James P. Johnson - Riffs

played in 1929 by j.P.J.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• james
• johnson
• riffs
• 1929
• stride

[JamesPriceJohnson]

Its just not possible to dislke this video. And if you do, i smack you with a piano.

[zappatx]

Can anyone play this stuff nowadays??

[JamesPriceJohnson]

no. maybe 2 people inthe world, and thats it.

[conrad21300]

wow good job sterling

[JamesPriceJohnson]

thnx ive got better vids than this though.

[38pasadena]

KawhackitaRag:

Any good musician can notate the part you mentioned. It will certainly require repeated listening, but it is not impossible---if you can count and play. Give it a shot! JPJ was a master at "misplacing" the beat; one will hear his technique in that trick in almost every recording he left, but it can be copied rather easily.

[Operaghost93]

@zappatx I can, but Gosh.. not THIS good... I gotta practice it much more! It's really really hard!!

[syncopeter]

There's a whole new generation of classically trained pianists that are discovering stride.. I will be introducing it to young pianists here in Holland next year. I like James P because he was one of the founding father of stride. But his left hand kept playing that oompah rhythm. Fats, on the other hand, had the most gentle and versatile left hand I've ever heard. He only played straight stride when he sang. For the rest he played the most beautiful things.

[ZingZee123456789]

Listening to this I can hear bits and pieces of different stride pieces composed by Fats Waller, namely, "California Here I Come" and "Handful of Keys". Not surprising given the fact that Fats was a student of Johnson.

[wilscool]

@JamesPriceJohnson I'd say there's a good number more than 2. I've seen Paul Asaro, Max Keenlyside, Tom Brier, and Dalton Ridenhour each play this piece at various times in the last few years. And that is just one tune. I'd say there are 20 or more people these days who can play a convincing stride piano. Check out the Stride Piano Summit happenning in Las Vegas this October - some huge names on that list! Stride Piano, in terms of people playing it, seems to be doing alright! Yay! :D -Will

[drewnicholsmusic]

@zappatx Yes they can.

[Falzetto]

@JamesPriceJohnson ummm yes many can play stride, you of all people should know.

[gamemaster2422]

@zappatx

bernd lhotzky can!

you should buy a cd from him, he's really the best stride-piano-player nowadays.

i know him personally and i whish i could play like him.

[JamesPriceJohnson]

@TheJazzJanitor wtf?

[classsclownnn]

@zappatx i gotta old sheet music book choc full of sheet music like this, lots of fats waller, art tatum, zez confrey, duke ellington and more....im 18 by the way