Jake Schepps Archives - Bluegrass Today

Round Window Press announces Wes Corbett and other banjo books

Round Window Institute, the non-profit entity that manages Banjo Summit and the Modern Mandolin Workshop, has announced the launch of a print side, Round Window Press, to publish instrumental transcription projects.

The first book will be for virtuoso modern banjoist Wes Corbett, including tablature transcriptions for his 2021 Cascade album. The record features ten of Corbett’s instrumental compositions, bridging all of the contemporary three-finger banjo styles – roll-based, single string, and melodic. He has become a prominent name in the jamgrass scene as the banjo man with the Sam Bush Band this past few years.

Cascade Transcriptions for 5-String Banjo will be available on April 26, and pre-orders are enabled now online. The book sells for $25, and includes notation for all the banjo solos from the record, plus performance notes from Wes for those learning his music. Special details and difficult passages are pointed out with tips on how to execute them in the notes for each piece.

Round Window is a project of Jake Schepps and Adam Larrabee, both contemporary banjoists with a mission to support and promote taking the instrument beyond bluegrass music, with a focus on classical and composed music for the five string. They have plans for several other books in the near future, including a set of Béla Fleck transcriptions from My Bluegrass Heart, and one for Larrabee’s 24 Preludes Volumes 1 and 2.

Jake shared a bit about what they hope to offer with Round Window Press.

“We are hoping that the Cascade book (and those to come) are very new and different. We have focused on readability, and each note was considered whether it is intuitive or not (that being normal within the standards of bluegrass banjo technique). If it was not, or fit into a theme of Wes’s playing, we added right- and left-hand fingerings (though keeping most off the page to avoid clutter). Each tune has an introduction from Wes and detailed Editor’s Notes highlighting the stylistic choices Wes has made, and how he employs some of his characteristic techniques.

Tunes are presented in a lead-sheet format with chords so it is obvious how each tune is structured and could be played with others.While not an instructional book, we include a detailed ‘How to Use This Book’ section in hopes that these ideas can be incorporated into your own playing. Also included is a section on Sample Backup. Us banjo players have a good sense in bluegrass how to back up songs and fiddle tunes, but not much is written bout how to back up new acoustic tunes with altered chord changes and different grooves.

And there is a lot more. It is the book Adam, Wes, and I always wanted as we were coming up.”

Wes provided the transcriptions for the melodies, or heads, of the tunes, and Adam did the solos. Jake served as editor and proofreader. The Cascade book will be offered initially in print form, though PDF download options may be added at a later date. A PDF book of chord charts for all of the songs on Cascade is also in the works, edited by Alex Hargreaves.

We have had a glimpse at the Corbett book, and it is quite professionally produced with easy to read typeset tabs.

This a very welcome development in the banjo world. Expect to hear more from Round Window Press in the near future.

Spaceview/Spacegrass t-shirt honors Tony Rice

Colorado banjoist Jake Schepps has designed a memorial t-shirt honoring the late Tony Rice, based on his notorious love of vintage watches. Deep Rice-ophiles have long known of his history collecting, repairing, and wearing classic Accutron timepieces, a habit that has since spread throughout bluegrass royalty. Many an arm backstage at major festivals has been adorned by a quality chronometer restored through Tony’s expertise.

It is that part of the Rice legacy that Jake highlights with his Spaceview/Spacegrass shirt motif, which he is offering for sale online.

On the order page for the Spaceview/Spacegrass shirt, Jake links to a lengthy article that describes the history of these classic Bulova wristwatches, which includes this bit which helps explain they have such appeal for musicians.

The original Accutron rethought things from the ground up. Instead of using a balance wheel of any kind, the Accutron used a tuning fork, which vibrated 360 times per second, and which was driven by an electromagnetic coil system powered by a dry-cell battery.

Beyond pure novelty, there were several advantages to using a tuning fork. Because it oscillates hundreds of times per second instead of just a few, the tuning fork is both much more resistant to basic disturbances in timekeeping, especially those created by shocks, and inherently more accurate. If it could be implemented in a wristwatch, the benefits would be tangible and easily recognizable to anyone.

The proceeds from the $25 sale pice will be donated to Backline, a national nonprofit that works to assist music industry professionals in need of mental health and wellness resources. Using donations receive from all over the US, they connect artists and other music business people with organizations and care providers close to the point of need.

