Cynthia Nan Sayer (born May 20, 1962) is an American jazz banjoist, singer and a founding member of

Woody Allen Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...

's New Orleans Jazz Band.

Career

A native of

Waltham, Massachusetts Waltham ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, and was an early center for the labor movement as well as a major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, ...

, Sayer spent her early childhood in

Wayland, Massachusetts Wayland is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The town was founded in 1638, and incorporated in 1780 and was originally part of neighboring Sudbury (incorporated 1639). As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was ...

and the remainder of her youth in Scotch Plains, New Jersey. She played piano from the age of six through her college years and also studied viola, drums, guitar, and banjo. She graduated from

Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School (or SPFHS) is a comprehensive regional four-year public high school in Union County, New Jersey, United States, which serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from the Township of Scotch Plains and the ...

and was inducted into the school's hall of fame in 2016.Conklin, Sean
"Scenes from 2016 Scotch Plains-Fanwood HS Hall of Fame Induction"
TAPinto.net, November 16, 2016. Accessed August 12, 2019. "Cynthia Sayer, Class of 1974, an international jazz banjoist, vocalist, concert and recording artist and entertainer who performed at the White House." She sang in school and community theater and graduated Magna Cum Laude from

Ithaca College Ithaca College is a private college in Ithaca, New York. It was founded by William Egbert in 1892 as a conservatory of music and is set against the backdrop of the city of Ithaca (which is separate from the town), Cayuga Lake, waterfalls, and go ...

with a degree in English. Sayer has worked with

Milt Hinton Milton John Hinton (June 23, 1910 – December 19, 2000) was an American double bassist and photographer. Regarded as the Dean of American jazz bass players, his nicknames included "Sporty" from his years in Chicago, "Fump" from his time on the ...

, Dick Hyman,

Bucky Pizzarelli John Paul "Bucky" Pizzarelli (January 9, 1926 – April 1, 2020) was an American jazz guitarist. He was the father of jazz guitarist John Pizzarelli and double bassist Martin Pizzarelli. He worked for NBC as a staffman for Dick Cavett (1971) ...

, George Segal,

Dick Wellstood Richard MacQueen Wellstood (November 25, 1927 – July 24, 1987) was an American jazz pianist. Career He was born in Greenwich, Connecticut, United States. Wellstood's mother was a graduate of the Juilliard School who played church organ. Wellst ...

, the New York Philharmonic, and The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.

Award and honors

* National Four-String Banjo Hall of Fame, 2006

Discography

* ''The Jazz Banjo of Cynthia Sayer Vol. 1'' (New York Jazz, 1987) * ''More Jazz Banjo Vol. 2'' (New York Jazz, 1989) * ''Forward Moves'' (Yerba Buena, 1992) * ''Jazz at Home'' (Jazzology, 1997) * ''String Swing'' (Jazzology, 2000) * ''Souvenirs'' (Plunk, 2002) * ''Attractions'' with Bucky Pizzarelli (Plunk, 2007) * ''Joyride'' (Plunk, 2013) With the New York Banjo Ensemble * ''Plays Gershwin'' (Kicking Mule, 1982)

As guest

* Woody Allen, ''Wild Man Blues'' (RCA Victor, 1998) * Peter Ecklund, ''Strings Attached'' (Arbors, 1996) *

Tony Trischka Anthony Cattell Trischka (born January 16, 1949) is an American five-string banjo player. Sandra Brennan wrote of him in 2021: "One of the most influential modern banjoists, both in several forms of bluegrass music and occasionally in jazz and ...

, ''World Turning'' (Rounder, 1995) * Terry Waldo, ''Let It Shine'' (Stomp Off, 2003)

Books

* ''You're IN The Band (Cynthia Sayer Music, 2016) * ''The Swinging Solos Of Elmer Snowden (Cynthia Sayer Music, 2021)

References

Sources

* ''

The Mississippi Rag Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that flourished from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers such as Scott ...

'', "Cynthia Sayer, Banjoist from the Big Apple", by George A. Borgman, June 1994.

External links

Official site

Woody Allen & His New Orleans Jazz Band
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sayer, Cynthia Living people 1962 births Jazz musicians from Massachusetts Jazz musicians from New Jersey People from Scotch Plains, New Jersey People from Waltham, Massachusetts American jazz banjoists American women jazz musicians American women jazz singers American jazz singers Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School alumni 21st-century American women