Banjo Music with Enzo Chiodo

July 23, 2024
12:00pm - 1:00pm

Musician Enzo Chiodo will be at Lunch With Books to showcase both original compositions and standards from multiple genres that emphasize the multicultural aspect of the banjo. The tenor banjo is an instrument that first gained its popularity in the 1920’s. It was featured along such musical giants as Louis Armstrong and King Oliver. It went on to be part of many genres such as Klezmer, Jazz, Folk, Irish Folk, and Broadway Musicals. But as quickly as it rose in popularity, it fell even faster. By the 1950’s it became an instrument of the past. This to Enzo is a great tragedy. He will showcase how the banjo not only can fit into the modern world of jazz but that it adds a whole level of texture and energy by setting it against the backdrop of a traditional jazz trio. You will hear music that sounds like a Classical Nocturne, an upbeat Bossanova, an Irish-inspired fiddle tune, and more. Enzo is a professional tenor banjo player who has been playing jazzy folk and folky jazz nearly his whole life. Growing up as a hard-working member of The Chiodi Trio afforded him many opportunities, including being asked to play a tune in Disney World’s Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue and being a staple at many of Pittsburgh’s most iconic locations, including Kennywood Amusement Park, Phipps Conservatory, The Heinz History Center, and even Carnegie Library (Library quiet rules did not apply that day). He also participated in a wide range of music genres and had lots of opportunities to find his unique blend of all of them while performing with his banjo. Enzo has performed in bands big and small and has been paired with everything from the klezmer clarinet, the Chinese pipa, the classic violin, the jazz saxophone to, of course, the guitar and piano. You'll hear all of that influence come together as he mixes the folky familiar tunes of Americana with the fun of improvisational jazz on the unique and lively tenor banjo.

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"Lunch With Books" is the library’s flagship program for adult patrons. These lunchtime programs feature authors, poets, musicians, historians, and more every Tuesday at noon. Bring lunch (to your computer), feed your brain!