Welcome
to
web site!
|
Tom Hanway
began playing the banjo in 1985 and quickly established himself as
one of NYC’s and the Northeast’s most solid and creative players.
Tom has three recordings on his Joyous Gard Records label. His
debut CD (fourteen tracks), Bucket of Bees (1991) is a
pioneering effort which incorporates Bluegrass, Celtic, jazz and
World music, demonstrating Tom’s ability to play "in context,"
whether it’s straight-ahead Scruggs or experimental banjo from the
future. Tom is also a versatile guitarist and singer. His musical
strengths are in Bluegrass, Celtic, country blues and traditional
jazz. Vocally, he shapes his voice to fit particular songs and is
at home singing the blues, high lonesome Bluegrass, or an aching
ballad.
|
Tom Hanway jamming with Bill
Monroe
Zanesville, Ohio - 1989
(photo: George
Quinn)
|
|
See and hear Tom
Hanway perform at these upcoming festivals!
June 6 - 9: Wind Gap Bluegrass Festival
July 4 - 7: O*A*T*S Bluegrass
Festival
August 2 - 4: Winterhawk
2000 - Bluegrass and Beyond
September 27 - 29: Johnny Keenan Banjo Festival
2002
|
|
|
Tom has
crisscrossed the United States and Ireland, and has performed in
England and Australia. Upon graduating from Hampshire College in
1984 (with a B.A. in Legal Studies), Tom became a full-time
musician and began his career by busking in Europe (Germany,
Belgium and France), playing fingerstyle blues guitar in the
tradition of Rev. Gary Davis, Jorma Kaukonen, Blind Blake, and
Roy Bookbinder. In 1998, Tom and Kathleen Hanway founded the Big Apple Bluegrass
& Folk Festival, held every November in New York
City and devoted to the music of Bill Monroe, "The Father
of Bluegrass."
|
|
In the Big
Apple, Tom hosts weekly open Bluegrass sessions at Paddy
Reilly's Music Bar, every Sunday from 4 till 7 PM, and at The
Baggot Inn, every Wednesday from 9 PM till midnight. In May
2002, Tom initiated The Baggot Inn's first "Irish Folk Session,"
open to traditional singers and players, which happens on
Mondays from 8:30 till 11:30 PM. Tom is one of the mainstays at
Tony DeMarco's famous Irish session, held every Thursday at
Paddy Reilly's (10:30 PM) -- the longest running session in
town.
|
Tom with Original Tom Hanway
SwallowTail Deluxe (No. 4737), NYC - 1998
(photo: James
Stiles)
|
Hanway
gave luthier Geoff Stelling the inspiration to design the Tom Hanway SwallowTail, named also
for the jig, reel, and the 1832 book, Swallow Barn.
It is a crossover instrument for the Bluegrass, Celtic, folk or
jazz player. The neck and resonator are made of curly maple and
stained with a sunburst Cremona style finish. The
SwallowTail Deluxe model features bead-blasted and
subtly engraved metal parts,chrome plating, and (as an option) an
ergonomic 12" radius neck and bridge (to facilitate single-string
playing). Every SwallowTail features an inlaid
abalone and mother-of-pearl swallow in the center of the resonator
that matches the swallow on the peghead. The swallow, oakleaf,
acorn and closed knot inlays relate to the Druidic and Celtic
traditions of the past. Celtic tunes are as abundant as acorns,
which fall from the mighty Oak and represent "seeds of knowledge."
Each tune is a microcosm of the evolving "forest-styles"
collectively known as Celtic music. Tom sees the future of Celtic
and Bluegrass music as being intertwined: Both are roots music,
with Bluegrass having roots in Celtic reels and hornpipes. Both
are played wherever people share and enjoy freedom. Bluegrass and
Celtic musicians are turning up and jamming at each other’s
festivals. |
More about Tom
Hanway...
