Friday Night Concert series - Ken Perlman

On Friday, March 28, 2025 Two Way Street Coffee House Friday Night Concert Series presents Ken Perlman.

Ken Perlman is a pioneer of the 5-string banjo style known as melodic clawhammer; he is considered one of the top clawhammer players in the world, known in particular for his skillful adaptations of Celtic, Appalachian, & Canadian fiddle tunes to the style. He has toured throughout most of the English-speaking world and in Western-Europe, both as a soloist and – for over fifteen years – in a duo with renowned Appalachian-style fiddler Alan Jabbour.

Ken’s recordings with fiddler Alan Jabbour are Southern Summits and You Can’t Beat the Classics; his solo recordings are Frails & Frolics, Northern Banjo, Island Boy, Devil in the Kitchen, Live in the U.K. and Clawhammer Banjo & Fingerstyle Guitar Solos. His banjo books include Clawhammer Style Banjo, Melodic Clawhammer Banjo, and Everything You Wanted to Know About Clawhammer Banjo.

Ken has been tapped multiple times to judge the old-time banjo contest at the Appalachian String Band Festival (better known as “Clifftop”). In 2017, Ken was accorded a Masters’ Workshop at Clifftop, an event set up to “showcase the legends who have dedicated their lives to the preservation and presentation of old-time music.”