School of Syncopation - Jazz, Stride, Novelties & the Like

[fhimpsl]

Waller, Thomas - Take It From Me.pdf

Waller, Thomas - The Heart That Once Belonged To Me.pdf

Waller, Thomas - You Can't Have Your Cake And Eat It.pdf

[fhimpsl]

...a few real "low-down" tunes to start off the day....

Bechet, Sidney - Who'll Chop Your Suey When I'm Gone.pdf

Brooks, George - Send Me To The 'Lectric Chair.pdf

Brooks, George - Them's Graveyard Words.pdf

[fhimpsl]

....three beautiful piano transcriptions by one Ralph Sharon....many "Tatum-esque" figurations, very well scored and tasteful....

Sharon, Ralph - Don't Blame Me (Transcription).pdf

Sharon, Ralph - One Morning In May (Transcription).pdf

Sharon, Ralph - The Very Thought Of You (Transcription).pdf

[fhimpsl]

This Freddy Martin folio is one of the better examples of "syncopating the classics" which I've seen. The arrangements are all quite substantially scored and are (for the most part) in decent taste!

Martin, Freddy - Classics In Rhythm Folio.pdf

[gigiranalli]

Dear Frank,
thanks for the great scores you're posting!
I'd just like to comment about one of the pieces you posted some days ago, that is by the way a rag that I liked very much: "Ivoryland" by Les C. Copeland.
I post here a different cover for this piece (I received my copy of "Ivoryland" from Terry Parrish), featuring a photo of Les Copeland in black-face playing the piano and the dancers of the show that featured "Ivoryland", "Tricks", dressed as the piano keys.
I have a hypothesis, based on the music, that the first two strains of "Ivoryland" may have served as accompaniment for a ballet performed by those dancers, while the other strains, that are pure ragtime, may have been the Copeland piano solo in the act.
It's just a hypothesis. Anyway the cover is nice and I post it here.
I also include another rag by Copeland that cannot be found on internet, "42nd Street Rag", with a first strain almost identical to the last in his "Twist and Twirl Rag" (as we know). I wonder what part in this piece was composed by this Jack Smith, credited as co-composer, since all the strains in this rag sound 100% Copeland style...
Then, I also include another Bob Zurke arrangement, "Changes", that is in good company since Frank already uploaded his great transcription of the Vee Lawnhurst piano roll and then also the Fats Waller-styled arrangement.
Luigi

Copeland, Les - 42nd Street Rag.pdf

Zurke, Bob - Changes.pdf

ivoryland-cover.JPG

[fhimpsl]

Hi Luigi,

Thanks for your interesting postings! I have to tip my hat to you...I've never seen this alternate cover version of "Ivoryland." That is a scarce sheet in the Mills edition, but this first edition is a new one on me! Also thanks for posting what is certainly the rarest of Les Copelands published rags (not counting the piano roll rags); i.e. the 42nd Street Rag. All copies I've ever seen of this sheet stem from the same source..I believe Richard Zimmerman was able to find it in a bound volume of miscellaneous sheets in England during the 1970s. I've never seen the cover art on this one.

Always something new to learn in music...regardless of the idiom...

All Best,

Frank

[gigiranalli]

Hi Luigi,

Thanks for your interesting postings! I have to tip my hat to you...I've never seen this alternate cover version of "Ivoryland." That is a scarce sheet in the Mills edition, but this first edition is a new one on me! Also thanks for posting what is certainly the rarest of Les Copelands published rags (not counting the piano roll rags); i.e. the 42nd Street Rag. All copies I've ever seen of this sheet stem from the same source..I believe Richard Zimmerman was able to find it in a bound volume of miscellaneous sheets in England during the 1970s. I've never seen the cover art on this one.

Always something new to learn in music...regardless of the idiom...

