Victorious Cakewalk

Here is my 45th composition, "Victorious Cakewalk." Actually it is not so much a composition as an improvisation, as it was written on-the-spot at my regular gig on Victoria Row, in Charlottetown; hence the title.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• ragtime
• cakewalk
• piano
• music
• max
• keenlyside

[Keeper1st]

Hey Max, I have video of Tom sight-reading this that I can send to you...

[ragtimemax]

I would be very interested to see it!

[BachScholar]

Wow, I am in awe of your compositional skills! Your playing is fantastic also. You are one of the best ragtime players I have heard on YouTube because your articulation. pedaling, and tempos are right on. You are much better than that terribly overrated and over-worshipped ragtime player named Tom Brier.

[ragtimemax]

Thank you very much for your kind remarks, but I will have to disagree regarding Tom Brier. I have met him, heard him live, and purchased his CDs and folios; and I must attest that his playing, composing, and musicality is nothing short of astonishing. I would highly recommend you purchase these to get a better understanding of this musical phenom.

[BachScholar]

From what I have heard of him on YouTube he seems incapable of playing anything slow. He is simply a speed demon. Faster is not better. Also, he can't achieve a cantabile sound. He is not a phenom at all.

[ragtimemax]

Tom is just as capable of playing/composing/improvising with the cantabile approach you describe, as he is capable of "powerhouse" playing. The reason most of what is on YouTube is in the powerhouse style, is that the atmosphere at ragtime festivals is usually a high-octane one, of fun, good nature, and competition; one where "powerhouse" style is more appropriate. This is why I recommend seeking out his recordings; "Perryville" and "La Paleta" are stellar examples of Tom playing cantabile.

[zufrieden23]

great!

[cjhwth81]

Very good job!! Cincinatti shuffle..?

[rupepill]

What infectiously joyful music and how wonderfully you play it. Fancy being able, as we viewers are, to hear something so fresh and new from a talented composer.

Youtube has become an astonishingly effective promoter and facilitator of talent, and yours is certainly one of the most enjoyable of all. Thanks for this very exhilarating posting.

[atwaterkent911]

dude amazing

[tdub1941]

Delicious! Love this tune!

RagJazzMonkey Tom

Duh!

[pianiplunker]

Great tune. I'd imagine it's harder than one would expect to compose/improvise a good cakewalk since the harmonies and syncopation is somewhat limited in the genre. I hear the influences of Eli Green and Mississippi rag.

[kybudman]

Thanks, Max. Oh, how I do enjoy being with you while you play!

[ragtimejohn]

Tomato soup!!!!

[furlongdude]

Another beautiful composition.

I suggest "Atlantic Carriage Rumble." I visualize a carriage with spinning wheels moving over cobblestone streets.

[glycopianoman]

Cakewalk 100 years later. I doubt any more cakewalks have been composed 100 years after the cakewalk craze happened. Perhaps a title that reflected that...perhaps Plus 100 cakewalk