Pianophilia

Here is the last of the Roy Bargy rags published during the 1920s, and certainly the rarest. I had forgotten about this one. For years this piece was only known as Bargy's hand played piano roll, entitled "A Blue Streak." About 20 years ago the score turned up, entitled simply "Blue Streak." It is arguably one of his best compositions, and a great deal of fun to play.

Frank

Many thanks for all the scores!

Glad you like them! Many more syncopations to come in future listings (classical too, of course!)

Frank

Walker O'Neill was a talented dance band pianist from the US who recorded two wonderfully catchy original novelty piano solos for HMV during a trip to England in the early 1920s. The first "Dustin' The Keys" was published in the UK, the other in the US. He made one piano roll recording, that being for Duo-Art (the pop song "Cheatin' On Me," rather undistinguished). Here are scores for his two novelty ragtime works.

Frank

Little if anything is known about Canadian composer Martin K. Mortensen, but he left behind a wonderful novelty piano solo entitled "Dansopation." This piece was published in Canada and recorded on the US Okeh label by the whirlwind Canadian pianist Willie Eckstein, who was regarded as one of the finest ragtime players (a fact certainly supported by his recordings for Okeh and Canadian Victor records). Here attached is "Dansopation" - enjoy!

Frank

Another composer of well scored, pianistically interesting novelty piano works was Larry Briers. Briers was a songwriter, but beyond that I know only that he left behind two excellent novelty ragtime compositions; "Fine Feathers" and "Shootin' The Chutes." The first of these was recorded by the amazing Canadian piano virtuoso Willie Eckstein on the Okeh label, and it's certainly one of his best recordings in the genre.

Frank

One of the many fine English pianists to follow the course tread so brilliantly by Billy Mayerl was Billy Thorburn. Apparently he composed two novelty piano pieces, one of which is attached...enjoy!

Frank

The great Thomas "Fats" Waller was without question one of the finest and most beloved jazz pianists who ever lived. He recorded hundreds of 78rpm sides, and a number of piano rolls (in the latter case mostly recorded when Waller was only 19-20 years old in 1923-24!) He was also a prolific composer, and one of his most joyous songs (my personal favorite) is "I'm Crazy 'Bout My Baby (And My Baby's Crazy 'Bout Me)." Waller recorded this tune as a vocal with his own piano accompaniment in 1931 for Columbia, and I think it's one of the great jazz records of all time. That same year, Waller returned to the QRS piano roll recording shop and made his last piano roll, that being this tune.

Following is my transcription of the 1931 piano roll performance of "I'm Crazy 'Bout My Baby" by Thomas Waller. Enjoy!

Frank

Pete Wendling is a name well known to collectors of piano rolls, as he made about 1000 of them during the years 1912-1925. Wendling recorded only a handful of 78rpm sides, but still enough to verify that he had the "chops" i.e. technique which came through on the piano rolls. Here is my transcription of a quite obscure Chris Smith jazz tune from about 1925 entitled "The Camel Walk," as arranged and played by Pete Wendling.

Frank

Vee Lawnhurst was one of the most talented of the female pianistic wizards of the 1920s and 30s, including the likes of Raie Da Costa, Constance Mering, Muriel Pollock, Patricia Rossborough, Edythe Baker, Pauline Alpert and numerous others. A child prodigy, she made her first 78rpm records and piano rolls while only a teenager. Some of her best playing was preserved on reproducing piano rolls, for the Ampico and Welte labels.

Here is my transcription of Vee Lawnhurst playing an absolutely infectious tune entitled "Never Swat A Fly" on Ampico roll circa 1931.

Frank