On her aptly titled album ON BANJO — out today — Alison Brown explores the full range of the banjo’s potential on a set of tunes that ranges from bluegrass to chamber-grass, including forays into Brazillian choro, swing era jazz and bossa nova. While many of Brown’s previous albums have included guest vocalists (check out Keb’ Mo’ on “What’s Going On?” from 2015’s SONG OF THE BANJO), her new collection is a purely instrumental outing. She invited an eclectic cast of collaborators, including fellow female virtuosos Sharon Isbin, Anat Cohen, and Sierra Hull, as well as banjo player/comedian/actor Steve Martin, multi-cultural chamber group Kronos Quartet, childhood pal and fiddle stalwart Stuart Duncan, and the supremely talented members of her touring quintet to deliver a magical album that sheds a whole new light on the 5-string banjo.