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Cynthia N. Sayer

Cynthia Sayer: Jazz Banjoist, Vocalist & Bandleader

About Me

Award-winning instrumentalist, vocalist and bandleader Cynthia Sayer defies all the banjo player assumptions as she single-handedly re-popularizes the 4-string jazz banjo. Sayer is celebrated as one of the top 4-string banjoists in the world today: soulful, edgy, both contemporary and classic, with a playing style that is all her own.

Praised for her “drive and virtuosity” by The New York Times, Sayer rose to prominence as a founding member of Woody Allen's New Orleans Jazz Band, all the while exploring her wider musical interests and playing with other leading jazz, popular and roots artists, including Bucky Pizzarelli, Dick Hyman, Les Paul, Marvin Hamlisch, Wynton Marsalis, Marian McPartland, Wycliffe Gordon, Andy Statman, and others. Her eclectic, swing-based shows treat audiences to the rarely heard range and versatility of the 4-string banjo, America’s original jazz instrument, and her warm, engaging audience connection wins hearts wherever she goes.

Cynthia appears regularly in concert and at festivals internationally with her bands and as a guest artist. She can also be heard on feature film and TV soundtracks, most recently in Woody Allen’s 2014 release, “Magic In The Moonlight.” Sayer was inducted into the American Banjo Hall Of Fame, played for two U.S. Presidents (once at The White House), performed with The New York Philharmonic, has received several honors and award nominations for her recordings, and is proud to be the subject of a Trivial Pursuit game question. Sayer endorses Ome banjos, GHS Strings, Blue Chip Picks, and The Realist Pickup by David Gage Instruments.