Sacramento Ragtime Society Newsletter
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SACRAMENTO RAGTIME SOCIETY NEWSLETTER by Chris Bradshaw by Keith Taylor, other festival performers o diamond in the rough, this pol- Andrew Barrett, John Remmers, the Brad- Nished gem of a festival, held August shaws, and Stevens Price joined him for a 14-16, 2009 in Sutter Creek, glimmered festival teaser. Good food, a great piano and glittered from beginning to end. An and a warm and encouraging audience unique celebration of vintage American made for a wonderful evening. Music encompassing ragtime, stride, boo- As is tradition, Friday’s festival opened gie and blues, the 11th annual Sutter in the Ice Cream Emporium amidst the rev- Creek Ragtime Festival sparkled with tal- erie of an excited, ice cream spooning, ent, enthusiastic listeners and the special soda slurping audience with Keith Taylor, chemistry that just happens when you dishing up a tasty original take on Original bring together professional performers Rags (1899) by Scott Joplin. Another with die-hard ragtime fans. The outcome-a standout performance during the festival melange of theater concerts, youth perform- from Keith’s eclectic repertoire was his ances, silent movies, instrumental en- own Ghosts of Sutter Creek (2007), one of sembles, the Town Square Harmonizers barbershop quartet, two great festival See continued on page 4 shows and plenty of fine solo sets all joy- ously celebrating the In This Issue best of the ragtime era--was a series of ma- gical moments strung together as gleaming pearls, from the first note to the last. Setting the tone was the pre-festival event held Thursday evening at the Green- horn Creek Resort in Angels Camp. Hosted by Chris Bradshaw competition is limited to 20 participants t’s hard to believe but the West Coast per division. If you know of someone who IRagtime Society will be hosting the 5th might like to enter, please tell them to do Annual youth piano ragtime competition, so as soon as possible. Forms can be found November 7th, again at Trinity Cathedral, on the WCRS website (www.westcoastrag- 2620 Capitol Avenue, in Sacramento. time.com). Time has just flown by since our fledgling The competition has grown over the beginnings. Each new mail pick-up brings years and we are already seeing the results in new applicants and by the end of Au- as several of our youth performers—Jared gust we had 31 participants already re- gistered. That is a reminder that this year’s See Continued on page 6 SACRAMENTO RAGTIME SOCIETY By Chris & Jack Bradshaw he last glow of a carefree summer was upon us at the August Elliott Adams, piano; Chris and Jack Bradshaw, *piano T30th SRS meeting. With so many taking advantage of a final Canadian Capers escape from real life responsibilities that are soon to resume in the Gus Chandler, Henry Cohen & Bert White, 1915 fall, attendance was a little lighter at this meeting, especially in the Sunburst Rag James Scott, 1909 player arena. It just meant more opportunities to play for the per- Carr’s Hop Lou Busch (Joe “Fingers” Carr), 1952 formers who were present. Deborah Gale, our gracious hostess for *Bohemia Rag Joseph Lamb, 1919 the day, kept things running smoothly. While the outside air Virginia Tichenor, piano hovered near 100 degrees, the AC (which we now know works really, really well) kept J.B.’s Lounge at a temperature that only po- Gladiolus Rag Scott Joplin, 1907 lar bears could love. Fortunately, Merv’s sweater came to the res- Bucksnort Stomp Trebor Tichenor, 1964 cue more than once. It was a fun afternoon and we look forward Cleve Baker, piano; “Sugar” Willie Erickson, *piano, #tuba to seeing everyone at the end of September. *#Dinah Harry Akst, Sam M. Lewis & Joe Young, 1925 Jack Bradshaw, piano *Basin Street Blues Spencer Williams, 1928 American Beauty Joseph Lamb, 1913 Memphis Blues W. C. Handy, 1912 Ragtime Nightingale Joseph Lamb, 1915 Chris and Jack Bradshaw, piano Tickled Pink William S. Rowland, 1976 Gravel Rag Charlotte Blake, 1908 Virginia Tichenor, piano Midnight Trot George L. Cobb, 1916 Corncracker Rag Tom Shea, 1968 Temptation Rag Henry Lodge, 1909 Carolina Rag No. 3 (Mag’s Rag) Tom Shea, 1979 Elliott Adams, piano Little Wabash Special Tom Shea, 1964 That Futuristic Rag Rube Bloom, 1923 “Sugar” Willie Erickson, piano; Merv Graham, *vocal, #violin Slipova Roy Bargy, 1921 *#Coquette Smiler Rag Percy Wenrich, 1907 Johnny Green, Carmen Lombardo & Gus Kahn, 1928 *Is It True What They Say About Dixie? Irving Caesar, Sammy Lerner & Gerald Marks, 1936 Elliott Adams, piano; Virginia Tichenor, piano; “Sugar” Willie Erickson, tuba* Swipesy Cake Walk Scott Joplin & Arthur Marshall, 1900 Grace and Beauty James Scott, 1909 *Dill Pickles Charles L. Johnson, 1906 Chris and Jack Bradshaw, piano; Virginia Tichenor, *piano Barber Pole Rag Charles L. Johnson, 1911 Crazy Bone Rag Charles