Check out the Spaceview/Spacegrass t-shirt online.

Photos from the Banjo Summit

Thanks to Kevin Slick, President of the Colorado Bluegrass Music Society, for sharing these photos of the The Banjo Summit, hosted in Fort Collins, CO November 14-16. The Summit was organized by Jake Schepps, and featured instruction from Tony Trischka, Jayme Stone, Adam Larrabee, Catherine “BB” Bowness, and Jake, with Courtney Hartman as resident guitarist.

Sessions were held for a variety of styles, with a wide range of ages represented among the student body.

Banjo Summit launches in Colorado

Colorado banjoist Jake Schepps will be no stranger to Bluegrass Today readers, as both a noted player and a correspondent/reviewer.

Though he came up in the bluegrass world, Jake’s interests have since expanded to include modern classical music on the five string, a milieu in which he has recorded and performed this past few years. He’s even commissioned works from contemporary composers, getting them to write for an acoustic string band.

With many more banjo players and students opening themselves to non-bluegrass performance, Schepps has decided to launch a new instructional camp designed specifically for progressive playing styles.

Billed as The Banjo Summit, the workshop weekend will be held for the first time May 11-13 in Fort Collins, CO. In addition to Jake, the faculty will include several other prominent pickers who focus or specialize in new approaches to the instrument.

The teaching lineup for 2018 is Jayme Stone, Wesley Corbett, Jake Schepps, Ben Krakauer, and BB Bowness with Ross Martin assisting on guitar. Classes will run from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. that Friday and Saturday, and 10:00-3:00 on Sunday. A faculty concert will be held on Saturday a 8:00 p.m.

All the seminars will be on 3 finger playing, and there is no track for beginners. The organizers are requesting that all enrollees submit a video of themselves playing to ensure that each student is at a level where they are ready to benefit from the instruction to be offered.

Schepps believes that the banjo world is ready for a workshop like this.

“I’ve taught at a number of camps where the reaction to anything other than a traditional bluegrass approach is often, ‘How did you do that?’ The focus of the Banjo Summit is treating the banjo as a musical instrument unto itself, instead of solely one voice within a bluegrass band. It can be used to play so much more music — jazz, world, swing, or classical. Learning techniques that are helpful in playing other genres can elevate your approach to playing traditional music.

The demand for a more comprehensive banjo education has never been greater and the instructors selected for the Banjo Summit represent the brain trust of today’s progressive banjo community.”

Tuition for the Summit is $450, not including accommodations or food. Lodging suggestions are listed on their web site, along with more information about the faculty.

Burning the Candle at Both Ends

Three years ago today I caused a serious car accident driving home to Boulder from the RockyGrass Festival in Lyons, Colorado. At about 2:30 a.m. I briefly nodded off to sleep, and drifted into oncoming traffic. I snapped awake a split second before hitting an oncoming car. I swerved as best I could and my vehicle hit almost head-on with another car, both of us traveling at about 60 mph. In the other car, the passenger died from the impact, and the driver suffered several serious injuries. I sustained serious internal injuries, a concussion, and a few broken bones. I spent a week in the hospital and a month at home in bed. There were also legal ramifications, including the loss of my license and community service.

There are no words to describe the terrible impact that my decision to drive home had on the family of the man who died in the accident. Not a day goes by that I do not think about that day and the accident. I have been reflecting on what I might say in this article, and how I could frame my experience into lessons that could help others make better choices. My hope is that this article will encourage you think twice before driving when tired at any hour.

We all have heard that life can change in an instant. Mine did. Prior to that day, I had never really considered the lifelong emotional ramifications of a serious car accident. The combination of second-guessing myself and the true rattling of my soul has resulted in much ruminating on my decisions. I caused an incalculable amount of pain and suffering to the family of the man who died, the driver and his family, not to mention my own family and my larger community of friends.

Since we drive all the time, and cars are simple and comfortable to operate, it is remarkably easy to become complacent about what a significant responsibility this is. One can easily lose touch with the fact that a car is a giant piece of metal hurtling at incredible speeds until an accident occurs. The sound and force when my car hit the other will stick with me forever, and three years later it continues to haunt me.

According to DrowsyDriving.org, the people most at risk of falling asleep driving are male shift workers ages 18-29 who are sleep deprived. That sounds like many of the musicians I know and love.

