Cynthia Sayer, hailed as one of the finest four-string banjoists in the world today, has just issued The Swinging Solos of Elmer Snowden, a book of her note-for-note transcriptions of selections Snowden played on the 1960 album Harlem Banjo!
Elmer Snowden (1900-1973) was the original leader of the Washingtonians, a group he brought to New York City from the nation’s capital in 1923. Shortly thereafter, Snowden sent for Duke Ellington, who eventually took over as leader and expanded the group into his renowned orchestra.
Sayer became fascinated with the nearly-forgotten Snowden when she first heard Harlem Banjo! “Snowden’s musical integrity and driving swing—without even a hint of the flashy theatrics or corny edge that I had accepted as a four-string banjo norm—opened my eyes to entirely new way of approaching the instrument.”
In the process of studying Snowden’s playing, Sayer set out to transcribe his solos from Harlem Banjo!, writing out the music a measure at a time while listening to and rewinding a cassette tape. During the process of transcription, Sayer transposed the solos from Snowden’s G tuning to her own preferred C tuning; both versions are included in the book.
Sayer’s Harlem Banjo! project remained unfinished for a number of years as other things intervened. It was only during the summer of 2021, during the forced idleness of the COVID pand
