Banjo Demo | "Sous Les Etoiles" performed by Hank Smith

Описание: Hank Smith's new, custom banjo neck makes its Deering debut in this beautiful performance of "Sous Les Etoiles". At this part of the description we usually include a quick blurb about the tune, but to be honest we really didn't know much about this one. We decided to reach out to Hank for comment, and received his version, here presented without edit:

"I think French Impressionist piano music can translate well to the banjo. The cascading chord inversions, chromaticism and experimenting with different tonal centers have an inherent banjoistic quality to them. Messing around with those ideas, inspired by Claude Debussy, and after lots of trial and error, I felt it captured the emotion I was going after. It's called "Sous Les Etoiles", which means "under the stars" and it imagines a mysterious journey only to end up safe and sound under the comfort of the night sky. Since recording the tune on our album, Paper Lanterns, and subsequently at Deering, there are now two more pieces that precede it forming a suite. So, we conclude the journey under the stars, but we must also learn how we arrived there. Regardless, Sous Les Etoiles is a nod to the emotionally charged music of Debussy, Ravel, Satie and others who painted with sound as Monet did with a brush."

So there you go. We're going to go outside tonight and listen to this one again. Let us know if you do the same.

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