Tony Trischka's Banjo 'Territory'

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As one of the most innovative and respected musicians in his field, Tony Trischka showcases the banjo and its rich history using his spectacular technique and reflecting a wide array of international influences. Smithsonian Folkways Recordings will release Trischka's latest collection of compositions, arrangements and collaborations, entitled 'Territory, ' on March 25, 2008. The album demonstrates banjo music and Trischka's playing at their best, and features performances by Pete and Mike Seeger, Skip Ward, Michael Daves and rising fiddle star Brittany Haas.

On 'Territory, ' Trischka shows his penchant for integrating various styles and methods from around the world and his endless ability to write captivating melodies perfectly suited for the versatile and charismatic banjo.

Trischka draws inspiration from late 19th- and early 20th-century classic banjo playing, African and African-American string band music, four-string tenor Irish-Celtic plectrum-style banjo, Hawaiian slide/steel guitar, iconoclastic Americana, pre-bluegrass picking styles, and his own roots in the three-finger methods of Earl Scruggs and melodic banjo master Bill Keith. While more than half of the album's 21 tracks are newly composed works by Trischka, 'Territory' also includes his arrangements intertwining classic bluegrass and American folk songs as well as a medley of traditional Celtic songs.

Nominated for this year's Best Bluegrass Album GRAMMY Award, Tony Trischka has performed with the Down City Ramblers, Breakfast Special and Skyline, and taught world-famous banjoist Bela Fleck. A frequent guest on Garrison Keillor's 'Prairie Home Companion, ' Trischka also performed in the 1984 film 'Foxfire' and for the stage production of the Pulitzer Prize-winning 'Driving Miss Daisy.'

Trischka provides intimate track notes for 'Territory, ' detailing the inspiration and instrumentation for each song, and often denoting the chords used in performance. Fellow banjoist and banjo authority Bob Carlin provides an introduction to Trischka's career and an insightful history of the banjo, explaining its position at the forefront of notable American musical movements such as minstrelsy and vaudeville.

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