West Coast Ragtime Festival 2006, part 1 of 2

[wilscool]

I think we should have a 2011 update! Its interesting to look back at this and see how much the festival has changed.. Just a thought. -Will.

[09porcy]

Does anybody know the song Dan Grinstead's playing ?

[sutterchip]

Sophie Rivard was the big find for me this year; she's terrific! Her CD with Frank French is one of my travelers between Northern and Southern California.

[minnescanada]

What was the song at 410 by Mark Allen Jones titled? I know it but, not the name.

[Keeper1st]

@minnescanada It's two different tunes. He's demonstrating that Roy Orbison's "Blue Bayou" was really just a semi-plagiarized version of Scott Joplin's "Solace". So he plays one and then the other for comparison.

[minnescanada]

@Keeper1st Thanks I did recognize Blue Bayou, which he also did nicely, but I did not know that it was inspired by Solace, interesting.

[minnescanada]

It's great to see people enjoying a good time with this fun music!

[rixsounds]

come si chiama i titolo del brano di Jack e Chris Bradshaw a 3:08 min?where is the title?

[Keeper1st]

"A Rag-Time Nightmare" by Tom Turpin.

[75egcg]

yay! i see tom brier!

[Keeper1st]

He's in there twice in this part. He's also seen playing with some folks a couple times in the Part 2 video. He's a popular guy for duets and impromptu jamming.

[copperjones1915]

WOW thats great stuff!!

[1836]

Mark Allen Jones is the greatest living ragtime player, bar none. And if you don't know, now you know.

[Billybopper1]

I used to see Mark play at The Maple Leaf Club bi-monthly meetings at The Old Town Music Hall in El Segundo, CA back in the early 90's. I have a few of his tapes. His hands are like grease lightning! From what I understand, he now lives in Carmel, CA. Does anybody know if there is any way to contact him?

[Keeper1st]

Probably through the loverspointjazz (dot-com) site.

[bce5150]

Wow! I had no idea that the genre still had a loyal following. I've always like Scott Joplin and such, but what are some contemporaries that are good?

[Keeper1st]

Tom Brier is the most prolific modern composer, with more than 200 ragtime and novelty works to his name. There are too many modern composers of ragtime to list (myself included). Large annual festivals are held in Missouri (2), California (3), Wisconsin, Minnesota, Indiana (and smaller festivals in other states), and even Hungary. "Ragtime dead? Hell, it ain't even sick!" The westcoastragtime (.com) site has calendars of concerts and festivals. Check my other videos for plenty of examples.

[bce5150]

Thanks a lot. Maybe I'll have a chance to go to one of the festivals sometime.

[JasperKuhnel93]

Is it true that Ragtime Started in Bordellos

and Brothels?

[Keeper1st]

They were a big part of it, certainly. Ragtime pianists made their living in the "sporting houses". It has been said that the fast tempo of the music resulted in a faster turnaround for the business, if you know what I mean!

[grizzlybear0]

Scot Joplin played in a brothel.And if the film of his life is anything to go by he died of something he picked up in one.

[Keeper1st]

Joplin certainly died of syphilis, but there's no reason he necessarily would have contracted it from a brothel. However, it was revealed this weekend by biographer Ed Berlin that indeed it is likely that Joplin played in a brothel in St Louis. There's no concrete evidence, but many of his closest friends definitely did play at one particular house, and the descendants of the Madam have always believed that she had hired Joplin as well when he returned to St Louis after his wife's death.

[KawhackitaRag]

I can personally recommend Fred Hoeptner, Reginald Robinson, and Robin Frost as all composers of excellent modern-day rags.

[riverexplorer]

Mark Allen Jones used to work with us on a steamboat that used to sail the Mississippi River called the MISSISSIPI QUEEN. He was with us most of the 2003 season. He was one heck of a calliope player, too! I haven't seen or heard of him since he left the boat..this was great to see him still doing what he loves!

[marlborogorila]

mark allen jones plays awesomely

[Billybopper1]

Does anybody know if Mark Allen Jones is still around? I have a couple of tapes that he recorded 20 years ago and I was wondering if he's released anything recently.

[Keeper1st]

He lives on the central California coast. He has recorded an album with singer Brady McKay for loverspointjazz (.com) recently, and was part of a concert with several other performers recently which loverspointjazz is supposed to put on DVD.

[KawhackitaRag]

I was part of that concert in Pacific Grove earlier this year... though he was on the program, Mr. Jones couldn't make it due to his car breaking down, and Terry Waldo played instead. However, I understand he is still quite active and plays piano with reed musician Dan Levinson a lot.

