ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Nora Brown - Musician
Nora Brown sings ballads and plays traditional old-time music with a heavy interest in eastern Kentucky banjo playing.

Why you should listen

Nora Brown started learning ukulele at age six from the late Shlomo Pestcoe. With a focus on old-time music, he laid a foundation of love of music and the community it creates, and he instilled in her the lesson that music is meant to be shared. Now 13 years old, Brown plays banjo and accordion. She plays and sings with many of her old-time mentors including fiddler Stephanie Coleman, under the band name Little Leatherwood, and harmonica player Trip Henderson, under the band name Tin+Bone.

Nora is mentored by many of her favorite old-time musicians including Alice Gerrard, John Cohen, Anna Roberts-Gevalt, Sammy Lind, Mark Simos, KC Groves, Courtney Hartman, Mac Traynham, John Haywood and Brett Ratliff. In the last two years, she's won the blue ribbon in the youth banjo competition at the Clifftop Appalachian String Band Music Festival in West Virginia. In 2018 she also placed third in the adult banjo competition at Clifftop. In 2017 she landed second place in the banjo competition (all ages) at the Oldtone Roots Music Festival in Hillsdale, New York. More recently, Brown traveled to eastern Kentucky to visit with 90-year-old master banjo player and former coal miner Lee Sexton and master banjo player and historian George Gibson.

Brown has played on the Floyd Radio Show in Floyd, Virginia, the Washington Square Park Folk Festival, Brooklyn Folk Festival, Brooklyn Americana Festival, Oldtone Roots Music Festival, both Summer and Winter Hoots at the Ashokan Center and NYC Trad Fest. She has had multiple month-long residencies at famed Barbès in Brooklyn, New York.

The Tribeca Film Festival funded a short documentary by Josh Weinstein about Nora called "Little Nora (the Banjo Prodigy)."

More profile about the speaker
Nora Brown | Speaker | TED.com
TED Salon: Education Everywhere

Nora Brown: "East Virginia" / "John Brown's Dream"

نۆرا براون: "ڕۆژهەڵاتی ڤێرجینیا" / "خەونی جۆن براون"