L. Johnson, 1913 Muslin Rag Mel B. Kaufman, 1918 *Mississippi Rag William H. Krell, 1897 Cleve Baker, piano Wall Street Rag Scott Joplin, 1909 Fig Leaf Rag Scott Joplin, 1908 Blue Hoosier Blues Cliff Friend, Jack Meskill & Abel Baer, 1923 “Sugar” Willie Erickson, piano, *vocal London Blues Jelly Roll Morton, 1924 *What You Goin’ to Do When the Rent Comes ‘Round? Harry Von Tilzer & Drew B. Sterling, 1905 At a Georgia Camp Meeting Kerry Mills, 1897 *Mutter, The Pizza Cutter “Sugar” Willie Erickson, 1955 SACRAMENTO RAGTIME SOCIETY pseudonym Mark Janza. Both of these &J Concerts is pleased to announce to 2007, including outstanding Bay Area numbers would be recognized by any band Pthe return of stellar Norwegian pianist, performances in Belmont and San Mateo. member as being circus marches which are Morten Gunnar Larsen for two San Fran- His arranging, playing and directing of sev- played at lightening speed and with excit- cisco Victorian parlor concerts on Novem- eral off-Broadway shows including “Jelly ing dynamics. The purpose being to get ber 14 and 15. These parlor concerts offer Roll - The Music and the Man”, which he the audience worked up before the circus the opportunity to hear this amazing musi- recorded for the Library of Congress started. The Cannon Ball should have been cian in what will be Mr. Larsen’s only ap- Archives, have earned him a number of called The Machine Gun from the preci- pearances in the immediate Bay Area this prestigious awards. sion of those fast octave runs for which year. Larsen has recor- Tom is famous. These hotter numbers Internation- ded eight solo piano were interspersed with those not quite so ally recognized as CDs and five en- fiery such as Sleepy Hollow Rag and Georgia one of the world’s semble albums with Grind which were equally enjoyable but put finest ragtime and the Ophelia Orches- you in mind of sleepy Sunday afternoons early jazz pianists, tra. His solo record- on the porch with the folks. Larsen has a busy ing, “Fingerbreaker” The second set, after a sumptuous re- schedule, between has received great re- past provided by the host, kept everyone playing solo and views since its inter- from taking their usual Sunday afternoon ensemble perform- national release on nap by numbers representative of the en- ances on radio, the Decca Label. tire gamut of Brier compositions. Starting TV, in concert The concerts with The Brier Patch Rag and Just Peachy writ- halls and festivals will take place on Sat- ten during Tom’s college days, and ending throughout urday, November 14 with his fabulous Blue Lampshade written Europe, and also and Sunday, Novem- in 2003, this part of the concert was flaw- performing as a ber 15 at 2:00 p.m. lessly executed. Even the most avid Brier member of the in the private San fan would have been satiated at the end of Odeon Jazz Quar- Francisco home of this set. Just Peachy, written in 1992, tet. He is also the Richard Reutlinger. sounds like something written by some mas- leader and founder Advance reservations ter of the late ragtime era. Peril in Panto- of the magnificent Ophelia Ragtime Or- are required and tickets are $25. Call mime is so convoluted, tricky, innovative chestra, which has played to enthusiastic (925) 240-9728 for ticket information. and just darn hard to play, that it boggles audiences throughout the U.S. from 1999 the mind and amazes the senses. If Bread- line Blues does not break your heart, you don’t have one. If Over the Top doesn’t make your toes tap, check your pulse, you by Julia Riley There is a depth of understanding of this may be dead. You get the idea. f you missed it, you music that only can The big surprise for the day was Tom’s Imissed it - John Ul- come from years of play- new composition A Fable. This was such a rich’s house concert ing and composing rags. divergence from the hot rags, novelties, Sunday, August 23, fea- Of particular note were blues and so forth, that we have heard to turing Tom Brier, that Angel Food Rag and The this point it was mesmerizing. A four-part is. Tom started the pro- Cannon Ball. Angel Food composition, it started with a simple, gram with a set of rags Rag seemed as if it melodic, peaceful strain which built to a from 1903-1918. Some should have been named up-tempo, conflicted section and ended in of these were familiar the Devil’s Food Rag peaceful resolution. There should be a rags, played in that lilt- since there certainly was story and a moral because all fables end ing, swinging, joyful, nothing angelic about with a moral, right? tastefully embellished this hot rag. This rag You may have an opportunity to hear Brier style and some was written by Al Marzi- some of these numbers in future concerts were lesser known rags an and was somewhat re- or on Tom’s next CD which he expects to played in the same in- miniscent of The Lion have available by the time of the West triguing manner.