[Zera1991]

This may sound a bit conservative but in my opinion Rag and Ragtime should be played on piano or gitar and not violins or flutes =.=. But again i say a mather of taste....

[Keeper1st]

During the era, one would be as likely to hear ragtime played by bands as by piano soloists. The covers of many rags indicate that they were available as piano, piano + mandolin, piano + guitar, 2 mandolins + guitar, 2 mandolins + 2 guitars, band, and orchestra arrangements. But of course, for a jam session, bring whatever you can play!

[ohdeaess]

Anyone know what the name of dan grinstead's piece is?

Also, why is there virtually no way to see a live ragtime performance in or around NY??

[Keeper1st]

Grinstead's piece is just about the only one that remains unidentified. As for New York, there is the Hot Piano Society that meets regularly (usually monthly) at the Coney Island Museum.

[rosacsi]

DAN, I used to watch you at The Old Town Ale House in Seattle with Sally.

[figleaf101]

Most of these guys rush through the songs as if they're renting the piano by the minute. These songs weren't meant to blaze through...you lose the beautiful structure of the songs when you do that. A good rag is a masterpiece of composition, not an exercise in speed.

[Keeper1st]

It depends on the rag. You must remember that it was dance music initially, for rather wild and fast dances. Ragtime only began being played slowly in the 1970s -- and then only Joplin and other composers of more advanced rags that can work at a slower tempo.

[ImFrom1900]

Not necessarily. Irene Cozad's "Affinity Rag" was published in 1910, and the original publication says "Play Slowly". There is some truth in what "figleaf" says.

[Keeper1st]

Well yes, the Slow Drag was around throughout the time. See also "Slippery Elm Rag", "Slivers' Eccentric Rag" etc. But they're the exception -- not the norm. The tunes presented here are not rushed by any stretch of the imagination to anyone who has studied the music.

[juliar65]

Some of these rags were written for piano "cutting contests" where pianists tried to outdo each other. These can be very fast, complicated, challenging pieces because each person tried to do things that could not be duplicated by the competition. Ron in correct in stating that some rags are fast and some are a little more sedate. However, you play it you don't want to let it drag.

[contron]

The only one that really impressed me was Tom Brier.

[VenusInAries]

08:57 Eric Marchese is awesome!

[Niflys]

Aquest tipu de musica no és dels que acostumu a escoltar, pero tot i aixi no em desagrada. Ès una música, que per el seu ritme, se t'enganxa mol.

Marta López.

[fingolfin6969]

Aunque este tipo de música no me gusta demasiado, el pianista toca muy bien y además la música que toca acaba pegándosete.

Carla Vera Puigoriol

[olulu66]

hola mi llamo puigoriol tambien, soy frances. Donde vives ?

[Niflys]

I don't like this tipe of music, but the music is good. And John Remmers is good on the piano. :)

Manel Marquez.

Spain.

[rustywindpipe]

GLENN JENKS IS THE BEST!!

[shimmymoon]

Great fun! I wish I was there! Maybe next year!

[Keeper1st]

You mean THIS year! The festival is November 16-18. See the westcoastragtime dot com site for details. This year will be the 21st annual West Coast Ragtime Festival, with more than three dozen performers, plus seminars, sheet music bazaar etc. as usual.

[DrummerALB]

i want sheet music for ragtime seems fun and complex but it sounds nice

[Keeper1st]

The height of ragtime popularity was from 1897 to 1918, so all the classic ragtime is in the public domain. You can find plenty of ragtime sheet music for free download. Also see archive sites like the Lester S. Levy Collection. Sheet music stores typically have ragtime compilation books for sale too.

[jmfjs]

Quel plaisir que de regarder cette video; j'étais présent à ce festival, et j'ai bien entendu apprécié à nouveau. Que dire de plus sinon que j'y assiste à nouveau cette année 2007. C'est l'excellence musicale pour ce genre musical.

[Keeper1st]

Vous avez voyagé de France pour assister au festival? Quel attachement! Connaissez-vous le ragtime-pianiste français Benjamin Intartaglia?

Assurez-vous que vous observez la vidéo "West Coast Ragtime Festival 2006, part 2", ainsi vous pouvez voir plus de mémoires!

[jmfjs]

Affirmatif ! Je baigne dans le ragtime (également comme interprete amateur) depuis mon enfance (Claude Bolling). Oui, j'ai consulté le site de Mr B. Intartaglia, mais habitant dans la region Marseillaise et avec un metier tres prennant, ce n'est pas évident de prendre un contact. En fait, en France je ne connais pas de structure equivalente à ce que l'on rencontre en californie. Je dois mal chercher. Je vais me faire un davoir de regarder la 2eme partie WCRF.

