Rhiannon Giddens to appear on PBS ‘Craft in America’ episode

GREENSBORO NEWS AND RECORD

Rhiannon Giddens to appear on PBS ‘Craft in America’ episode
By Dawn DeCwikiel-Kale
November 17, 2015

GREENSBORO — Tune in to PBS on Friday to see Greensboro native and Grammy Award-winning Rhiannon Giddens on “Craft in America: Music.”

The 10 p.m. program on UNC-TV will focus on how fine handmade instruments are crafted, and the world-renowned artists who play them.

Giddens, a founding member of the Grammy-winning Carolina Chocolate Drops who released an acclaimed solo album this year, will talk about her banjo and its maker, and will perform.

Her fretless minstrel banjo evolved from African American slave instruments brought from West Africa. James Hartel makes replicas of the historic instruments.

“This banjo is a triple threat,” Giddens said in a news release. “It’s historically accurate, it’s beautifully made and it sounds amazing.”

The program also features interviews and performances from Joan Baez, Count Basie Orchestra Director Scotty Barnhart, banjo master and North Carolina native Tony Ellis, L.A. Philharmonic timpanist Joseph Pereira and ukulele player Jake Shimabukuro.

Craft in America is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing original handcrafted work through the Peabody Award-winning documentary series on PBS.