The 33rd Annual West Coast Ragtime Festival by Virginia Tichenor, Festival Director ime is flying by and the 33rd West Coast Ragtime was honored with the annual Scott Joplin award in Sedalia TFestival will be here before we know it! Make this year! He’s a fun guy and everyone will enjoy him at your plans for this year’s event, November 22 – 24th at West Coast. the Sacramento Marriott Rancho Cordova. This year the festival welcomes back numerous stellar performers! This year’s festival will feature many traditional special events and shows. A few highlights included in the Back by popular demand are Richard Dowling, Jeff & planning are the “Festival Sampler” program, silent Anne Barnhart, Frederick Hodges, Brian Holland, Carl movies accompanied by Frederick Hodges, the cakewalk Sonny Leyland, Adam Swanson and Matt Tolentino who demonstration, the Saturday evening centennial Ragtime will all be appearing again this year. Show and Grand March, the Sunday morning gospel set, the “Youth Concert” and the Sunday afternoon “Festival There are also new faces coming to this year’s event! Finale!” The West Coast Ragtime Festival website at www. West Coast welcomes Donald Ryan of Tulsa, Oklahoma, westcoastragtime.com will have complete details of the performing ragtime classics and novelties. Originally from festival program and schedule, so please check the website Trinidad, Donald has lived in Tulsa for many years, and is for regular updates. an inductee in the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame. Another addition to our line-up is TJ Müller, a multi-instrumentalist For a complete list of this year’s festival line-up, please see Brit now residing in St. Louis who will be playing early page 7 of this newsletter. jazz, blues and music-hall tunes. He is described as a performer of early twentieth century styles with gusto and November will be here in a blink. Now is the time to make charisma. your hotel reservations and buy your badges. You won’t want to miss the 33rd annual West Coast Ragtime Festival In addition to these two “local” performers, we have Peter of 2019! See you there. Lundberg coming from Gothenburg, Sweden. Peter’s been involved in the ragtime scene since the early sixties and -Virginia by Robyn Drivon

Newsletter Editor Robyn Drivon

Layout his year we have a newly constituted team of Volunteer Coordinators: John Lewis Motisher T& Lorraine Robinson have agreed to step in to the role held by Linda Kuk for many years. We share the loss of Linda Kuk with the multitudes of her The WEST COAST RAGTIMER is published by friends and family as well as faith that she is now with her beloved husband West Coast Ragtime Society Lynn in their capacities of heavenly, but firm, volunteer coordinators. P.O. Box 13346 Sacramento, CA 95813-3346 John & Lorraine will saddle up, test their organizational skills and prepare for the volunteer care, feeding, support and, yes, herding. Please give a big ‘How- www.westcoastragtime.com dy’ to John & Lorraine Robinson!

President Bub Sullivan The groups to be coordinated include a group of strong guys who volunteer to Vice-President Robyn Drivon assist with moving pianos before and after the festival. The volunteers in the Secretary Bob Gonzalez musicians’ hospitality room make life tasty and relaxing for performers “down Treasurer Hal Krueger time” by making sure that food is available for them as they have time to visit Festival Director and collaborate with other performers and take time to relax between their sets. Virginia Tichenor The California Ballroom has a special set of volunteers who manage the stage; helping to set up for various acts and special sets, working with the perform- Directors ers to keep the flow of the program moving as intended, and working with the Robyn Drivon, Bob Gonzalez performers and sound crew for maximum quality of sound. The group at the fes- Hal Krueger, Damit Senanayake tival registration table are multi-talented; they sell badges, memberships, dinner Warren Jennings tickets, and they possess a wealth of knowledge to answer questions posed by festival guests! Seminar Coordinator Kathleen McNulty Now back to those sage riders at the venue doors! They will be ready for ropin’ and ridin’ and Will want to see your badge each time you enter a venue but there Youth Coodinator Chris Bradshaw is more they do such as counting the audience size during each shift, seeing that sets end on schedule, periodically checking dance floors for safety, making cer- Volunteer Coordinators tain that aisles are clear, that areas are open for those with disabilities, watching John & Lorraine Robinson the people in the room for issues that disrupt others, and more.

