Banjo Beats by Bullard

I had the privilege of watching a John Bullard concert (virtually, of course), that was filmed at PVCC’s Main Stage theater on Sept. 19, and was only available to view until Sept. 27. With two banjos by his side…well both sides, one being a classical banjo and the other a cello banjo, he takes the viewer on an interesting journey that is made up of great music and even a little banjo-related history thrown in there as well.

He started off with a short prelude by Robert de Visée, which is a piece that was originally written for the baroque guitar. Following that was “Bourree II” from Bache’s 4th cello suite. Then finally he finished playing solo with “Kemp’s Jig,” which is a piece from the late Renaissance era. 

This is the section of the concert I loved the most (even though all of it was fantastic). The moment he started strumming his fingers on one of those banjos, I almost felt mesmerized in a way. Never before have I heard banjo playing that was this good. Each feeling I got from his music, all the pictures that formed in my head, he was describing exactly before playing each piece. Afterwards, he got his friend, Marcus Compton, on stage to play “Three Romances” by Robert Schumann together, and they both did a few more pieces after that as well.

Overall, I was very pleased with the performances of both Bullard and Compton. It really made me look at banjo music in a different way and made me appreciate it much more. From the first to the last, each section of music had this almost melancholy feel to it. Because of that, you can just feel the passion both men have for not just their instruments, but music as well. You can hear it through each note they play. 

In times such as these that we are living in, with how drastically COVID-19 has altered people’s lives and the world as a whole, I feel that music is one of the few things that, although can not change what is going on, can at least bring much needed peace and serenity, and Bullard did exactly that.