ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Abigail Washburn - Clawhammer banjo player
Abigail Washburn pairs venerable folk elements with far-flung sounds, creating results that feel both strangely familiar and unlike anything anybody's ever heard before.

Why you should listen
If American old-time music is about adopting earlier, simpler ways of life and music-making, Abigail has proven herself a bracing challenge to that tradition. A singing, songwriting, Chinese-speaking, Illinois-born, Nashville-based, clawhammer banjo player, Abigail is every bit as interested in the present and the future as she is in the past, and every bit as attuned to the global as she is to the local. From the recovery zones of earthquake-shaken Sichuan to the hollers of Tennessee, she pairs venerable folk elements with far-flung sounds, and the results feel both strangely familiar and unlike anything anybody’s ever heard before. To put it another way, she changes what seems possible.
More profile about the speaker
Abigail Washburn | Speaker | TED.com
TED2012

Abigail Washburn: Building US-China relations ... by banjo

Abigail Washburn: Construindo relações E.U.-China ... com banjo

Filmed:
1,039,474 views

TED Fellow Abigail Washburn queria ser um advogada para melhorar as relações E.U.-China -- até que ela pegou um banjo. Ela conta uma história comovente das conexões notáveis que ela formou em uma turnê pelos Estados Unidos e China, ao mesmo tempo ela toca o banjo e canta em chinês.
- Clawhammer banjo player
Abigail Washburn pairs venerable folk elements with far-flung sounds, creating results that feel both strangely familiar and unlike anything anybody's ever heard before. Full bio

