” CD which will hopefully be available in 2009. 

Sound files coming soon. For booking information (concerts and dances) please contact me at:
maryz@maryzcox.com

Guitar camp pix/ Mary Z. & Gordy Cox

New banjo and pickers pix--it may be you :)

Boy did we have a lot of fun in White Springs, Pasadena, Albuquerque, Fayetteville, Mountain View, Brasstown and many other wonderful places this year. Take a look--you may see someone you know! :)

Be A Banjo Star/ Mary Z. Cox banjo class

Here's another class of brilliant and fun banjoists from the John C. Campbell Folk School. July 4, 2008/Brasstown, NC