Fortunately for future generations, a modest, unassuming and extremely talented musician/author/musicologist/educator named Bruce Burnside is hard at work keeping this aspect of our culture alive. Bruce has dedicated his entire life to playing, recording and respecting these important traditions. Recently, BSRR caught up with Bruce to ask a few questions about his work and all important goal of preserving our musical culture.
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BSRR:
Why is preserving traditional music so important? What is that our culture gains by making sure that the music remains intact for future generations?Bruce Burnside:
Traditional music for any culture is a reflection of the different social levels within that culture. For America, the diversity of the land and living experiences along with the expanse of years created songs. These songs, with their origins in distant lands, were created to tell the American experience. It's important for us to keep the wisdom in these songs alive to teach us about our lives today. The daily interpretation of old melodies and stories gives us, as a culture, free will and creativity to put music in our hearts. That experience gives traditional music life for each generation and provides a national idiom of social communication.
BSRR:
What got you interested in traditional music to begin with?
Burnside:
I got interested through learning to play guitar. The techniques of playing took me from Chicago blues to Delta blues, from Johnny Cash to Jimmie Rodgers , from what a guitar's role was in a string band, bluegrass band, jug band, blues band, jazz band, and rock band to the folk revival of the Sixties when traditional music resurfaced. I didn't learn everything but at least became aware of all of it.
BSRR:
How many instruments do you play? Which one do you prefer and why?
Burnside:
I'm still learning to play the instruments I play, which includes the banjo family, the mandolin family, electric and acoustic guitar and assorted others. The banjo family includes the five string instruments of banjeaurine, piccolo banjo, banjo, cello banjo, mandolin banjo, and ukulele banjo; different banjos are set up to play different styles, such as claw hammer or "frailing", bluegrass and classic, using nylon or gut strings as do the first four I mentioned. Mandolin, mandola and mando-cello are the mandolin family instruments I play. In addition, if I need a dobro, auto harp or dulcimer part for a recording, and I can't find anyone who plays, then I'll try to locate the instrument and practice enough to record the part. Actually, I don't really feel accomplished on any instrument. I just play and most of the time it sounds good; I have learned my limits and what not to attempt.
Different instruments inspire me in different ways. I write melodies for the banjo that are "banjoesque"; in other words the sound and physical placement of the notes contribute to the melody that gets written. Learning from the classic banjo compositions of the period from 1850-1910 along with the techniques found in the fiddle/banjo music of the Southeast, has helped give me a foundation to work from. The same idea applies to mandolin and guitar. Certain instruments have certain sounds that bring out different responses from my heart to the instrument. I write with my heart, by the way. It's something I've learned to trust and I let it take the lead in guiding me from the beginning to the end of a melody. My entire inner body projects the rhythm. Rather than prefer one instrument, I let them all have their place.
BSRR:
Speaking of writing with your heart, there are two songs in particular on your CD " Three Stag To An Oak" ((c) Bruce Burnside, 2004, Tortoise Humor Recordings) that touched my heart, "Oh My Little One" and "A Path Towards Erin". What inspired you to write these songs?
Burnside:
"Oh My Little One" is a lullaby to us all. It is about life's journey and was inspired by being a child, an adult and a parent. "A Path Towards Erin" is in the classic banjo tradition of the 1880-1890 period of five string banjo. I wrote it with an Irish sound, hence the title.
BSRR:
How did you devise the name Tortoise Humor Recordings?
Burnside:
The name Tortoise Humor was a phrase that one of the members of the band I've been in for 27 years used to describe my sense of humor. I studied herpetology as a young person and kept hundreds of turtles, tortoises, snakes,horned toads, etc. The phrase fit - the motto is "A winning way at a slower pace". It also means that it is my studio. I work on projects that I choose. It is not commercially available. I designed it to do multiple acoustic tracks. The hand time is set for an acoustic sound. I don't have to do something I don't like or a poor job because it's rushed.
BSRR:
What is the purpose of Forgotten Wisdom? How does it fit in with your mission of preserving the past?
Burnside:
Forgotten Wisdom is a 501 (c) 3 (IRS designation for nonprofit - Editor's Note) which allows me to write and receive grant money and donations. The mission statement includes preserving fretted string instrument techniques that are lost or endangered.
BSRR:
What musicians have you played with that impressed you the most?
Burnside:
The most impressive musician I've worked with is Vassar Clements. His playing always had great power, vitality and surprise. ...A person I got to know a little, initially through Vassar, was Jethro Burns who was the greatest player I ever heard. No matter who he was on stage with, Jethro could raise the intensity effortlessly...There is a very long list of other musicians I have stood next to that have impressed me - Johnny Cash for his focus and simplicity, Willie Nelson for his ability to pull in an audience, Steve Goodman for his showmanship and musical versatility. Remember, I play, listen and compose with my heart. All the sounds that touch me make a deep impression - Sonny Boy Williamson, The Band, Eva Cassidy... the entire New Grass crew of Sam Bush, Bela Fleck , Edgar Meyer, Jerry Douglas and the next generation like Chris Thile and Bryan Sutton.
BSRR:
What projects are you currently working on? What projects are you planning for the future?
Burnside:
Currently I'm writing, recording and composing for a radio documentary about the area of Wisconsin I live in. It's a small, remote valley settled by the mixed blood descendants of French Canadians and Ojibwa Indians in 1884 after the final treaty was signed. The original families are still the residents. I have collected information for over twenty years. Last year, I wrote a presentation on the area and recorded the elders, funded by the Wisconsin Humanities Council.
In the future, I hope to complete a musical history of westward expansion through the Midwest. Some songs have been written and some research done. I'm also near the end of an instrumental CD. I have at least two more CDs worth of material written. I'd like to write something for children in hospitals and am considering researching and writing a play for kids to perform about health, nutrition and weight.
I do what I do because it makes people happier, helps kids learn and develop, and it makes me happy as well.
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There is absolutely no question in my mind that long after the latest "manufactured" pop star self destructs in some trailer park tragedy, the work and the music of Bruce Burnside will help define and enrich our culture for generations to come. But don't just take my word for it. For complete information on the Tortoise Humor catalog, performance schedules and general information, go to http://www.bruceburnside.com/ . You'll discover the work and the philosophy of a true musical genius.
