Oct 11
Mike Sumner, a banjo king worthy of his crown
Winds of Winfield - Mike SumnerJoe Sumner and his wife Bertha are salt-of-the-earth folks. Plain. Folksy. Friendly as can be. I met these good Hoosier folks at a bluegrass festival in Bean Blossom, Ind. This fall, during Uncle Pen Days, I had the pleasure of jamming with Joe and Bertha, he on his own hand-crafted banjo, Bertha on bass. Good folks, good musicians and quite humble people.
Humble, that is, until they start talking about their son, Mike. And the pride spilled over at Bean Blossom in September when they heard that Mike won the championship of the banjo competition at Winfield, Kan. They couldn’t stop beaming at their son’s accomplishments.
Here, Joe says, listen for yourself, as he crams a couple of CDs in my hands. One is “Winds of Winfield,” a solo project, and the other is “Radio Hill,” a CD by Sumner’s Michigan-based band, Detour.
After the Bean Blossom festival, my wife and I headed to the peaceful Ozark hills of Missouri to get Some R&R from the Bean Blossom festival and to return to some type of sane sleeping schedule. Honestly, I couldn’t keep these two CDs out of my player. Mike Sumner is quite the banjo picker and he has a more-than-adequate group of comrades in Detour.
First, “Winds of Windfield,” the title cut of Sumner’s solo project, but also a tune that appears on “Radio Hill.” The song is something I’d expect from Jens Krueger, a bit classical, a bit bluegrass, a lot just fantastic musicianship. Not only does Sumner lay down some intricate, classy licks, he’s joined by co-producer Andy Leftwich on mandolin and fiddle and Leftwich’s band mate in Ricky Skaggs’ Kentucky Thunder, Cody Kilby on guitar.
Randy Kohrs joins the CD’s lineup on resophonic guitar for three numbers and Bryn Davies fills out the ensemble on bass.
“Winds of Windfield” is a terrific picker’s CD. The song lineup includes some originals, the previously mentioned “Winds of Windfield,” the neat instrumental ballad, Imagine (yeah, an instrumental ballad — featuring banjo, no less), ‘Summer Sun” and “Destello.
Sumner also throws in some perennial favorites, “When You’re Smilin’,” “Theme Time,” “Alabama Jubilee,” “John Hardy,” “Charmaine” and “Little Rock Getaway.” The old standards get plenty of fresh treatments, via the imaginative work of Sumner and his band mates on this project.
Most notably for me, having spent some good, quality time with Joe and Bertha Sumner just a few short weeks ago, is “Cripple Creek Connection.” This cut features Mike Sumner’s mom and dad and his son, Kody Sumner, a young up-and-comer on banjo
Make no mistake, pickers will love “Winds of Windfield.” But so will non-pickers who are looking for some fresh sounds to add to their CD collection. This one’s a winner.
Radio Hill - DetourAnd the same label applies to “Radio Hill,” a great CD that is only lacking in its liner notes — or lack thereof.
I’d love to tell you that Jeff Rose, Detour’s mandolin player and writer of many of the band’s songs, is also a terrific vocalist. But I can only assume that, since he isn’t given credit for being the lead vocalist on any certain song.
Nonetheless, Rose is a darn good songwriter and turns in eight of the CD’s 15 songs.
Detour definitely leans toward the newgrass side of things, but it also pays homage, and pays it well, to the traditional, with covers of “Sunny Side of the Mountain,” “Darlin’ Corey” and “John Hardy.”
Besides Rose’s fine mandolin work, the CD sparkles with Mike Sumner’s intricate banjo work and guitarist Scott Zylstra’s guitar work, which at times is about as off-the-wall and on-target as it comes. There isn’t a guitar break on the CD that didn’t make me take note. No, it’s not Doc Watson, Tony Rice or Kenny Smith, it’s more left of center than any of that. And, oh so tasteful.
I gather that Detour is a regional band that enjoys plenty of popularity in the Michigan area. But these four guys (Zak Bunce plays bass and adds vocals) are destined for wider popularity.
Both CDs are available on the BluegrassAhead label.
Information is available at www.detourbluegrass.com or mikesumner@charter.net.
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