Multimedia presentation by Alyssa Cwanger and Curt Chandler
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Pittsburgh was one of the centers of the banjo craze that spread across the United States in roaring 20s. An echo of the fun-time music of that era emerges each time the door opens Wednesday evenings at Allegheny Elks Lodge #339 on the North Side.

		To join the fun The Pittsburgh Banjo Club rehearses from 8 to 10 p.m. every Wednesday except major holidays at Allegheny Elks Lodge #339 at the corner of Cedar and Pressley on the North Side. Call (412) 321-1834 for information. Reservations for groups is suggested.

That's when the Pittsburgh Banjo Club rents the lodge for a two hour public rehearsal. Anyone can attend. Food and drink are available. Dancing is optional. The sing-a-long is epidemic. Everyone in the audience and on the stage seems to be having a good time.

From two to six dozen banjo players assemble on stage each Wednesday. Music director Norm Azinger leads the first hour. Frank Rossi takes the baton for the second. For those who haven't heard enough, Larry Binz switches from banjo to piano to lead a half hour jam session after the formal rehearsal is over.

The music ranges from Al Jolson medleys to George M. Cohan tunes, and veers happily into show tunes, military anthems and the occasional college fight song.

This multimedia presentation views a rehearsal from the perspective of Mr. Rossi, one of the founders of the Pittsburgh Banjo Club. His organizing skills on behalf of banjo music were recognized five years ago with his induction into the National Four-String Banjo Hall of Fame in Guthrie, Oklahoma.

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