Webmasters Our volunteers are wonderful and bear their responsibilities well! If you think Warren Jennings, Ron O’Dell you might like to volunteer for the festival, contact our website: http://www. Damit Senanayake westcoastragtime.com/volunteers.htm, or drop us a note at WCRS – Attention: Volunteer Coordinator, P.O. Box 13346, Sacramento, California 95813. Include West coast Ragtime Society is a your name, address, telephone number and e-mail address. Also, indicate the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization volunteer activity you prefer. You will be contacted to confirm your preference dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Ragtime for the type of volunteer service you can do for the festival and to work out your and vintage American schedule. music. We will definitely talk! Remember, each day volunteers work a shift they have free admission to all events. Ee-Haw!  Serendipitous Thrills and Spills Notes from our R.E.L.I.C. (Ragtime-Enriched-Leader-In-Chief) by Bub Sullivan, WCRS President

e are in full preparation mode we have the privilege of watching the magic happen. It is our Wfor another great West Coast honor to provide them this forum, don’t you think so too? The Ragtime Society Festival in No- serendipity of the thrills & spills of live music brings up the vember. We are running through goosebumps, just thinking about it. How about you? the tune choices from 1919 to be Last year we had the challenge of devastating wildfires featured in the Century Show and to contend with, this year we also will have some logistical ob- making sure that travel arrange- stacles: hotel remodeling. Never fear! We managed to dodge ments allow for the spontaneity of that bullet this year. The bulk of the ground floor remodeling musical matchmaking that occurs (including Starbuck’s and most of the smaller venues) won’t throughout the weekend. begin until the new year and hopefully, it’ll be fully completed Year after year, we receive well ahead of next year’s festival. Neither wind, rain, fire or such positive feedback from each of a few temporary walls can stop our enjoyment of homegrown you (yes, we read every one of those end-of-festival surveys!) creativity and splendor! You may see hints of the finished up- and we work each year to achieve a special festival and unique grades in most hotel rooms and venues. But through it all, we experience. Could anything be better than last year’s festival? will do our very best to provide the expected musical excel- YES—this year’s festival! Again musicians will come from lence. Northern and Central Europe, South America and Everytown, So find your hat, get your dancing shoes polished and U.S.A. be ready for the curtains to rise on the 2019 West Coast Rag- Our lineup of professional musicians is the secret to time Festival. We look forward to hosting you and can’t wait our success. New to our festival this year will be Donald Ryan for November to be here! See you then. from Tulsa, Oklahoma – be ready to hear traditional ragtime music from America’s heartland. All these talented geniuses bring the artistry of their hearts and minds to our festival where Best Ragards, Bub Welcome Ragtime Family & Friends!

e are very excited to present the 2019 West Coast and the Festival to Sacramento. This 33rd Festival will be WRagtime Festival, its’ 33rd year! As a member of the held November 22 – 24, 2019. Board of Directors of the West Coast Ragtime Festival, I To see that ragtime will be kept alive, in 2004, the can assure you that we are continually striving to provide an Board of Directors created the Youth Ragtime Piano Compe- artistically vibrant festival. tition. To provide enhancement, education, and competitive During this landmark year, we have returning veteran performances, opportunities are provided under the guiding musicians as well as some new faces and fingers, including: hand of our own Chris Bradshaw. This year’s crop of fea- Jeff & Ann Barnhart, Martin Spitznagel, Frederick Hodges, tured young performers will absolutely delight you! Carl Sonny Leyland, Squeak Steele, David Thomas Roberts, Brian Holland, Adam Swanson, Martin Jaeger, Richard Become Part of the Experience Dowling, Sean Sharp, Matt Tolentino, and Donald Ryan. “Last month I heard musicians describe what makes Did you know the actual cost of each festival is tens of thou- them play at their best, and it wasn’t a great-sounding hall or sands of dollars? In an age when support for the arts from a brilliant conductor. It was the connection to the audience,” public money is growing increasingly scarce, private support Jesse Rose, President and CEO, League of American Orches- is more vital than ever. To continue offering quality festivals, tras. I couldn’t agree more with that statement. It’s about we need you! you and the musical connections we create together. Your commitment is key to enriching the WCRF and The West Coast Ragtime Society is a 501(c)(3) non- expanding the opportunities to continue providing quality profit, dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Rag- events. You are encouraged to give any amount to help us time and vintage American music. The Society was founded continue to polish the jewel that is the West Coast Ragtime by ragtime enthusiasts in Fresno, California in the 1980s. Festival! The first ten festivals were produced in Fresno from 1987 to 1996. In 1997, the Society transferred its base of operations see Become a Member continued on page 6  In Memoriam: Richard Reutlinger

agtime has lost one of its most Rardent fans and supporters, Rich- ard Reutlinger, who passed away in Richard’s landmark Victo- his home Saturday, June 29th, while rian mansion in San Fran- listening to a live performance by one cisco, home of many his- of his favorite artists, Morten Gunnar toric (but mostly fun!) rag- time events. Photo by Mike Larsen. Kepka/The San Francisco Chronicle. A native of Lexington, Nebraska, Richard was first exposed to ragtime and early jazz music through his Aunt Louise, who had played piano for local theaters. Sometime later when his parents took his family to San Francisco on vacation, Richard was impressed with Richard with Phyllis McCoy at Nan Bostick’s 60th Birthday Party. Photo player pianos he heard at the Cliff House. Back in Nebraska the by Rob Thomas. 13-year-old Richard quickly acquired his very first piano –– an old pumper he procured for $50. This was the beginning of a lifelong obsession for Richard.