A musical path is one of passion, yet to pay the bills, to show up at the next gig in time for sound check, or hundreds of other reasons, we often make choices that compromise our sleep. The best musical moments often happen at 2:00 a.m., yet we may be up at 7:00 a.m. for a myriad of reasons (travel, work, kids, insomnia). Another factor that differs is the adrenaline rush from performing and jamming. Music is an undeniable high, and much of what motivates us to play music. It takes a while to unwind after these experiences, and when we do it is more of a nosedive than a slow descent. Timing-wise, this may happen driving home or to the next gig, when things are quiet, others in your van may be asleep, or you are driving alone (as I was).

When you begin to feel fatigued, take immediate steps to not fall asleep: pull over for a quick nap or to do some jumping jacks, call a friend, wake someone in the van, or drink coffee and 5-hour Energy. Do this no matter how close you are to your destination. I was only 5 miles from home and thought I could make it safely.

Other tips from DrowsyDriving.org include getting 7-9 hours of sleep, scheduling proper breaks (about every 100 miles or 2 hours of driving), and having a travel companion (someone to talk with and share the driving).

We may casually take the wheel when driving groups of our friends and coworkers and easily forget the sacred trust we have taken, that their lives are literally in our hands, not to mention all the other people on the road. Please let this article help us all recognize the sacred agreement we are taking when volunteering for the late night driving shift.

My hope in writing this article is that you see that this could happen to any of us. Because of the work we do, musicians are particularly at risk of driving while tired, but every person that gets behind the wheel of a car needs to remember the potential impact of their choices.

In loving memory of the life that was lost.

Round Window Radio Sampler from Jake Schepps

Colorado banjoist Jake Schepps is offering a free sampler of the music he has been working on of late, as a tease for his new subscription service, Round Window Radio.

We live in a challenging time for musical artists, where the sorts of income streams that had once provided dependable support for their efforts are now drying up. Jake’s idea was to invite people to subscribe to Round Window Radio to receive access to his music as soon as it is completed, paying a small $4.00/month fee for the privilege.

In addition to subscriber exclusive content, there are also special member bonus tracks from Jake’s back catalog and a 30% discount on items in his previous recordings of classical music for traditional string band.

The sampler includes excerpts from 8 recent pieces Schepps has recorded, both modern classical compositions for banjo and established works from the vast canon of classical music.

Shitkicker Baiao by Bill Kopper
The Oquirrh Ridge Drifter by Matt Flinner
Banjerous Liaisons by Eric Thorin
Fantasia No. 1 by Henry Purcell
Diabinho Maluco by Jacob do Bandolim
Flower Myth by Jake Schepps
Farewell Blues by Mares, et.al. (but like the Scruggs version)
The Seasons, X: October by Pyotr Tchaikovsky

Round Window Radio Spring 2016 Sampler by Jake Schepps

If you feel so inspired by the Sampler, you might consider whether $4.00 each month to support this pursuit of new music for banjo fits your pocketbook.

You can find full details online.

Round Window Radio from Jake Schepps

Colorado banjo player Jake Schepps has come up with a creative way to fund his various musical musings, and keep the many fans of his experimental five string projects in the loop.

He’s created a new web site, Round Window Radio, using tools available from Bandcamp to enable a subscription model to access his recordings. For as little as $4/month you will receive at least one new recording each month, with sheet music and/or banjo tablature, a 30% discount off all Jake Schepps Quintet CDs, free podcast interviews with the musicians on the recordings, and of course the satisfaction of supporting independent string music.

All this will be accessible via the free Bandcamp app for your mobile devices. Additional goodies are offered at $8 and $12/month.

Jake explains what he is doing in this brief video…

For more details, or to start a subscription, visit Round Window Radio online.

Flatiron video from Jake Schepps Quartet

Colorado banjo man Jake Schepps has spent much of the past few years attempting to redefine how the five string banjo is viewed in the music world. Coming to the instrument initially from a fascination with bluegrass, something he retains to this day, Schepps has made it his mission to find new opportunities for the banjo to be heard by music lovers in other genres, most especially in modern classical music.

After releasing an album in 2011 celebrating the music of Béla Bartok, An Evening In The Village, Jake commissioned pieces from a number of contemporary composers, written for the traditional bluegrass band ensemble. He didn’t impose stylistic restrictions, simply insisting that the new pieces be scored for banjo, mandolin, guitar, bass, and fiddle.

