“That's a shoo-in for the best solo banjo album of the year. I've never heard a gourd banjo sound so good.”

J-Walk

“All I can say is OMG.....What an incredible album! His playing is so, so good, his tone, and intonation is beyond compare. When I found out the CD was released I jumped on CDBaby to purchase it!”
OldTimeAddict

“Hurt could make a broomstick sound good.” Tridentum

“Wow!! Some fantastic playing, and the recording quality sounds great as well.” Adam Kiesling

“My copy arrived today from CDBaby. It is an awesome project. It is magnificently played...and masterfully recorded! Very enjoyable!
Congratulations to Adam (and Paul for recording and co-producing).

My recommendation....

BUY THIS CD!”
John Balch

"This cd is superb bordering on sublime. I've always been a fan of Adam's playing and have his 3 other cd's, but for me, this one outshines them all. It is a masterpiece, indeed."

Laurie Baardse

“This CD is beautiful music. The banjo is amazing. Adam Hurt is such a great player. It is truly inspiring.”

Ron Ortegel

Absolutely brilliant; Adam Hurt is the clearest combination of virtuosity
and genius to ever approach clawhammer banjo be it the ancient or modern form of the instrument.
Tom Berghan, Old Time Musician, Seattle 2010

"Got my copy in the mail yesterday.... holy moly.... what a gem!

that's some of the finest sounding banjo music i've ever heard.

Now i've got a hankerin' to get my hands on a gourd banjo. Paul R- what a treat it must have been to be the one who recorded this beautiful music.

Steve Lach

The artistic level to which Adam Hurt takes the gourd banjo, on “Earth Tones,” is - putting it mildly – stunning. To reach such a degree of refinement and mellifluousness on such a primitive instrument is very difficult to imagine.

Adam Hurt has released a groundbreaking CD, entitled “Earth Tones.” The celebrated banjo virtuoso’s first solo album is a daring foray into the mysterious world of the gourd banjo - a little known and extremely difficult to play instrument.

The Gourd Banjo

Gourd banjos were brought to the colonies by African slaves hundreds of years ago. The African gourd banjo is the prototype for what we now think of as the American banjo – an important element of American musical history that is only recently becoming more widely known.

The gourd banjo that Adam is playing, on “Earth Tones,” was made by the man perhaps most responsible for re-introducing gourd banjos into the modern world, David G. Hyatt. Hyatt’s seminal work in educating modern banjo players and banjo makers about the gourd banjo has been a central influence in the emerging awareness of the actual history of the banjo. Besides having an unrelated job as dean at the University of Arkansas, Hyatt has a mission, vis-à-vis gourd banjos: to teach people about their place in banjo history and to teach instrument builders how to make them so musicians will keep the history alive through their playing (which several, including Mike Seeger, have done).

Paul Roberts

David Graham Hyatt
Banjo Enthusiast and Maker of Gourd Banjos
http://www.dhyatt.com/

The gourd banjo is a true combination of the workings of nature and man. Here you'll find tips on how to construct your own gourd banjo, as well as learn more about some of today's masters

http://www.dhyatt.com/craftsmanship.html

History of Gourd Banjos

by George R. Gibson

http://www.dhyatt.com/history.html

Banjo Making Manual by David G. Hyatt

How to Install a Skin Head by David G. Hyatt

Gourd Banjo MP3 files and tabs compiled by David G. Hyatt