Young banjo player Tray Wellington has been coming on strong with high-profile career moves — hosting the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Momentum Awards ceremony at its annual convention, and then appearing on the organization’s Wide Open Bluegrass festival Main Stage; signing with boutique booking agency Prater Day; appearing on David Holt’s State Of Music series on PBS; earning coverage in publications such as The Bluegrass Situation, and issuing his first three singles with Mountain Home Music Company. Now, with the May 13 release of his full-length debut, he’s taking that momentum to a new level.
Boldly titled Black Banjo, the set ranges strikingly from old-time flavors through straight-ahead bluegrass and fresh newgrass to string band takes on two iconic jazz classics, John Coltrane’s “Naima” and Roy Hargrove’s “Strasbourg/St.Denis.” Wellington’s originals defy easy categorization, with tunes such as “Crooked Mind,” “Unknown Days Waltz,” “Georgia Turnaround” and a swinging vocal duet with Tim O’Brien, “Wasted Time,” weaving together elements of bluegrass, newgrass, old-time fiddle tunes, jazz and more to create a sound that is at once deeply rooted and refreshingly original.
To translate Wellington’s vision into a coherent yet multifaceted set, producer Jon Weisberger turned to a core band of players with their own broad-ranging musical perspectives: guitarist Jon Stickley, acclaimed mandolinist Wayne Benson and bassist Kevin Kehrberg, supplemented by a trio of players — Carley Arrowood, Avery Merritt and Lyndsay Pruett — equally comfortable as both fiddlers and violinists. In their hands, each tune is explored to the fullest on its own terms, but throughout, it’s Wellington who’s in command, with a sense of confidence rooted in his identity as a creative Black banjo player.
If there’s one thing Black Banjo makes clear, it’s that for Tray Wellington, his exploration of the world of music is just getting started.