Edison cylinder recording of Joe Roberts playing Chung Lo by Neil Moret

[Richard William Ineson]

[Richard William Ineson]

I found this in a box full of cylinders in a local antique shop, I've not come across Joe Roberts before but he is/was quite a banjo player

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUPNiVhg1l0

[Jody Stecher]

From the sound of the chords I would say the banjo is tuned CGBD. I think this is being played with a plectrum. According to the internet, which is always right (or maybe not), Joe Roberts was an early mentor to Roy Smeck. The latter is associated with tenor banjo (CGDE) so I am a bit corn-fused.

Also the recording quality is better than what I would expect from a cylinder recording. Is it possible to make a cylinder recording with microphones?

[Joel Hooks]

This must predate that "wacky wacky" Peabody strumming that became default for pick playing (and imitated by Shakey's Pizza Mustachers). 

I'm not a fan of that, this I like. 

[Trapdoor2]

The recoeding is dated 1923, contemporary with Eddie Peabody (who got out of the Navy in '21 and went directly onstage). Peabody had a good run between wars, but the nostalgia boom of the 50's (Dixieland, etc.) put him on the map. E.P. put the banjo bug in my ears when I was a kid.

That has got to be a very late Edison cylinder pressing. They were phased out in the 20's, IIRC.

[Steve Harrison]

If anyone wants to give this a try, there is an arrangement of Chung Lo in the library that I wrote some time back. It's not too challenging to play and the tempo is much slower than that on the recording...Steve.