Bluegrass group making a name on, off campus

Helping to spread the genre he loves to Columbia from the Appalachian Mountains, Jordan Shapiro has been taking his bluegrass group of 15 students out into the city to create a new generation of bluegrass buffs in an unlikely place.

Since taking the helm last fall from Toby King, the group’s founder, Shapiro has continued to bring this style of American country music, developed from Scottish and Appalachian folk music and African American country blues, to his weekly class of students with little to no background in the music. “These days, people are learning about bluegrass and learning how to play it in all corners of the world, especially in this country,” Shapiro said.

Shapiro is a purist at heart though: He characterizes his selections as “100 percent the traditional bluegrass canon.”

One of the students in the group, Gabby Siegel, BC ’14, first approached bluegrass at Columbia with only the experience of hearing the music live during a trip to Memphis. “The genre is spreading. It’s not just confined to one region anymore,” Siegel said, adding that she was excited to learn bluegrass away from its traditional setting.

For those looking to branch out from a classical background, bluegrass “has the freedom and the looseness, but they can really apply their fine-tuned ears and fine-tuned musical sensibilities to do something new,” Shapiro said. “The feel of bluegrass is so different,” he added.

Some of the most appealing aspects of bluegrass, such as the high-pitched harmonizing vocals, tremendous speed, and sense of intuition, offer a different experience than the music that many of the students were used to. For Siegel, “It’s all about personality. For bluegrass, personality is essential.”

Drawn to bluegrass from many parts of the country and different musical backgrounds, Siegel and the other students display the community that defines bluegrass by coming together with Shapiro and playing together in smaller groups. “Watching them the past few times, it’s great to see they have that special charisma and showmanship that is so important to bluegrass,” Shapiro said.

The group’s growth under Shapiro has brought more opportunities to perform and develop its sound, both at Columbia and elsewhere in the city. Before his tenure, the bluegrass group performed once on campus once each semester. This year, Shapiro said, “I want to make it a point to have more than one final concert.” He has already brought the group to Brooklyn for a John Hartford Tribute Night under the pseudonym “The Shapiro Family Band.” They have also performed on Columbia’s radio station, WKCR.

Shapiro admitted difficulties to bringing an unfamiliar genre to New York, saying, “not that many people play banjo, especially at this demographic, this age, this area of the country, this point in people’s lives.”

The passion and interest for the music is present, however, allowing bluegrass to grow in Morningside Heights and beyond. “Generally speaking, you’re going to find that bluegrass musicians are open and welcoming wherever you go,” Shapiro said.

arts@columbiaspectator.com