Music Break - Alison Brown

Today's the birthday of the amazing Alison Brown. If you've never heard her play the banjo, you should! Here she is with her friends playing "Girl's Breakdown."



And no, "breakdown" doesn't mean a mental break. In bluegrass, a breakdown is a style of song.

In bluegrass, as in some forms of jazz, one or more instruments each takes its turn playing the melody and improvising around it, while the others perform accompaniment; this is especially typified in tunes called breakdowns. This is in contrast to old-time music, in which all instruments play the melody together or one instrument carries the lead throughout while the others provide accompaniment. Breakdowns are often characterized by rapid tempos and unusual instrumental dexterity and sometimes by complex chord changes.
Source: Wikipedia