Seth Swingle
Friday January 13th at 7pm
at C’ville Coffee 1301 Harris Street Charlottesville VA 22903
Photo by Pat Jarrett
Tickets $11 adv/$13 door
Advance tickets available at http://prismcoffeehouse.org/ or by emailing prismcoffeehouse@gmail.com
Seth Swingle is an award-winning banjo and kora player. A curious and
dedicated practitioner of traditional music, he has studied Southern
banjo styles with folklorist Mike Seeger, been a finalist in the
Clifftop banjo competition for the past 3 years, and is two-time
Virginia State Banjo Champion. He plays a variety of archaic regional
banjo styles including clawhammer, index- and thumb-lead 2-finger,
up-picking and 3-finger. A typical show includes performances on
5-string banjo, 6-string banjo, mandoline-banjo, mountain banjo, and
gourd banjo. This show will also feature a set of music played on the
kora.
Seth has spent several years in West Africa studying the kora, a
21-string harp. One of the few stringed instruments capable of
counterpoint with itself, the kora can produce mesmerizing layers of
bass lines, melodies, and harmonies. Seth has spent years studying the
kora in Mali as a Fulbright scholar and independent artist. As an
apprentice of kora master Toumani Kouyaté, he has developed a deep
understanding of Mandé traditional music, from centuries-old court
pieces to blazing contemporary dance tunes.
His first solo recording, Solo 5- and 6-String Banjo, was released at a
standing-room only Prism Coffeehouse show last year. His first album of
traditional West African music, recorded with Lassana Diabaté and Barou
Kouyaté, is due out in 2017.
Seth is currently based in London, England, and is hard at work on a
banjo instructional website for obscure banjo-specific music.
“Seth Swingle is really like several banjo players all rolled into one.
He has mastered a wide range of traditional styles…” –Mark Schatz
“From the first time I showed him a song on the n’goni, I have been
amazed by his ability to hear the music, watch me play it, and play it
himself. Seth is young, but he has the mind of the very old.” –Cheick
Hamala Diabaté
“Seth Swingle has already had the musical experience of a player twice
his age… from African roots to American traditions including claw-hammer
and three-finger bluegrass, Seth is well on his way to conquering them
all.” –Bob Carlin