Boil Them Cabbage Down

Boil Them Cabbage Down
1:05
(Public Domain/Traditional)
STUDIO MUSICIAN:
Tony Trischka banjo
QZR8K2560011
UPC Code: 708857001927
CO-PRODUCED BY Lawson White
PRODUCED BY Tony Trischka
ARRANGEMENTS by Tony Trischka
ENGINEER: Eli Crews
MIXING:  Jim Robeson
MASTERING: Paul Blakemore
ART DIRECTION AND DESIGN: Nathan Golub and David Gorman
PHOTOGRAPHY: Greg Heisler
This is one of only a handful of solo performances by Earl from these jams (another being “Shout Little Lulu,” which we recorded for the first Earl Jam album). Listening casually, it sounds like Earl is playing pretty much the same notes five times in a row, but listening at half speed reveals many subtle delights. Drop C tuning (gCGBD) is always nice to hear for its richness and that delicious low C on the fourth string. The second time he played through the form, Earl deployed an inverted alternating thumb roll (TMTI instead of TITM). Having spent my entire banjo life anchored to the latter, the inverted feels plain weird, and this may be the only time Earl used it. On the second to last solo, Earl was hitting his fifth string with greater emphasis. I’m not sure why, though it might have been to accentuate the syncopation. I tried, but don’t think I adequately recreated that aspect in this recording.