Scott Joplin's "Cleopha" jam with 3 pianists, tuba & drums

After the After Hours venues wind down during the Sutter Creek Ragtime Festival, the hijinks continue at a nearby residence known as "Skunk Hollow".

Played here well after midnight Saturday night / Sunday morning is "Cleopha" March & Two-Step by Scott Joplin from 1902.

In the main room are Jack & Chris Bradshaw on four-hand piano, Steve Drivon on drums, and Robyn Drivon on tuba. On the piano in the next room is Tom Brier. The second piano in the main room wasn't played during this number, but check the other two jam session videos I shot for some great three-piano action.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• ragtime
• march
• scott
• joplin
• piano
• tuba
• cleopha
• 1902
• bradshaws
• brier
• drivons
• sutter
• creek
• festival
• skunk
• hollow

[Ragtimer95]

I love the imporv. Tom does through the whole piece. Especially the repeat of the last strain with those......what would you call them? Rolls? Well that's what they're called on a marimba, anyways.

[Keeper1st]

@Ragtimer95 Tremolos.

[cjamescook]

That's not an easy piece. But what was Tom Briar playing? I don't think it was what Joplin wrote, at least not completely, but it fit.

[Keeper1st]

@cjamescook He's making up embellishments and countermelodies. Of course you don't want all the pianos playing exactly the same thing.

[cjamescook]

@Keeper1st Tom is very good, if he can do that on the fly. I wish I could. Maybe I can get a teacher to focus on improv. for a few lessons. Thanks and congrats!

[Keeper1st]

@cjamescook I have a lot of videos of multiple-piano or multiple-pianist unrehearsed performances where you can hear how they make up their own embellishments off the top of their head (the "Improvised two-piano Chopsticks redux" is a fun one as are the various "3 Pianos on Fire" videos). There are also videos (not only posted by me) that feature Tom making up original music off the top of his head. Now that's something else!

[Arkanoight]

hats strokes does the drum plays?

rrrr llll or llrr llrr or different?

[MrRagtimefan]

awesome!!! perfect tempo i play it exactly the same way. not too slow but not to fast either.

you are alle very good but one sentence to Tom Brier: incredible improvisation in the third and last part!!! would like to be able to do that too but i can´t......;)

[Keeper1st]

Where did you hear that? It was only within the last 18 months that circumstantial evidence of Joplin working in a brothel came to light (there is no concrete evidence).

[carrotville]

Joplin at one time worked in a brothel as a pianist. He sometimes named his compositions, such as Cleopha, after girls he had known there.