Filmed:
255,994 views

لەم چرکەساتە سەرنج ڕاکێشە، میوزیکژەن نۆرا براون، دەست بە ژیانێکی نۆی لە نێوان هەردوو ئاوازی کۆنی بانجۆ: "ڕۆژهەڵاتی ڤێرجینیا" و "خەونی جۆن بڕاون" دەکات. نمایشی یادگاریەکی جوان لەگەڵ مێژووی پەرەسەندی بانجۆ دەخاتەڕوو.
- Musician
Nora Brown sings ballads and plays traditional old-time music with a heavy interest in eastern Kentucky banjo playing. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:12
(Music: "East Virginia")
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("موسیقا: "ڕۆژهەڵاتی ڤێرجینیا)
00:15
(Banjo)
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(بانجۆ)
00:52
(Singing) I'm from
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(گۆرانی گوتن)
من لە
00:56
old East Virginia.
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ڕۆژهەڵاتی ڤێرجینیای کۆن دەژیم.
01:04
North Carolina
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بۆ باکوری کاڕۆڵاینا
01:08
I did go.
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ڕۆیشتم.
01:11
I met
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چاوم بە
01:13
a fair, young maiden.
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کچێکی گەنجی جوان کەوت.
01:21
Her name I did not know.
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ناویم نەدەزانی.
01:26
(Banjo)
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(بانجۆ)
02:05
Don't that road
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ئەمە ئەو ڕێگەیە نییە
02:08
look rough and rocky?
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کە بەردین و ناڕێک دەردەکەوێت؟
02:16
Don't that sea look wide and deep?
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ئەمە ئەو ڕووبارە نییە کە
قووڵ و پان دەرەکەوێت؟
02:21
Don't my darlin'
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ئەمە خوشەویستەکەم نییە
02:25
look
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سەیرکەن
02:29
the sweetest ...
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خۆشەویسترین ...
02:33
When she's in my arms asleep?
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کاتێک لە باوەشم دەخەوت؟
02:36
(Banjo)
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(بانجۆ)
03:05
Her hair
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قژێکی
03:08
was a dark-brown curly.
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لوولی ڕەنگ قاوەیی تۆخ بوو.
03:16
Her cheeks were chestnut red.
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ڕوومەتی سوور هەڵگەڕا بوون.
03:22
On her breast
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لە سەر سنگی
03:24
she wore a white lilly.
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جلێکی گوڵداری بە گوڵە لیلی پۆشیبوو.
03:32
Through the night, the tears she shed.
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لە کاتەکانی شەودا، فرمێسکی دەڕشت.
03:35
(Banjo)
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(بانجۆ)
04:06
Captain,
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کاپتن،
04:10
Captain, I am dyin'.
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کابتن، دەمرم.
04:17
Won't you take these words for me?
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ئایا ئەم وشانەت لە من وەرگرتن؟
04:24
Take them back
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بیانگەڕێنەوە
04:26
to old East Virginia.
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بۆ ڕۆژهەڵاتی ڤێرجینیای کۆن.
04:33
Tell my darlin' she is free.
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بە خۆشەویستەکەشم بڵێن ئەو ئازادە.
04:38
(Banjo)
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(بانجۆ)
04:41
(Music ends)
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(مۆسیقا کۆتایی دێت)
04:44
(Applause and cheers)
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(چەپڵە ڕێزان و دەربرینی خۆشی و شادی)
04:52
That was a song called "East Virginia"
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ئەمە گۆڕانییەک بوو پێ دەڵێن
"ڕۆژهەڵاتی ڤێرجینیا"
04:54
I learned from a man named Clifton Hicks
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لە کەسێک بە ناوی کلیفتن هیکس فێربووم
04:56
who lives down in Georgia.
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لە جۆرجیا دەژیا.
04:59
The next song ...
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گۆڕانی داهاتوو ...
05:02
I have for you
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کە پێشکەشتان دەکەم
05:05
is called "John Brown's Dream."
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ناوی
"خەونی جۆن براون."ە
05:07
It's an old dance tune.
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ئاوازەکەی کۆنە.
05:09
And you may notice that the banjo
that I'm holding looks a little different
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ئەگەر تێبینتان کردبێت ئەو بانجۆیەی
من دەیژەنم کەمێک جیاوازترە
05:13
than banjos you might be used to seeing
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لەو بانجۆیانەی ئێوە لەوانەیە بینیوتانە
05:15
or the one I just played, for example.
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یان بۆ نموونە، لەوەی کە تازە دەمژەنی.
05:18
And this banjo
is sort of an earlier model.
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و ئەم ئامێری بانجۆیە جۆرێکە
لە مۆدێلی پێشوو.
05:24
Banjos kind of evolved like a human has.
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جۆرەکانی بانجۆ شان بەشانی
گەشەسەندنی مڕۆڤایەتی پەرەی سەندووە.
05:27
And I like to say that the sound
that comes out of this banjo
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حەز دەکەم ئەمەش بڵێم ئەو دەنگەی
لەو بانجۆیە دروست دەبێت
05:31
is a sound that was
just a little closer to the source,
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دەنگێکە کەمێک نزیکە لە دەنگە ڕەسەنەکەی،
05:36
which is Africa,
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ئەویش ئەفریقایە،
هەندێک خەڵک
ئەمەیان لە یاد دەچێت،
05:37
and some people forget that,
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05:39
so, yeah ...
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هەر بۆیە، ئەمەیە...
05:40
(Banjo tuning)
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(ئاوازی بانجۆ)
05:51
(Music: "John Brown's Dream")
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(مۆسیقا: "خەونی جۆن بڕاون" )
05:54
(Banjo)
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(بانجۆ)
06:54
(Banjo continues)
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(بانجۆ بەردەوامە)
07:43
(Singing) John Brown's dream,
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(گۆڕانی گوتن)
خەونی جۆن بڕاون،
07:45
John Brown's dream the devil was dead.
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لە خەونی جۆن بڕاون شەیتان مرد بوو.
ئەوەی دڵخوازمە بەدەستی
دەهێنم، بەدەستی دەهێنم،
07:47
I'm gonna get that, get that, get that,
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07:49
I'm gonna get that pretty little girl.
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ئەم کچە شۆخ و شەنگە بەدەست دەهێنم.
07:51
(Banjo)
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(بانجۆ)
08:38
John Brown's dream,
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خەونی جۆن بڕاون،
08:40
John Brown's dream the devil was dead.
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لە خەونی جۆن بڕاون شەیتان مرد بوو.
08:42
(Banjo)
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(بانجۆ)
08:46
Come on, Liza, Liza, Liza.
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وەرە، لیزا، لیزا، لیزا.
وەرە، لیزا دووبارە چاومان
بە یەک دەکەوێتەوە.
08:48
Come on, Liza we'll be pickin' it again.
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ئەوەی دڵخوازمە ەدەستی
دەهێنم، بەدەستی دەهێنم،
08:50
I'm gonna get that, get that, get that,
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08:52
I'm gonna get that pretty little girl.
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ئەم کچە شۆخ وشەنگە بەدەست دەهێنم.
08:53
(Banjo)
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(بانجۆ)
09:00
(Music ends)
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(مۆسیقا کۆتای پێ دێت)
09:02
(Applause and cheers)
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(چەپڵە ڕێزان و دەربرینی خۆشی و شادی)
09:08
Thank you very much.
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زۆر سوپاستان دەکەم.
Translated by Razaw Bor
Reviewed by Koya University

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Nora Brown - Musician
Nora Brown sings ballads and plays traditional old-time music with a heavy interest in eastern Kentucky banjo playing.

Why you should listen

Nora Brown started learning ukulele at age six from the late Shlomo Pestcoe. With a focus on old-time music, he laid a foundation of love of music and the community it creates, and he instilled in her the lesson that music is meant to be shared. Now 13 years old, Brown plays banjo and accordion. She plays and sings with many of her old-time mentors including fiddler Stephanie Coleman, under the band name Little Leatherwood, and harmonica player Trip Henderson, under the band name Tin+Bone.

Nora is mentored by many of her favorite old-time musicians including Alice Gerrard, John Cohen, Anna Roberts-Gevalt, Sammy Lind, Mark Simos, KC Groves, Courtney Hartman, Mac Traynham, John Haywood and Brett Ratliff. In the last two years, she's won the blue ribbon in the youth banjo competition at the Clifftop Appalachian String Band Music Festival in West Virginia. In 2018 she also placed third in the adult banjo competition at Clifftop. In 2017 she landed second place in the banjo competition (all ages) at the Oldtone Roots Music Festival in Hillsdale, New York. More recently, Brown traveled to eastern Kentucky to visit with 90-year-old master banjo player and former coal miner Lee Sexton and master banjo player and historian George Gibson.

Brown has played on the Floyd Radio Show in Floyd, Virginia, the Washington Square Park Folk Festival, Brooklyn Folk Festival, Brooklyn Americana Festival, Oldtone Roots Music Festival, both Summer and Winter Hoots at the Ashokan Center and NYC Trad Fest. She has had multiple month-long residencies at famed Barbès in Brooklyn, New York.

The Tribeca Film Festival funded a short documentary by Josh Weinstein about Nora called "Little Nora (the Banjo Prodigy)."

More profile about the speaker
Nora Brown | Speaker | TED.com