Bill Evans - 2022 winner of the Steve Martin Banjo Prize and Tiki Parlour Recordings have collaborated on the ultimate banjo recording set (CD & DVD) of the 21st century. Bill Evans' The Banjo in America celebrates 250 years of music performed on a variety of banjos from the Haitian-inspired banza to the Gibson Mastertone and eight other historical instruments in between. “The Banjo in America” traces the complex musical history of the banjo through two centuries of African-American and Anglo-American cultural exchange. Bill is one of the few musicians who has mastered multiple American banjo styles including 19th century stroke style, old-time finger styles, classic banjo of the ragtime era, Scruggs-style bluegrass and beyond, to his many original tunes. These styles are all displayed here, performed on a stunning variety of historic and reproduction instruments. Very few musicians have the ability and experience to boast such a dazzling display of banjo alchemy and this set is unlike any other ever recorded. Bill’s extensive liner notes provide the background and context for each piece and Tiki Parlour’s stunning video work captures each performance in gorgeous detail.

“Bill Evans is one of our finest banjo players, at home in styles ranging from the earliest American repertoire to contemporary bluegrass and beyond. His The Banjo In America is a fascinating trip from the very late 18 th- and mid-19 th -Century styles up through Earl Scruggs’s crucial innovations of the mid-20 th  Century, finally landing among some of Evans’ own lovely compositions. The set’s booklet provides his own erudite commentary on the historical and musical backgrounds of the selections, and the DVD is a special joy. The visual beauty of the various instruments played, and the elegance and grace of Evans’ performances, make this a valuable and very enjoyable contribution to our understanding of the development of this instrument’s roots in the African diaspora, and its flowering amid this nation’s vivid and varied history." Tom Piazza, author of Why New Orleans Matters and Devil Sent The Rain

“You will find none better in presenting a program on the banjo in America than banjoist Bill Evans. He couples his scholarly knowledge of the history of this wonderful Americanized instrument with his world class playing skills to elucidate and entertain at every twist and turn of the banjo glorious journey.” Alan Munde, 2021 Steve Martin Banjo Award recipient

"As the tape rolls on Bill Evans’ one-man show, The Banjo in America, it’s clear that one thing Evans loves about his instrument of choice is that it contains multitudes.” Jim Borwick, Bluegrass
Unlimited