Now, following several years of compiling, rehearsing and recording, The Jake Schepps Quintet has released Entwined, a new album featuring these four new compositions, long-form pieces by Marc Mellits, Matt McBane, Matt Flinner, and Gyan Riley. The music is performed by Jake on banjo, Flinner on mandolin, Grant Gordy on guitar, Enion Pelta-Tiller on violin, and Eric Thorin on bass.

It’s not bluegrass by any stretch, nor was it meant to be, but instead the vision of several composers more familiar with the symphonic family on instruments, expressing their art through the bluegrass band format.

Here’s a taste of the album’s opening track, the first movement of Flatiron by Marc Mellits, titled Tension Hoop. It was filmed as the piece was being recorded in 2012, with the composer present.

Additional video and audio samples can be accessed online.

Jake Schepps Quintet – Entwined

As sure a sign as any that bluegrass has reached a level of real maturity and acceptance as a contemporary art form is the number of cross genre projects that have been produced of late. Ryan Cavanaugh on banjo with Bill Evans’ Soulgrass is one example in the jazz world, and the success of the Goat Rodeo Sessions among classical music lovers is another. And in the pop world, is there anyone left who hasn’t recorded with Alison Krauss?

Colorado banjoist Jake Schepps has been on the forefront of melding bluegrass instruments with classical music for many years. He recorded an album of Béla Bartok music arranged for a string band, An Evening In The Village, and is now preparing to release Entwined, a collection of four new compositions commissioned for his Jake Schepps Quintet.

Schepps reached out to a trio of modern classical composers with his idea, and convinced his friend and Quintet mandolinist Matt Flinner to tackle one. There are full length pieces from Marc Mellits (Flatiron), Matt McBane (Drawn), Gyan Riley (Stumble Smooth), and Flinner (Migrations) running to over 75 minutes of music.

Performing along with Schepps and Flinner are Ryan Drickery and Enion Pelta-Tiller on violin, Grant Gody and Ross Martin on guitar, and Eric Thorin on bass.

As the album was being rehearsed and recorded earlier this year in Denver, Schepps had a pair of filmmakers from Cloudgate Studios on hand to capture the excitement, and has released this six minute video as a promotion for the album. Especially interesting are the comments from the composers who began their work without much familiarity with the string band instruments.

Even if you think you don’t like classical music, most bluegrass fans will appreciate this mini-documentary.

Entwined is set to hit on January 27, but is available to hear and pre-order now from Jake’s bandcamp page. Schepps and his Quintet will tour along the east coast with this new music in January, and in Colorado in February. Full details available online.

Jake Schepps on the mend

A month ago we shared some frightening news about Colorado banjoist Jake Schepps, and the terrible auto accident he was in while returning home from RockyGrass in July. He spent a week in the hospital and had to undergo surgery, but Jake tells us that his recovery is well underway and that he is thankful for the care he has received, and the concern of everyone in his musical family.

Despite the severity of the accident, he says that there was no damage to his arms or hands.

“I suffered mostly internal injuries, and I had surgery soon after the accident. They removed about 2 feet of my small intestines. I spent 3 days in the ICU, then 4 more in the regular hospital. I am fortunate to have only suffered a few cracked ribs but no other broken bones.

I am now just over 1 month post-accident, and I am certainly progressing every day. Yet some days feel like two steps forward, one step back. My energy is far from 100% at this point, and I spend a lot of time horizontal. Yet I find time to play banjo most every day.

The outpouring of love and support from our local Boulder community and the string band community at large has been phenomenal and truly heart warming. My family and I are endlessly grateful for that.”

All touring artists share a fear of such incidents, given the many hours spent behind the wheel, but Jake is looking forward to getting back on the road, and pursuing his passion for playing modern music on the banjo.

“I did have to cancel a few gigs, but I am planning on being at IBMA this year. Also I have a short tour planned in November in California with a new trio I am playing with, which includes the legendary guitarist Scott Nygaard and fiddler extraordinaire Alisa Rose.

Also I am actively planning the Jake Schepps Quintet’s CD release tour for January and February, celebrating the release of Entwined, an album of all commissions from classical composers, as well as Matt Flinner. We did cut a few other tunes on the sessions, and here is a free download of Come Along Jody for those interested.”

Keep sending those good vibes towards Boulder, and we’ll all look forward to seeing Jake at World of Bluegrass.