Not heard Ernest Jones play? Now is your chance!

 

 

A superb recording of the outstanding Classic fingerstyle banjo playing of Ernest Jones has just been made available. Ernest Jones’ technique often makes use of the most amazing finger tremolo that I have ever heard. The piece sounds as though, at times, he is using a plectrum… but no, fingerstyle it is.

 

Prepare to be amazed!

ERNEST JONES playing MIGHTY AMERICA

 

This a tune from the “Yankiana” Suite composed by T.W. Thurban.

 

There is an article about Ernest Jones playing on David Wade’s Zither Banjo site, if you would like to find more about Ernest’s playing:

ERNEST JONES ON ZB.org

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Permalink Reply by Mike Moss on July 1, 2012 at 11:08

This is one of the most amazing things I've ever listened to.

Permalink Reply by Bob gaddis on July 1, 2012 at 11:33

Wow. Since I'm just beginning to explore this genre, could someone elucidate exactly what makes a zither banjo, a "zither" banjo?

Permalink Reply by Mike Moss on July 1, 2012 at 11:38

The zither banjo is just a banjo in which the head is mounted on a round metal rim which is mounted to the body of the banjo with screws... the "resonator" and the neck are both wooden and built in one piece, unlike in the Gibson construction where the resonator is separate and attached to the rim by a flange. The head usually has a small diameter, between 7 and 9", which gives it more treble and less bass than a regular banjo.

The zither banjo also uses hybrid strings -- steel 1st, 2nd and 5th, nylon 3rd and wound 4th. It can be played both soft (Cammeyer style) or hard (Ollie Oakley style) which makes it a very versatile instrument.

I prefer the ordinary banjo, though, for the extra bass response and bigger volume.

Permalink Reply by Sylvia on July 1, 2012 at 13:28

That was brilliant.  Thanks for posting Ian.

Permalink Reply by Trapdoor2 on July 1, 2012 at 16:58

How cool is that?!

I wonder what he would have sounded like on a "real" banjo? ;-)

From his picture and the tone he is getting, I would say he falls into the category of "nail player". Amazing technique, for sure. Thanks Ian!

Permalink Reply by Hal Allert on July 9, 2012 at 19:51

I have 8 tunes by Ernest Jones: Riverside March, Heather Blossom, Joy Dance, La Vivandiere, Mighty America, Carry On, Darktown Dandies, and Ragtime Episode. He doesn't only play zither banjo. His regular banjo playing is very crisp and strong. I will try to upload these files to you all.

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Permalink Reply by Hal Allert on July 9, 2012 at 19:52

Here are three more Ernest Jones tunes.

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Permalink Reply by Hal Allert on July 9, 2012 at 19:54

Here are the final two songs. Be forewarned, these are not Grandpa Jones tunes.

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Permalink Reply by David Wade on July 10, 2012 at 6:01

Mike, sorry I need to correct you here, the resonator or body and neck are not "built in one piece". The shoulders you see on high end Windsors and B&M/Abbotts are added to the basic construction and then verneered over with a continous piece of verneer to give the impression of it being a single unit.

At this end of their life, it very easy to see if the neck has moved as you get horizontal cracks in the shoulder verneer. They are repairable when this starts to happen - but it requires the skills of a luthier of the calibre of David Oddy.

Just for the record Clifford Essex Music supply zither-banjo strings both regular and Cammeyer - the guages are based on the original research and calculations that Nick Bamber and I did ten or so years ago when we started zither-banjo.org.

Mike Moss said:

The zither banjo is just a banjo in which the head is mounted on a round metal rim which is mounted to the body of the banjo with screws... the "resonator" and the neck are both wooden and built in one piece, unlike in the Gibson construction where the resonator is separate and attached to the rim by a flange. The head usually has a small diameter, between 7 and 9", which gives it more treble and less bass than a regular banjo.

The zither banjo also uses hybrid strings -- steel 1st, 2nd and 5th, nylon 3rd and wound 4th. It can be played both soft (Cammeyer style) or hard (Ollie Oakley style) which makes it a very versatile instrument.

I prefer the ordinary banjo, though, for the extra bass response and bigger volume.

Permalink Reply by David Wade on July 10, 2012 at 6:19

Great stuff Hal, well done.

BUT  I must correct you the first two sides that you have uploaded are NOT by Ernest Jones, they are played by Alfred Oswin Warriner Kirby. Indeed these are the only two sides commercially recorded by Kirby. The sheet music was published by Ernest Jones and the two were close friends which is where you may have got confused. Kirby played zither-banjo on these recordings which were done in London for the Piccadilly label during July 1930, Norman Hackforth was the pianist.  

Ernest Jones recorded on a Cammeyer Vibrante a total of 12 sides in three recording sesssions - the first session was in April 1929 and consisted of : Niggertown; Mississippi Bubble; Swanee Echoes and Pompadour. The pianist here was Jack Venables.

The six sides that you have uploaded were recorded in two session in 1930, April and September. Leslie Bartlett was the pianist. The two sides missing from these sessions are two Grimshaw numbers: The Return of the Regimant and the Kilties.
Jones "retired" in the 1940's at "His Majesties Pleasure"......the family moved to the Channel Islands.

Permalink Reply by Mike Moss on July 10, 2012 at 8:27

Thanks Dave, I stand corrected. So these recordings were made by Alfred Kirby? It's always great to be able to listen to pieces played by the composer himself!

Permalink Reply by Hal Allert on July 10, 2012 at 17:59

Thanks David, for the correction. I think I got the music from you some time ago along with John Pidoux and Bertie Owen. I just assumed it was Ernest Jones. I will make a note of it in my music. I am sorry for misleading the rest of you. Thank goodness it really wasn't Grandpa Jones.

David Wade said:

Great stuff Hal, well done.

BUT  I must correct you the first two sides that you have uploaded are NOT by Ernest Jones, they are played by Alfred Oswin Warriner Kirby. Indeed these are the only two sides commercially recorded by Kirby. The sheet music was published by Ernest Jones and the two were close friends which is where you may have got confused. Kirby played zither-banjo on these recordings which were done in London for the Piccadilly label during July 1930, Norman Hackforth was the pianist.  

Ernest Jones recorded on a Cammeyer Vibrante a total of 12 sides in three recording sesssions - the first session was in April 1929 and consisted of : Niggertown; Mississippi Bubble; Swanee Echoes and Pompadour. The pianist here was Jack Venables.

The six sides that you have uploaded were recorded in two session in 1930, April and September. Leslie Bartlett was the pianist. The two sides missing from these sessions are two Grimshaw numbers: The Return of the Regimant and the Kilties.
Jones "retired" in the 1940's at "His Majesties Pleasure"......the family moved to the Channel Islands.

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