Benny Bleu - Big Sciota

Benny Bleu’s interpretation of classic fiddle tune “Big Sciota” comes from Banjo Meditations, one of a pair of forthcoming albums with its twin Banjo Jubilations (June 4, 2024 radio add date). The albums follow up on Benny’s hit album, March of the Mollusk. He renders the traditional tune from the fiddling of Burl Hammons with a gentle loping tempo on a deep nylon string clawhammer banjo with guitar accompaniment. There is a kind of stillness in perpetual motion. In a running river and in the dance of the planets. A soothing rhythm that connects us to the present and the infinite.

“I am releasing this single to support my 'Less is More' tour where I'll travel by Amtrak train this April and May playing for fans in Frostburg MD, Kansas City, Santa Cruz, Eugene, Portland OR, and Millheim PA,” Bleu explains. “Recognizing our new and changing climate, the train is really the only responsible way for a solo musician to travel. This tour is both adventure and experiment for me, and I’ll share what I learn along the way.”

Benny Bleu Haravitch plays old time banjo in the Finger Lakes of upstate New York, perched at the northern terminus of the Appalachian Mountains. Haravitch, a geologist himself, grew up in the region defined by deep lake valleys and steep highlands. This up-and-down is reflected in the local flavor of fiddle tunes, and Benny Bleu's banjo surely sways with the perpetual oscillation that shapes the Finger Lakes old time sound. He contemplates ages of ecological relationships in his music.

Benny Bleu dedicates his career to purveying honest acoustic roots music, not for the sake of revival, but as a living, breathing community experience in the here and now. An award winning banjo player (finalist in the prestigious 2022 Online Old Time Banjo Contest), and a cherished songwriter, Benny Bleu lives up to the truest form of folk music – made by the folks, for the folks. His hypothesis: building connections with nature, each other, and our history through music makes for a richer future. Simple, testable, repeatable.