By Marissa Maier
On Monday, June 7, Slyvester Manor on Shelter Island, a former plantation and current working farm overseen by Bennett Konseni, will hum with the sound of wood being carved and animal hide being stretched and stapled to hollowed gourds. The cacophony will continue throughout the week but by Saturday, June 12, the farm will resonate with the saccharine twang of over ten banjos being plucked in unison with master craftsman Jeffrey Menzies leading the ensemble. Menzies will lead a six-day banjo making workshop at the Manor next week.
Above: Master banjo craftsman Jeffrey Menzies.
In the small folk instrument community, Menzies is somewhat of a legend known for his artistically-inclined gourd banjos. A little over ten years ago Menzies was wrapping up his undergraduate studies in sculpture at the Ontario College of Art and Design and later worked in the bronze and aluminum foundry in the sculpture department at York University. During his free time, Menzies pursued another love altogether —”sugar in the gourd” — or old time music, which would end up shaping his future career and work. Originally playing the Irish fiddle, Menzies switched to the banjo and due to a lack of funds crafted his own musical instrument. He soon landed in Green County, Pennsylvania in the heart of Appalachia to apprentice with Wyatt Fawley at his “Banjo Loft,” where he spent five months in intensive study.
“I wasn’t paid in money. I was paid in banjos,” said Menzies of his time at the Loft.
Despite this training in classic reproductions, Menzies’ work is novel. He continues to apply his fine arts background to his banjos, which Menzies sees as functional art objects.
“The banjo making is just an extension of my sculpture practice and I don’t separate them anymore, though I used to when I was young,” said Menzies in a phone interview from his home in Ontario. “A lot of banjos I make don’t work. They don’t function in the traditional means. I like to play with form and function.”
For Menzies, the banjo itself is an artistic expression. It doesn’t begin with the manipulation of strings over the hollowed belly of a gourd but starts with the building process. Menzies no longer uses templates, similar to patterns in dressmaking, to cut out parts of his instruments.
“Some banjo makers will reproduce an original banjo down to its oddities. I don’t. I will reference patterns but I will always modify. I draw my own templates so my banjos tend to be more gestural,” Menzies added.
His organic approach to instrument making also allows him to cultivate inspiration through variety of sources. From fine architecture and furniture, to a hole he might be digging in his backyard, Menzies said he leaves himself open to unconventional influences.
History often plays a large aspect in Menzies’ creations. When he was first breaking into the field, he conducted a fair amount of research on the banjo, early examples of which are believed to have been brought to colonial America by enslaved Africans. This historical research naturally lead him to the gourd banjos which he describes as having a more organic sound then their tack head and steel counterparts. This, however, doesn’t bar Menzies from infusing these gourd banjos with modern notes. He often incorporates fiberglass or laminate Formica from salvaged counter tops into his designs.
Traveling from his Toronto home, Menzies brings the gift of his banjo-making skill set around the world in the form of workshops. In March, he taught a week long session at the Ozark Folk Center in Arkansas. And though, these workshop locales tend to be naturally beautiful, Menzies noted this isn’t a prerequisite for booking his services.
“The location helps but I could do it in a parking lot if I had to,” he joked.
Menzies said his workshops aren’t reserved for banjo players or craftsmen, and are open to beginners. Instruments made by novices are almost better, Menzies remarked, adding, “They are people with no experience and they end up with a better instrument because they have no preoccupations.” The Sylvester Manor session is almost full with around ten people already signed up.
At the manor, students will be provided with all tools and materials needed to fashion their own instruments, and the participation fee includes all meals, most of which are culled from the farm’s fields and are prepared by the Manor’s chef. In addition to the banjo, the workshop will include an “historical discussion of the banjo and its connection to food, culture and place,” says a press release sent by the Manor. There is also the promise of a few jam sessions around a fire.
Although the workshop is a little pricey, it costs $825 for no housing, $850 for a tent and $895 for a shared bedroom, Menzies’ banjos usually sell for around $600 to $700 on his website. Menzies also builds custom instruments for customers, who can fill out a form also on his personal website at www.jeffreymenzies.com.
For more information on Menzies banjo making workshop at Sylvester Manor from June 7 through 12, email sylvestermanor@gmail.com
on Jun 4, 2010