TONY TRISCHKA
Banjo master Tony Trischka’s video, below, for his instrumental “Great Big World” starts with the description “Tony Trischka: a day on tour.” But it’s not a typical day. His show that night — with NY Banjo Summit, an all-star group assembled by Béla Fleck — took place at the State Theatre in New Brunswick. So as you can see in the beginning of the video, the longtime Fair Lawn resident was able to begin the day at his home.
The show took place in January 2014; other musicians visible in the video include Noam Pikelny, Pete Wernick, Abigail Washburn and Casey Driessen. Regular State Theatre patrons will recognize the marquee, the lobby and so on.
Trischka first became well known as a member of the progressive bluegrass (or “newgrass”) group Skyline in the ’70s and ’80s. Since then, in addition to touring and recording as a solo artist, he has worked with everyone from the Violent Femmes to Steve Martin.
Perhaps his main claim to fame, though, is serving as Fleck’s mentor. “My springboard was Tony Trischka, and without Tony, none of what’s happened with my music would have happened,” Fleck once said.
New Jersey celebrated its 350th birthday in 2014. And in the 350 Jersey Songs series, we marked the occasion by posting 350 songs — one a day, from September 2014 to September 2015 — that have something to do with the state, its musical history, or both. To see the entire list, click here.
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