All Best,

Frank

Hello Frank,
I'm glad I've been able to find a ragtime item you didn't have yet...it's not easy...
Yes, the cover of "Ivoryland" is very nice and there's a mention to the piece and the show that included it, "Tricks", on a very interesting biography of Les Copeland ("Les C. Copeland: a life of Ragtime") that can be read here:
http://www.jazzageclub.com/music/les-c- ... f-ragtime/
I found the biography very interesting and detailed and I only have one objection to a wrong sentence in the text:"(Copeland)recorded for one of the earliest examples of a budget-line recording label, Little Wonder"
This is not true, because that recording for Little Wonder was not performed by Copeland himself, but by a not identified ragtime band; the piece was "Les Copeland's 38th Street Rag" issued by Little Wonder under the title of "Les Copeland's Rag".
I know that Les Copeland recorded his "38th Street Rag" on piano roll, but I've never heard that particular piano roll.
Rob DeLand had recut it but, as he confirmed in a message to me, he's out of activity.
That roll and the "Invitation Rag" roll are the only two Copeland piano rolls I've not heard yet.
But of "38th Street Rag" I have a recut (again by DeLand) played by Phil Goldberg that is very enjoyable (the roll also includes a great "Dockstader's Rag" played by Copeland and I must transcribe it sometimes!).
But speaking of his audio recording, I know of and have the recording of the "Two Black Crows" act featuring Moran & Mack where Les Copeland provides piano accompaniment, playing strains from his own "Texas Blues"!
And, although not very heardable, it's a great piano performance!
Then, back in 1916, Les Copeland recorded a test for Victor: he sang and played his "Old Soaken Bucket", also existing in piano roll form (I like the song, but that piano roll arrangement is disgusting!).
Unfortunately that recording test was not issued
Please check this link:
http://victor.library.ucsb.edu/index.ph ... bucket_sic
Since it seems that he also performed for radio broadcasts, I wonder if any of those shows have been preserved....I've heard several parts of the Gershwin radio broadcasts from that same period and so I hope that some of the Copelands have been saved as well.
Again speaking of that biography, it doesn't talk about Les Copeland's work for the Friar's Club, since he's been one of Friar's "Piano Bugs" in the 1910s, together with Henry Lodge, Irving Berlin, Jean Schwartz, Albert Gumble and several other ragtime personalities.
I attach here an autograph written by Les Copeland ("stolen" from eBay) from this period (1911)
If anybody's interested about Les Copeland, there are some interesting memories written by an American bartender in Paris, Jimmie "the Barman" Charters, that I can scan and post if there's interest.
For the moment I attach the published version of "Texas Blues", to be compared with my own transcription of the Copeland piano roll (the sheet music version as usual has weak harmony): I have the 1917 version, but I chose to post the re-publication of the piece from the 1940s because it indicates Hazel Copeland renewed the copyright in 1945 (Les died in 1942): was Hazel Copeland his wife, or another relative?
Luigi

Texas Blues.jpg

copeland authograph.jpg

[benjamin75]

Louis Alter - Manhattan Masquerade

Alter - Manhattan Masquerade.pdf

[benjamin75]

I also have the Manhattan Serenade (in one word, the whole 3 movement suite). I'll post it here soon.

[fhimpsl]

Dear Luigi,

Thanks for all the wonderful information and references about Les Copeland! I was aware of the monograph by Jimmy "The Bar Man", which is fascinating. On the Copeland hand played piano rolls I have all of them and can post one of those which you haven't heard yet as a midi file. This one is an odd roll on the Virtuolo label (an Aeolian product, like Uni-Record, Metro-Art, etc.)...Virtuolo V-1154 "Invitation Rag" played by composer Les Copeland. The other one is on Metro-Art 200296 "38th St. Rag" pbc as well. I haven't recorded that optically as yet, and right now I am more involved in scanning the sheet music than the rolls, but once I get back to the rolls I'll send you a midi file of it. Also there is his roll of "Texas Blues" on Uni-Record 202655. Another roll to be aware of is Rhythmodik J104323 "Save Your Money, John" from the Ziegfeld Follies, composed by Les Copeland and played by none other than Eubie Blake. And further still there is Copeland's pop tune entitled "How's Your Little Maltese Cat?" The chorus of this song is equivalent to the first theme of "Twist and Twirl Rag." And then there is a slightly syncopated tune which Copeland composed entitled "Whistles - Intermezzo." I will post rolls of these, plus also "Ivoryland" and "Les Copeland's 42nd St. Rag" ...the last two simply transcribed from sheet music.

All Best,

Frank

Copeland, Les - Invitation Rag - pb composer.mid

Copeland, Les - Whistles Intermezzo.mid

Copeland, Les - Ivoryland.mid

Copeland, Les - Les Copeland's 42nd St. Rag.mid