In my many years of playing the banjo I would hear a few bluegrass old-timers draw attention to a talented young player with the comment, “He/she will really make a player when they get older.” As I listened, I thought, “he is already very good and will only get better.” Young Izaak Atlas Schwartz proves beyond any doubt he is already a mature player with a wealth of exceptionally wonderful banjo music to offer.
Born in Portsmouth, Virginia in 2011, Izaak began the piano at the age of five and displayed an ability to memorize entire classical works by ear. He soon added Appalachian traditional instruments and music to his interests before the family moved to the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. There he developed a deeper connection to the music of his ancestral roots in the southeastern United States. The new family home was well placed near the historic Wind Gap Bluegrass Festival and the Appalachian Fiddle and Bluegrass Association. Here he had many opportunities and the local support to develop his considerable skills on the banjo. He grew to love and play in both the three-finger style of modern bluegrass, as well as the old-time clawhammer style of traditional mountain music. Additionally, Izaak had the very good fortune to study with Berklee School of Music graduate and master banjo player, teacher Trevin Nelson.
Izaak’s exceptional talent is on full display in this album. Presented here are a variety of banjo styles that showcase a high level of skill, precision, and the insights of the highly detailed world of the five-string banjo. Many of his original tunes reflect his connection to his environment, as with the ominous sounding “Black Oak Ridge,” which was inspired by a true murder story that happened near Oak Ridge, Tennessee and has become part of the folklore of the area.
“Ol’ Blue” is a piece he wrote to celebrate his grandfather, David Schwartz, and his 1963 blue Kenworth truck named, “Ol Blue.”
Izaak says, “he intended the song to evoke the experience of carefree pleasure he got while driving it down the bumpy dirt roads he worked.”
“Icy Holler” is yet another tune inspired by an actual “nail-biting” event. The family was driving to a musical show and took a side trip to explore local sights and wound up on an icy patch of road in precarious circumstances. Schwatrz is very good at telling stories with his music. “Wind Gap Reel,” “Digman’s Drop,” and “Tailholt Reel,” are good examples. Izaak is joined by a sturdy group of musical storytellers that create beautiful settings for his stories without words.
At the tender age of 14 (at the time of the recording) Izaak Atlas Schwartz has shown us all that maturity isn’t always judged in terms of advanced years: it can also be found in the young. Despite his youth, Izaak reveals an old soul.
~Alan Munde
Izaak Atlas Schwartz
Black Oak Ridge
CD-385
Izaak Atlas Schwartz
Black Oak Ridge
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Izaak Atlas Schwartz – banjos
Michael Johnson - bass
Quentin Fisher - mandolin
Samuel Zolla - guitar
Emily Roeder - fiddle
Michael Cleveland - 2nd fiddle on "Faded Love" & "Rockwood Deer Chase"
Steve Leonard - 2nd banjo on "Shelton Special"
Vocals:
Michael Johnson - lead
Darren Beachley - tenor
Quentin Fisher - baritone
Tom Mindte – bass
Black Oak Ridge
Ol' Blue
South (Foxtrot)
Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
Faded Love
Protect the Innocent
Dingman's Drop
Waiting for the Robert E. Lee
Rockwood Deer Chase
Icy Holler
Shelton Special
Tailholt Reel / Wind Gap Reel
Everyone Has to Answer