Snazzy Productions and The Ugly Mug Present
George Stavis
one of the finest banjo players of his generation
Friday February 24th, 2023 – 7:00PM
The Ugly Mug – Soquel, CA
$25 In Advance /At The Door
Reserve your seats by calling 831-479-9421. Money may also be collected at the door.
Show has limited seating, so get your tickets early!
George Stavis, an American banjo player perhaps best known for his 1969 album Labyrinths, an album considered a landmark in the development of improvisational banjo performance. Stavis is a singular player, among the finest 5-string banjo players of his generation. Although trained in the traditions of Pete Seeger and Earl Scruggs, in the late 1960s Stavis developed a unique approach to the instrument which expanded it in both popular and exotic directions. His first solo album, Labyrinths, on the Vanguard label, is considered a landmark for improvisational performance (“. . . one of the essential albums, in any genre, of the 1960s.” –Glenn Jones), one that brought the banjo into the “world music” category, with its evocations of jazz, classical and Indian music.
Later, Stavis developed the electric banjo, fronting a popular West Coast band, Oganookie, who performed up to 160 nights per year. In the mid-’80s, Stavis released a folk orchestral album, Morning Mood, which featured his long-time collaborator, violinist / fiddler Robert Stern, and included such notables as Darol Anger and Mike Marshall on violin and mandolin, respectively.
Stavis has performed on eight recordings, including four as principal, and has opened for such artists as Richie Havens, Neil Young, the Grateful Dead and Jean-Luc Ponty, as well as performing duets with another of the banjo’s most notable innovators, the late Bill Keith. His early work has recently been re-released in Italy and the U.K., and a recent solo piece can be heard on Imaginational Anthem, Vol. 3 (Tompkins Square). He still plays out from time to time, and recently performed to a rapt audience at the Thousand Incarnations of the Rose Festival of American Primitive Music. This is a perfect chance to hear a master of his instrument.