[SusanOBryan]

Wanted to hear ragtime!

[Keeper1st]

Be sure to attend this year's festival if you want to hear ragtime. It's practically ragtime overload, as you can tell from these clips. Five venues run continuously all day long for three days. I couldn't even get clips of every performer; there just wasn't enough time! Some performers I only saw for the brief clip I shot from a doorway on my way to see somebody else.

[lanenadetepic]

Fantástico collage!!! Sólo faltó la Hoja de Maple y El Entretenedor... ¿alguien podría conseguirme la partitura de Solace??? mi e-mail es: malenachavezarrobahotmailpunto­com

[wilscool]

The second guy, Glenn Jenks is playing "Harbour Rag" composed by himself in 1975.

[greydawn]

<3 ragtime

[MamasandPapas]

4:15 omg thats the song on THE SHIP

[Keeper1st]

That's the fourth strain of "Solace" by Scott Joplin. It isn't a song, but only instrumental (subtitled "A Mexican Serenade"). It was published in 1909 and has been used in numerous films and commercials.

[MamasandPapas]

another ragtime classic from joplin? nice!

[ryanski77]

frank french is a bore.

[Zenethor]

glenn jenks is my piano teacher

[rchandos]

Thanks for this fine video. I've always wondered what these artists whose recordings I've heard actually looked like.

[Robert27Allen]

Frederick Hodges looks great as Irene Giblin, even if he is a bit too tall. He looks amazingly natural in drag.

[neilbombd]

This is great, but I wish you'd stick up performances of the full songs, the excerpts just leave you wanting more.

[Keeper1st]

Yep, the videos are intended to leave you wanting more, and encourage you to attend a ragtime festival! I don't record whole performances unless it is a performer I know, or someone playing one of my own compositions of course. Don't want to run out of recording memory either. I didn't even get all the performers at this festival! I'll take more clips at the Ragtime Corner in Sacramento this May.

[Robert27Allen]

You need more clips of Adam Swanson. At the age of 14, he plays better than a lot of adults I know who have been playing for years. We share an interest in Roy Bargy, and Adam's father taped my Bargy seminar in Sacramento.

[Keeper1st]

Well, he's 15 or 16 now, but you're right. The clip I posted there does go on for a bit longer; it was just so good I couldn't bear to stop recording, even though my general policy is only to take clips. If Adam wants me to take full performances next time I see him, I'd be happy to.

[Robert27Allen]

According to Adam himself, he turned 14 last summer. I know he SEEMS older, and acts older, but that's what Adam told me.

[KawhackitaRag]

Jim Radloff: "Darktown Strutters' Ball" (Brooks)

Schwimmer/Keeler/Rhodes: "Blue Clover Man" (Kortlander/Robinson)

Tom Brier: either "Rhythmodic" or "Spasmodic" (both Brier)

Helen Burns: "Shine on Harvest Moon" (Madden/Edwards)

Marchese/Blaze: "Belle of Louisville" (Frank French)

Terry Waldo: "Mississippi Rag" (Krell)

Adam Yarian: "Handful of Keys" (Waller)

[Keeper1st]

As a matter of fact, I was putting together such a list on the ragtime_land community on LJ. Check the post there. You've already filled in some blanks with these comments, as I knew you'd be able to.

[KawhackitaRag]

Dan Grinstead: don't recognize it - sounds like a pop tune from the '20's.

Glenn Jenks: "Harbour Rag" (Jenks)

Rasberry Jam Band: "Palm Leaf Rag" (Joplin)

John Remmers: "Queen Rag" (Willis)

Sophie Rivard/Frank French: don't recognize it - sounds like a blues.

Andrew Barrett: "Greasy Spoon Rag" (O'Dell)

Bradshaws: "A Ragtime Nightmare" (Turpin)

Mark Allen Jones: his own "Solace(Joplin) and Blue Bayou(Orbison/Melson) medley"

Adam Swanson: "Old Folks at Home" (Foster)

[KawhackitaRag]

This is one of the most enjoyable videos I've seen on Youtube, and funnily enough, it has nothing to do with the fact I'm in it! I'm going to treat this like a huge "guess the tune" contest - answers below. Would appreciate someone appending a comment identifying the two tunes I did not recognize.

[tdub1941]

Very Nice indeed!

Thanks for posting this!

Now on to #2!