On truly rare occasions , a musician emerges who embodies the talent , energy , respect , and passion necessary to seamlessly create a bridge from the past to the future of any given instrument . In the world of the four-string banjo , as the pioneers of the genre from the 1920s aged during the 1970s , players such as Buddy Wachter and others picked up the torch , building upon the past while creating new and exciting sounds and playing styles . It must be remembered that at that time there was an incentive for such direction as the music and sound of the four-string banjo was still commercially relevant ( actually red hot due to a nostalgia craze which was creating the greatest demand for tenor and plectrum banjo players since the 1920s ). While that high point in banjo history created a new four-string banjo culture which is now aging itself , one can ’ t help but wonder what the future of the instrument holds . With little in the way of commercial relevance or performing opportunities , serious younger musicians who gravitate toward vintage instruments and playing styles have become a scarcity . Sadly , most of the four-string banjo “ whiz kids ” we ’ ve witnessed over the past twenty or thirty years have moved on to other interests , musical or otherwise . And then there is Tyler Jackson . For as long as he or anyone else can remember , Tyler Jackson seemed destined to become a musician …
“ Singing was what first got me into music . My parents tell me I was always humming along to the radio and , while singing in church , would usually gravitate towards making up a harmony line . By the age of seven I was encouraged to try out for the Fort Bend Boys Choir in Houston and ended up making their top touring group as a soprano ! Almost everybody in the choir had a great ear and we would often start rehearsal by singing a concert “ A ” with no reference pitch . I grew up thinking everybody could do that , but later found out this was called “ perfect pitch ” ( although I call mine “ imperfect pitch ” as I can occasionally be slightly off ). During this time I was I was also taking piano lessons . While I had a great teacher , unfortunately for her , I wasn ' t a great student . So I ended up quitting and focusing on competitive swimming … I was just kind of ‘ over ’ music for the time being .”
22 ALL FRETS SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2020