In 1956, Richard “escaped” Nebraska and made the move to San Francisco. Early on, Richard purchased a smaller Victorian in the Mission district, but in 1965 he jumped at the opportunity to as- sume ownership of the Brune mansion on Grove Street. Richard made it his life’s work to restore the dilapidated structure to its former opulence.

For most of his career, Richard worked as an office manager for the Arthur Anderson accounting firm. The job was not high pay- ing. However, watchful for opportunities, Richard was able to pe- riodically obtain ever more fine mechanical instruments as well as period furnishings for the Brune mansion.

Richard generously opened his home to share his love of rag- time and early 20th century popular music with others. Live concerts at the Reutlinger mansion were a regular occurrence, and famous artists such as Max Morath, Tom Brier, Mimi Blais, Brian Holland, Terry Waldo, Jeff Barnhart, Scott Kirby, Frank French, Glenn Jenks, Frederick Hodges, Crown Syncopators, Richard in a cunning “Chicken Chowder” chapeau with Tom Brier at Nan’s Chrysanthemum Ragtime Orchestra, The Raspberry Jam Band, 60th Birthday Party. Photo by Rob Thomas. Carl Sonny Leyland, Janet Klein, David Thomas Roberts, Dick Zimmerman, Trebor Tichenor, Virginia Tichenor, Marty Eggers, course hosting the annual Christmas party year after year. Many Nan Bostick and Australian pianist, John Gill... the list goes on have fond memories of these soirees: the great food, Richard’s and on. Even the great Eubie Blake once played there. These per- Holiday punch, live music and of course, a silent movie accom- formances were not designed to profit Richard, being purely for panied by the host himself operating his beloved Fotoplayer. the benefit of the artist and the public. Richard leaves a huge hole in the fabric of ragtime and will be sorely missed. Sadly, an era has passed. Richard, a founding member of AMICA (Automatic Musical In- strument Collectors’ Association), has remained an active and vi- Courtesy of The Pneumatic Pnews, the journal of the local chap- tal member of the group, rarely missing a chapter meeting, and of ter of AMICA, reprinted and edited with their kind permission.  Six Slick Seminars at WCRF 2019 by Kathleen McNulty, Seminar Coordinator

he Festival doesn’t just offer you great music and dancing, Teach year we provide scholarly research presentations on a myriad of topics. Where and when? In the Junior Ballroom aka Frederick Hodges: “Seminar Central,” on Saturday and Sunday, mid-day, for three Jerome Kern: The hours each day. And what’s on the schedule for this year? Ragtime Years

Ramona Baker: Why Famous for his ground-breaking Should We Care About and tuneful scores for such Broad- Studio Pianists way and Hollywood musicals as Show Boat, Roberta,Swing Time, and Music In the Air, Jerome We all know of those beautiful and Kern began his spectacular career in 1904 in the thick of the Rag- colorful sheets of rag-time sheet time Era, making a name for himself as one of the most sophis- music, and the lifelike rendition of ticated and cleverest of ragtime song writers. This seminar will piano rolls, but what about listening explore the extraordinarily rich and prolific ragtime histories of to the pianists exactly as they played? Recordings dating as far one of America’s most celebrated composers. back as 1888 consisted of a performer and pianist, and until 1906, the pianists remained a driving force for many thousands of re- Adam Swanson: cordings. These half a dozen pianists provide a rare, realistic, and The Johnny Maddox Story diverse look into how rag-time was actually played in the 1890’s and 1900’s. This seminar will address why as rag-time scholars, Adam Swanson presents the life and career of his greatest musi- we should pay interest and research into these tragic and talented cal mentor and inspiration, the late John S. Maddox, Jr. (1927- musicians. 2018) who was the only ragtime pianist to earn a star on Hol- lywood Blvd. Johnny spread the Richard Dowling: The Genius of Joplin ragtime gospel in live performanc- (or, What I Learned from Learning the es throughout the country for more Complete Piano Works of Scott Joplin) than seventy years, selling no less than eleven million records. Learn of Johnny’s personal connections to Pianist Richard Dowling discusses the pioneers and composers of rag- his four-year experience of learn- time, including Charles L. Johnson, ing, recording, and performing all Sophie Tucker, Glover Compton, 53 of Scott Joplin’s rags, waltzes, Fred Van Eps, Ted Lewis, and Joe marches, and cakewalks. He dis- Jordan. Additionally hear about major stars of his own time, such sects several piano works to illu- as Elvis Presley, Eddy Arnold, Andy Griffith, Milton Berle, Law- minate details of Joplin’s masterful rence Welk, and Patsy Cline. And finally, the end of Johnny’s compositional craft. story—his retirement to a home in Gallatin built long before the Civil War, where he amassed one of the largest collections of popular sheet music in history. TJ Müller: Meet Me in St. Louis: Exploring the music of Christoph Schmetterer: early 20th Century St. Louis Transatlantic Ragtime