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

00:15
If you had caught me straight out of college
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Se vocês tivessem me encontrado logo depois que terminei a faculdade
00:17
in the halls of the Vermont State House
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nos corredores do Vermont State House
00:19
where I was a lobbyist in training
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onde eu era uma lobista em treinamento
00:22
and asked me what I was going to do with my life,
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e me perguntassem o que eu ia fazer com a minha vida,
00:24
I would have told you
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Eu teria dito a vocês
00:26
that I'd just passed the Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi,
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que tinha acabado de passar no Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi,
00:28
the Chinese equivalency exam,
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o exame chinês de equivalência,
00:30
and I was going to go study law in Beijing,
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e que eu ia estudar direito em Pequim,
00:33
and I was going to improve U.S.-China relations
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e ia melhorar as relações entre os E.U. e a China,
00:37
through top-down policy changes
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através de mudanças políticas do topo para a base
00:39
and judicial system reforms.
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e de reformas do sistema judiciário.
00:41
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
00:44
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
00:46
I had a plan,
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Eu tinha um plano,
00:49
and I never ever thought
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e eu nunca pensei
00:52
it would have anything to do
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que teria algo a ver
00:54
with the banjo.
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com o banjo.
00:58
Little did I know
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Pouco sabia eu
01:00
what a huge impact it would have on me one night
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que uma noite, ele teria um imenso impacto em mim
01:02
when I was at a party
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quando eu estava numa festa
01:04
and I heard a sound coming out of a record player
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e ouvi um som vindo de um toca-discos
01:06
in the corner of a room.
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no canto de uma sala.
01:08
And it was Doc Watson
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Era Doc Watson
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singing and playing "Shady Grove."
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cantando e tocando “Shady Grove”.
01:13
♫ Shady Grove, my little love ♫
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♫ Shady Grove, meu amorzinho ♫
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♫ Shady Grove, my darlin' ♫
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♫ Shady Grove, minha querida ♫
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♫ Shady Grove, my little love ♫
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♫ Shady Grove, meu amorzinho ♫
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♫ Going back to Harlan ♫
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♫ Voltando para Harlan ♫
01:24
That sound was just so beautiful,
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Aquele som era simplesmente tão lindo,
01:27
the sound of Doc's voice
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o som da voz de Doc
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and the rippling groove of the banjo.
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e o ritmo ondulante do banjo.
01:33
And after being totally and completely obsessed
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E depois de estar total e completamente obcecada
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with the mammoth richness and history
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com a riqueza gigantesca e a história
01:39
of Chinese culture,
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da cultura chinesa,
01:41
it was like this total relief
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era como um alívio total
01:45
to hear something so truly American
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ouvir alguma coisa tão verdadeiramente americana
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and so truly awesome.
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e tão verdadeiramente maravilhosa.
01:51
I knew I had to take a banjo with me to China.
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Eu sabia que tinha que levar um banjo comigo para a China.
01:56
So before going to law school in China
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Então, antes de começar a faculdade de direito na China
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I bought a banjo, I threw it in my little red truck
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eu comprei um banjo, joguei-o na minha caminhonete vermelha
02:01
and I traveled down through Appalachia
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e viajei para o sul através do Appalachia,
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and I learned a bunch of old American songs,
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aprendi um monte de músicas americanas antigas,
02:06
and I ended up in Kentucky
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cheguei em Kentucky
02:08
at the International Bluegrass Music Association Convention.
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à Convenção Internacional da Associação de Música Bluegrass.
02:11
And I was sitting in a hallway one night
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E, uma noite, eu estava sentada num corredor
02:14
and a couple girls came up to me.
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e duas jovens vieram a mim.
02:16
And they said, "Hey, do you want to jam?"
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E disseram: “Oi, você que tocar com a gente?”
02:18
And I was like, "Sure."
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E eu disse: “Claro”.
02:20
So I picked up my banjo
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Então eu peguei meu banjo
02:22
and I nervously played four songs that I actually knew with them.
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e, nervosa, eu toquei quatro músicas que conheci com elas.
02:25
And a record executive walked up to me
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E o diretor de uma gravadora se aproximou
02:27
and invited me to Nashville, Tennessee to make a record.
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e convidou-me para ir a Nashville no Tennessee para gravar um disco.
02:30
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
02:37
It's been eight years,
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Passaram-se 8 anos,
02:41
and I can tell you that I didn't go to China to become a lawyer.
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e posso lhes dizer que não fui para a China para me tornar uma advogada.
02:45
In fact, I went to Nashville.
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Na verdade, fui para Nashville.
02:47
And after a few months I was writing songs.
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E em poucos meses eu estava compondo.
02:50
And the first song I wrote was in English,
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A primeira canção que escrevi foi em inglês,
02:52
and the second one was in Chinese.
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e a segunda em chinês.
02:56
(Music)
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(Música)
02:59
[Chinese]
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[Chinês]
03:09
Outside your door the world is waiting.
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O mundo espera do lado de fora da sua porta.
03:11
Inside your heart a voice is calling.
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Dentro do seu coração uma voz chama.
03:13
The four corners of the world are watching,
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Os quatro cantos do mundo estão olhando,
03:15
so travel daughter, travel.
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então, viaja filha, viaja.
03:18
Go get it, girl.
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Corre atrás, menina.
03:20
