Pianophilia

Dear Luigi,
I'm glad you're enjoying the scores posted... there are many more to come. Thank you for posting the rare score for "Mary Jane Rag," which if I remember correctly was published in New Orleans. I really like the second strain with its dissonant harmonies; very interesting piece. On "Barrel House Rag" I always thought it was funny that they printed Fate Marable's name as "Fate Marble!" The first theme also has a sound somewhat similar to parts of "Tiger Rag." The one Fate Marable Okeh record is a real mystery....I can fully understand the recording of "Frankie and Johnny", but why would they work up a dance arrangement of a novelty rag by a white composer for the flip side? I have heard rumors that "Pianoflage" was actually composed by a Black pianist, but have absolutely no evidence to support that, just hearsay. Charley Straight was the true composer of "Knice and Knifty" and "Ruffenreddy;" and I do not know why Bargy's name was included on the sheet music (published several years after the rolls were released). There are so many loose ends in ragtime history!!
All Best,
Frank

Does any one have piano sheetmusic by Reginald King? I really want it. Anyone please post?

Thanks and best regards,
Koon

Dear Koon,

I will check my files today for Reginald King, but offhand I don't think I have anything by him...the name doesn't seem to ring a bell.

Frank

Frank E. Banta was a prolific recording artist from the late teens and through the 1920s. His best recordings are those done for Victor Records and Ampico piano rolls, as they best show his mature novelty style. Banta's father (Frank P. Banta) was a recording pioneer, playing accompaniments to banjo and vocal recordings at the turn of the century. Banta wrote several novelty piano solos which are attached....enjoy!

Frank

Henry W. Lange was a prolific piano roll artist (like Frank Banta), and recorded a few 78rpm sides for Okeh Records. He also composed a number of novelty piano solos, which are attached.

Frank

HI Frank,
thanks so much for these great uploads! Especially for the Banta pieces, since I only had two of them, but the rest was new to me: I didn't even know that "Dorothy" was published.
I see you haven't upload "Upright And Grand" yet, so I'm posting it here, together with the Banta recordings of "Dorothy" and Upright (the one with drums by David Grupp, not the one with the Ambassadors).
I'd also like to add one piece by Roy Bargy that I don't think was posted before, "Sweet And Tender". I love the trio of this piece
I'm quite concerned that "Rufenreddy" and "Knice And Knifty" are rightly attributed to Charley Straight only, since he recorded them on piano rolls before he ever met Bargy!
Anyway, just to add confusion, in an interview with Roy Bargy he attributes to himself the two pieces and I really hate that, especially since they sound so clearly in the style of Straight in all respects!!! And I'm a very big fan of Charley Straight!!
With my next message I'll post the article on Roy Bargy from Rag-Times and some nice pieces by Charley Straight. Your transcriptions of the Straight piano rolls are pure gold!!!
BTW I heard the story of Dewey's "Chocolate Spoon Rag" being almost identical to "Pianoflage". An LP by Tom Shea had liner notes about this interesting fact; I must find it back.
Anyway in the article I will post Roy Bargy talks about him playing the numbers of those black ragtimers in his virtuoso style. I imagine he must have learned quite a bit from those guys!
Best RAGards
Luigi

Here I post the article about Roy Bargy. I don't actually think he was always sincere in his recollections, but there are extremely interesting information about him, Charley Straight (who gave titles to the Bargy pieces!) and several other pianists.
Bargy was a fantastic pianist and composer! If there's enough interest I can upload some of his recordings.
Here I'm instead posting a duet of Charley Straight and his protege Roy Bargy in a band recording (of the Benson Orchestra of Chicago) of "Ten Little Fingers And Ten Little Toes". Although I don't know for sure, I strongly believe that the main parts in the duet, the upper parts, were played by Charley Straight, since that sounds quite meticolously played like other Straight recordings, not to mention that the music of this piano suet, that has little to do with "Ten Little Fingers", do sound a lot like a typical Charley Straight ragtime strain. That's the kind of rag strain that you can't forget: it keeps playing in your head after you've listened to it once.
Straight was one of the greatest artist in this music genre!!!
I don't write much more today, because I'm terribly tired, but this won't keep me from posting a bunch of rags by Charley Straight
Best RAGards
Luigi

...I was just forgetting the article on Roy Bargy...
Here it is
Luigi

No doubt Frank and Luigi will know of this chap - Joseph L "Joe" Sanders (1896-1965) American Jazz pianist, singer and bandleader. Lived and worked primarily in the Kansas City area and Mid-west. The 1940's saw him working for Hollywood, and during the 1950' was a vocalist for the Kansas City Opera. Fuller biography information can be found on Wikipedia.

I've posted his album of four improvisations [thank you Mr P].

Malcolm

mballan wrote:No doubt Frank and Luigi will know of this chap - Joseph L "Joe" Sanders (1896-1965) American Jazz pianist, singer and bandleader. Lived and worked primarily in the Kansas City area and Mid-west. The 1940's saw him working for Hollywood, and during the 1950' was a vocalist for the Kansas City Opera. Fuller biography information can be found on Wikipedia.

I've posted his album of four improvisations [thank you Mr P].

Malcolm

Dear Malcolm,
WOW! Thanks for this great score! I had a photocopy of "Southology", but not the other pieces included in this folio!!
I'm very fond of the Coon-Sanders orchestra and I like Sanders as a pianist!
I'll soon upload that "Joe Davis' Piano Modes" folio featuring an original arrangement by Joe Sanders.
Best RAGards
Luigi