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"Highly recommended….an exhilarating, musical and multi-dimensional journey….a provocative political and social history of America." From Senegal to Seeger is Michael J. Miles' acclaimed one-man show featuring musical and written works of Pete Seeger, Carl Sandburg, Woody Guthrie, Walt Whitman, Johann Sebastian Bach, Mark Twain and others.
Protest, passion, politics, poetry -- the banjo is the voice of the people, and From Senegal to Seeger unshackles that voice. From Senegal to Seeger is a journey into Americana -- a social and political portrait of America through the eyes of the banjo.
In this 90 minute tour-de-force Michael performs on seven banjos, playing music that spans 300 years and charts the transformation of the banjo from an African instrument to the quintessential expression of the American voice.
Protest songs, fiddle tunes, minstrel sounds -- a dazzling array of banjo playing forms the backbone of From Senegal to Seeger, but it is the poetic words of participants and Michael's masterfully woven narrative that complete this portrait of the American experience.
Michael has performed this critically acclaimed one man musical documentary in a wide variety of venues over the past 15 years including the Smithsonian Institution in Washington and the Kennedy Center in New York.
“...this is enough to make me want to learn the banjo all over again.” - Pete Seeger
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Miles plays ancient & modern banjos. Oh Susanah & Carl Sandburg's, The People Yes. |
About Michael J. Miles
• Musician
• Composer
• Performing Artist
• Musical Playwright
• Educator
When Pete Seeger first heard Michael Miles, he sent a letter to Michael saying that "in all my 70 years this is among the most beautiful recordings I’ve ever heard...it is enough to make me want to learn the banjo all over again.”
Michael Miles is one of America’s most inventive clawhammer banjo players. Add guitar, vocals, jazz instruments, orchestras and complex historically-themed theatrical presentations to the mix and, two decades later, Michael has a critically acclaimed catalog of original compositions, stage performances, music CD’s and music instruction books.
Michael Miles performance credits include the Kennedy Center, Smithsonian Institution, Ravinia Festival, Harris Theatre in Chicago, American University in Beirut, and the Royal Opera Theatre in Marrakesh.
From 1984-1998, Michael served as the Program Director at the Old Town School of Folk Music bringing the school to international acclaim. Under his guidance the student population grew from 200 students to over 4000. From 2005-2007, Michael was honored as the school's first ever Artist-In-Residence. He remains as active member of the faculty teaching clawhammer banjo and fingerstyle guitar.
With an MA in Music Performance and Pedagogy, Michael is also a music educator whose work ranges from introducing kindergarten students to their earliest musical experiences to leading postgraduate study for professional musicians and music teachers.
Current projects include new fingerstyle guitar arrangements of the Great American Songbook and the works of Stevie Wonder; new compositions for the banjo and expanded ensemble; and new stage productions.