In this seminar we will explore the Ragtime was the first American musical fabric of early 20th Century style of popular music in Europe. St. Louis. We will discuss the mu- This seminar will analyze the im- sic heard and performed at the 1904 portance of European popular mu- World’s Fair, visit St. Louis’ dance sic before and during the ragtime halls and music venues and learn era as well as the influence of rag- about the musicians and bands per- time on the old world - especially forming in St. Louis from the rag- on central Europe. time era to the early jazz age.

 continued from Page 3 Become a Member Please join or renew your yearly West Coast Ragtime Society membership today. (Single membership: $20; Couples: $30). Your membership serves as a vote of confidence, helps cover Society expenses, nets you discounts for WCRS-sponsored concerts, places you on the mailing list to receive our West Coast Ragtimer newsletter, and makes you welcome at WCRS Board meetings. Donations Book Your Room at Donations help sustain our renowned youth music programs and any amount has a positive impact on the Festival. If you would the Marriott like, send us your tax-deductible donation via check, payable to: West Coast Ragtime Society est Coast has reserved a large block of rooms for festival PO Box 13346 Wattendees at the Sacramento Marriott Rancho Cordova, Sacramento, CA 95813-3346 our festival location. Rates are $109 - $139. To book a room for You can also make donations via PayPal or credit card and make or the West Coast Ragtime Festival, call 866-232-4541. Be sure to renew your WCRS Membership on the Society’s Membership and to ask for the festival rates. Donation webpage at www.westcoastragtime.com/membership. htm. If you have a special gift or sponsorship you would like to Here’s the online reservations link: discuss, please feel free to contact us at the above address or call https://book.passkey.com/e/49655515 Petra Sullivan at (916) 457-3324. In an age where so many people are surrounded by tur- The festival cut-off date for the room rates is Friday, September moil, the West Coast Ragtime Festival offers an opportunity for 28, 2019. Please book now, so Marriott will hopefully extend everyone to escape their challenges for a few days and enjoy the the cut-off date into October! beauty and camaraderie of great music. A gift to WCRF is an investment in the potential for the ragtime musical arts to contrib- ute to a better world. Sincerely, Robyn Drivon Marriott Room Rates per Day Rates not available after Friday, September 28, 2019 so reserve early!

15th Annual West Coast Youth Standard guest room with one King size bed. $109.00 Ragtime Piano Competition Standard room with two Queen size beds. $119.00 November 9, 2019 Concierge King room $129.00 Concierge two Queen room $139.00 by Chris Bradshaw, Youth Coordinator All room rates plus taxes and fees.

ike ice cream? Like Kids? Well, we can’t provide the Reservations can be made directly with Marriott at Lice cream (that was just to get your attention) but we can provide the kids. Dozens of them, in fact –– performing the 866-232-4541 ragtime music you love at the 15th annual West Coast Youth Ragtime Competition coming up on Saturday, November 9th, 2019, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the United Methodist Church, ALL EVENTS BADGE now $105 212 2nd. Street in Woodland, CA. Everyone is invited and Price goes up to $115 after Oct. 31, 2019, so order early admission is free. Come and go as you please! This is how the day works. There are three divisions Day and combo badges also available - see below and each one is its own mini competition. The kids play, the Friday day badge: now $50 judges adjudicate and awards are presented. Then the next Saturday day badge: now $60 group takes to the stage. Division 1 (ages 8-10) while usu- Sunday day badge: now $40 ally performing arranged or teaching rags, some of those pip- After Oct. 31, prices go up $5 squeaks will be playing the real deal. Students in Division 2 Fri/Sat combo: now $95 (ages 11-14) and Division 3 (ages 15 - 18) perform complete Sat/Sun combo: now $85 vintage or contemporary rags. Come see ragtime’s future art- After Oct. 31, prices go up $10 ists strutting their stuff, commanding the piano and filling the room with heartwarming, awe-inspiring music. You won’t be See Badge Order Form on back of this newsletter. disappointed.  7 You may also order badges by phone using a credit card, online with Paypal, or at the door. (415) 891-3096