By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times
During their recent Independence Day concert, the Bluegrass Wind Ensemble (BWE) performed what might have just been a first – an arrangement of the John Philip Sousa classic “Stars and Stripes Forever” featuring banjo, and brought to life by the director and an alumnus of the East Carter High School Band.
ECHS band director Logan Skidmore explained that he helped arrange the piece for the instrument, including devising an alternate tuning for the banjo that would fit with the tune, after discussions with BWE founder John Johnson. But when it came time to play the piece, he realized his limitations.
“I just wasn’t fast enough,” the multi-instrumentalist stated matter-of-factly, humbly noting that he simply didn’t have enough experience with banjo to pull it off.
So, he turned to someone who did have enough experience, his friend and former student Cameron Stamper. While the banjo wasn’t part of his high school music education – Stamper was a brass player – it has been an important part of his life since high school.
“I have been very purposeful in keeping music in my life after high school, even if the process looks a little different these days,” Stamper said. “I ended up trading the tuba for the banjo; brass didn’t match the coffee table I had at the time.”
He said it’s an activity that helps keep him focused and in the present.
“Playing music is one of those rare activities where you really have to put all of your mental and physical focus into it,” he explained. “ You can’t wander off or think about whatever is eating at you while you practice. You are totally in the present, and your whole purpose in that given moment is to create something.”
And, Stamper added, “What’s really nice is that sometimes you can make something others enjoy, and help them have a little escape too. My grandfather always sat on the porch and played his banjo for the family when I was a kid, and I can remember being totally awestruck by it. It’s nice to give other people that experience from time to time.”
And that’s exactly what Stamper did with the Bluegrass Wind Ensemble.
“It was a hoot!” he said of the experience. “Being surrounded by such talent is so special. I was not a BWE regular, and yet everyone made me feel like I’ve been playing with them for years. There really is something almost primordial about playing live with a group.”
And taking on such a unique arrangement, he said, was also fantastic, describing it as “a trip.”
“Logan… approached me at the start of the summer looking for a banjo player. To play Sousa. I had never heard of such an idea, nor had any of my friends or family. I couldn’t refuse. If you haven’t seen it, I picked along with the harp and piccolo parts. Logan did a great job of integrating the banjo and actually arranging it like a bluegrass part; for instance, during the first couple of pages, the banjo part would pinch and softly roll, like an actual bluegrass backup arrangement.”
“Actually, performing the part was equally insane,” Stamper continued. “Throughout middle and high school, I was usually situated in the back of the band with the rest of the low brass. Needless to say, I was shocked when I found out I’d be playing in front of the entire band, unshielded by the trumpets and woodwinds like I was used to.”
But, Skidmore noted, Stamper more than rose to the occasion, turning in a stellar performance.
Stamper and Skidmore were joined by fellow East Carter High School alumni and students including Sarah Gollihue, Allyson Robinson, and Landon Newell.
BWE founder Johnson said he was glad to finally bring Bluegrass arrangements and instrumentation to the Bluegrass Wind Ensemble.
“For the past 20 years or so I am sure people have attended our concerts with the hope of getting some outstanding Bluegrass music,” he said. “This year we finally did it! Adding Cameron in on the Stars and Stripes Forever was a fantastic moment.”
Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com
