October 11th, 2021    

Good Morning Folks,

Tuesday is my birthday. I will be 74 years old, having been born on the first anniversary of my parent’s wedding. As was traditional in Italian families, I was named after my father’s father, Giovanni Bernunzio, who was from Barrafranca, Sicily. Of course, it was also Columbus Day, now Indigenous People Day, so I always have the day off and it was an Italian holiday. I don’t know what it is about birthdays but they always make me nostalgic or sometimes even melancholy. There’s a certain amount of looking back and wondering about two roads diverged etc. etc. As Ishmael took to sea as a respite, I headed for Branchport, NY. Fishing and hanging out…. That is what I plan on doing this entire week.…and you are all invited. Anyone who wants to come down and pay a visit you’re all welcome….family, friends, musicians….just NO accordion players. Private message me and I will give you the location. I plan on being there until Saturday so if you have a moment it looks like it’s going to be a beautiful week. I may even cook a nice dinner of pasta à la Norma.

This past week’s round up of vintage instruments was very successful. We arrived back at the store on Friday with an entire van full of guitars, banjos, mandolins and assorted other stringed instruments. One of our longtime customers was seeking to pair down his collection and we spent a great afternoon together in his new home on the shore in Connecticut. In the course of the conversation he also told me about a CD that he recorded when he was younger and brought up the name Reed Martin. Of course Reed is a name legendary In old time banjo circles. I only met him twice but he was renowned across the East coast coming from the Baltimore-Washington area. My friend open a large box and said, "Here, I have all these CDs left. There’s not much of a market". Well, Julie and I listened to the entire CD on the way home. The playing of course is exquisite and the selection of tunes is every single one that every banjo player wanted to learn at some point in his life. The liner notes are by Reed and they are worth the price alone. If you don’t have this musical gem give me a call or text at 585-733–3429 or email john@bernunzio.com. Reed is suffering a debilitating condition. I am offering these for sale for $15 including shipping. All proceeds will go directly to Reed Martin.

Sincerely,

John Bernunzio 

Every tune you ever wanted to play is executed joyfully here and annotated with such personal vignettes.

I had a great overnight visit from grandson Elliot Miller and friend Charlie on their way from New Paltz