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
03:29
It's really been eight years since that fated night in Kentucky.
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Já se passaram oito anos desde aquela fatídica noite em Kentucky.
03:33
And I've played thousands of shows.
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E eu já toquei em milhares de shows.
03:35
And I've collaborated
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E colaborei
03:37
with so many incredible, inspirational musicians around the world.
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com tantos músicos incríveis e inspiradores por todo o mundo.
03:41
And I see the power of music.
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E eu vejo o poder da música.
03:43
I see the power of music
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Eu vejo o poder da música
03:45
to connect cultures.
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para conectar culturas.
03:47
I see it when I stand on a stage
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Vejo que quando estou em um palco
03:49
in a bluegrass festival in east Virginia
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em um festival de bluegrass na Virgínia do Leste
03:51
and I look out at the sea of lawn chairs
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E olho para o mar de cadeiras de jardim
03:53
and I bust out into a song in Chinese.
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e 'explodo' com uma canção em chinês.
03:56
[Chinese]
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[Chinês]
03:59
And everybody's eyes just pop wide open
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E os olhos de todo mundo se arregalam
04:02
like it's going to fall out of their heads.
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como se fossem cair das suas cabeças.
04:05
And they're like, "What's that girl doing?"
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E eles pensam: “O que esta menina está fazendo?”
04:07
And then they come up to me after the show
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E eles vêm a mim quando o show termina
04:10
and they all have a story.
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e todos eles têm uma história.
04:12
They all come up and they're like,
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Todos vêm e dizem coisas tipo,
04:14
"You know, my aunt's sister's babysitter's dog's chicken went to China
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“Sabe, a galinha do cachorro da babá da irmã da minha tia foi para a China
04:18
and adopted a girl."
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e adotou uma menina.”
04:20
And I tell you what, it like everybody's got a story.
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E lhes digo uma coisa, é como se todo mundo tivesse uma história.
04:24
It's just incredible.
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É simplesmente incrível.
04:27
And then I go to China
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E depois eu vou para a China
04:29
and I stand on a stage at a university
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e estou em um palco numa universidade
04:32
and I bust out into a song in Chinese
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e 'explodo' com uma canção em chinês
04:34
and everybody sings along
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e todo mundo canta junto
04:37
and they roar with delight
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e grita com prazer
04:39
at this girl
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para esta jovem
04:41
with the hair and the instrument,
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com o cabelo e o instrumento,
04:43
and she's singing their music.
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e ela está cantando a música deles.
04:47
And I see, even more importantly,
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E vejo mais ainda a importância,
04:51
the power of music to connect hearts.
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o poder que a música tem para conectar corações.
04:54
Like the time I was in Sichuan Province
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Como a vez quando eu estava na província de Sichuan
04:57
and I was singing for kids in relocation schools
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e cantava para as crianças em escolas de relocação
05:00
in the earthquake disaster zone.
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na zona de desastre do terremoto.
05:02
And this little girl comes up to me.
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E esta menininha vem até mim.
05:05
[Chinese]
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“[Chinês]”
05:11
"Big sister Wong,"
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“Irmã mais velha Wong”,
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Washburn, Wong, same difference.
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Washburn, Wong, não faz diferença.
05:17
"Big sister Wong, can I sing you a song
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“Irmã mais velha Wong, posso cantar uma canção para você
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that my mom sang for me
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que minha mãe cantou para mim
05:22
before she was swallowed in the earthquake?"
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antes dela ser engolida pelo terremoto?”
05:26
And I sat down,
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E eu sentei,
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she sat on my lap.
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ela sentou no meu colo.
05:30
She started singing her song.
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Ela começou a cantar a sua canção.
05:33
And the warmth of her body
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E o calor do seu corpo,
05:36
and the tears rolling down her rosy cheeks,
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as lágrimas rolando nas suas bochechas rosadas,
05:40
and I started to cry.
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e eu comecei a chorar.
05:43
And the light that shone off of her eyes
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A luz que brilhou nos seus olhos
05:47
was a place I could have stayed forever.
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era um lugar em que eu podia ter ficado para sempre.
05:51
And in that moment, we weren't our American selves,
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E naquele momento, não éramos nós os americanos,
05:54
we weren't our Chinese selves,
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não éramos nós os chineses,
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we were just mortals
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éramos apenas mortais
06:00
sitting together in that light that keeps us here.
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sentados juntos nessa luz que nos mantém aqui.
06:05
I want to dwell in that light
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Eu quero viver nessa luz
06:09
with you and with everyone.
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com vocês e com todos.
06:11
And I know U.S.-China relations
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E eu sei que as relações entre os E.U. e a China
06:13
doesn't need another lawyer.
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não precisam de outra advogada.
06:15
Thank you.
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Obrigada.
06:17
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
Translated by Nadja Nathan
Reviewed by Mariangela Andrade

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Abigail Washburn - Clawhammer banjo player
Abigail Washburn pairs venerable folk elements with far-flung sounds, creating results that feel both strangely familiar and unlike anything anybody's ever heard before.

Why you should listen
If American old-time music is about adopting earlier, simpler ways of life and music-making, Abigail has proven herself a bracing challenge to that tradition. A singing, songwriting, Chinese-speaking, Illinois-born, Nashville-based, clawhammer banjo player, Abigail is every bit as interested in the present and the future as she is in the past, and every bit as attuned to the global as she is to the local. From the recovery zones of earthquake-shaken Sichuan to the hollers of Tennessee, she pairs venerable folk elements with far-flung sounds, and the results feel both strangely familiar and unlike anything anybody’s ever heard before. To put it another way, she changes what seems possible.
More profile about the speaker
Abigail Washburn | Speaker | TED.com