Sad news

[marc dalmasso]

Hello everybody

would like to share a very sad new , my long time friend ( almost 50 years ) Eric Stefanelli , fine banjo ' player & luthier passed away yesterday 16 august 2024 because of  __ rupture anévrisme cardiaque__sorry don 't know how to translate this  in English .He was 69

it ' s a heavy lost for me & others  classical/ old time / bluegrass / jazz ' banjo friends & Patricia , his wife & his daughters ; RIP

BTW , would say my dad is also gone , last year , he was 92  , i cherish the many  classic banjo videos we used to do & post here and on youtube with him and my son Remi on washboard or banjo . having many piano ' lessons on piano with his grandfather & drums ' lessons .

Rémi falled in the bluegrass ' pot

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyzCzoi8u_A

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z53h2hfnjSc

best regards , classic banjo 'players

[thereallyniceman]

Oh Marc!, that is such very sad news. Eric was such a great web-friend and always happy and pleased to share his great banjo knowledge.  I was (and still am) so shocked and upset to hear this.

Please pass all my, and those from CB Ning's condolenses to Pat and all his family. This is a VERY VERY sad day for Classic banjo.

I loved your videos with your father and I am sure that Remi will get back into Classic banjo soon !!!

Thank you Marc for letting us know, and I sure that you and many in the banjo world too are very upset about the sad news.

Ian

[thereallyniceman]

One of my favourites from Eric, Pat and Isabelle Hermant 

[Jody Stecher]

Marc, I send my condolences to you for your dad and your good friend and to Patricia for her husband.  I am moved to tears. Eric was a fabulous person as well as a splendid musician and luthier.  I had many email conversations with him while he was building me a banjo. And he had enough English to convey his unique sense of humor.  What a loss for the world.

By the way, the word in English is almost the same as in French: aneurysm.  

[Jody Stecher]

One of Europe's very best banjo players and probably the best European banjo luthier to ever live has passed away and there are only 37 views!  That is so sad.  Comments are not necessary.  But I would have hoped that more people would be interested to read Marc Dalmasso's post and the comments.  I hope it is because it is a summer  weekend  and people are not looking at their devices.  

Jody Stecher said:

Marc, I send my condolences to you for your dad and your good friend and to Patricia for her husband.  I am moved to tears. Eric was a fabulous person as well as a splendid musician and luthier.  I had many email conversations with him while he was building me a banjo. And he had enough English to convey his unique sense of humor.  What a loss for the world.

By the way, the word in English is almost the same as in French: aneurysm.  

[Joel Hooks]

I saw this on Facebook, and it was sudden and unexpected.  I did not know Eric outside of the virtual world but he was always pleasant to me and I did "follow" him on FB. 

I don't have much to add other than it was clear he was a talent in many arts and aspects of life.

[Jody Stecher]

Yes, Eric was also a practitioner of Japanese calligraphy. He made lutes as well as banjos, and earlier in his life he built pipe organs.  In making banjo necks he made his own varnish using  fruit alcohol from trees growing right outside his house, He made inlay from shell in its natural state.  I wouldn't be surprised if he collected the shell from the seashore but maybe he purchased it. ( I know several guitar builders who fell the trees themselves to get the wood for their instruments.)

He made his own bridges and always tried several until he found the perfect one for each banjo he made. He used natural vellums (I don't think he personally killed the animals for their skins) and although it's a bit labor intensive, he would replace a newly  mounted vellum  if it did not produce the sound he was looking for. 

Joel Hooks said:

I saw this on Facebook, and it was sudden and unexpected.  I did not know Eric outside of the virtual world but he was always pleasant to me and I did "follow" him on FB. 

I don't have much to add other than it was clear he was a talent in many arts and aspects of life.

[carrie horgan]

I am sorry for the loss of your friend Marc.  I enjoyed the videos of you playing with Eric and his wife, Patricia.  They were an inspiration when I was discovering classic-style banjo pieces.  I also remember marvelling at his luthier website (before he stepped away from banjo building) - I recall that he created a banjo with a scalloped fretboard for ease of fretting.  I had some contact with him on FB through a mutual appreciation of jazz banjo.  He was always encouraging of other people's playing and great loss to the banjo community.

[Richard William Ineson]

A great shock to me, Eric was a wonderful man with great skill and many interests. Thankfully, his magnificent musical instruments will keep his memory alive for hundreds of years to come.

[marc dalmasso]

I would like to thank you , my classic banjo ' friends for your kind words and the acknowledgement of Eric ' talents

Thank you Ian , Jody , Joel , Carrie , Richard

i am  glad that many videos with him  will survive and show his wonderful syncopation ' technique when he was playing 1st banjo ; Kind regards / Marc