Pianophilia

Ok, here I'm posting the last score of George W. Thomas I have, my favorite among his blues pieces, the famous "The Fives"!!!
While looking at the score, you should relisten to that great Kimball piano roll of "The Fives", possibly played by Hersal Thomas (co-composer of this piece with his elder brother), posted by Frank Himpsl in this message: viewtopic.php?f=11&t=178&start=260#p6794
That's a great piano roll, quite faithful to the score, but also featuring some personal touches and a number of added strains (possibly from other unknow pieces by the Thomas brothers?...I'm wondering that).
Since there are no recordings of "The Fives" played by George or Hersal Thomas, I'm attaching a great recording of this piece, very much in the true spirit of the music, played by Cripple Clarence Lofton, a barrelhouse and boogie pianist whose style has much to do with pioneers like the Thomas brothers. Lofton also recorded it identically as the "Sixes and Sevens" and that take sounds a little better than this one, that also includes some playing mistakes.
If you'd like, I can also post that other recording.
Now I'm also attaching a 1922 early piano solo by Fats Waller, of George Thomas' "Muscle Shoals Blues" (you find the published sheet music here: http://library.indstate.edu/about/units ... muscle.pdf ).
I like Fats Waller's early piano solos and piano rolls: to me he sounded much like the recordings of Clarence Johnson and of course he was much inspired by mentor James P. Johnson (who was great in the early 1920s). Instead I'm very critical about his "evolution" started at the end of the 1920s...
Next time I will post some recordings of Hersal Thomas, from pieces that you've also heard in Frank's great piano roll scans.
Best RAGards
Luigi

Thanks for all the interesting posts!

Note that Lofton gets lost in the middle of the piece

WCosand wrote:Thanks for all the interesting posts!

I'm glad you find George W. Thomas interesting!

benjamin75 wrote:Note that Lofton gets lost in the middle of the piece

Yes, I'm not even sure that was issued at the time (I'll check the notes). Anyway Lofton recorded another take of "The Fives" and this version, a correct one and even clearer sounding, has been issued as "Sixes & Sevens".
Here it is
P.S.
I had written on "Shorty George Blues":

gigiranalli wrote:But if you check the last page of the score you'll find a solo part variation for dancing that is not featured in the Franklin and Thomas recording.

I didn't re-check the recording before posting it...yes, the solo part is actually present in the recording, although Tiny Franklin goes along singing in that part.
If anybody is not interested in all these George Thomas recordings, they should at least listen to the Franklin & Thomas recordings of "Houston Blues" and "Up The Country Blues", where Thomas plays his best piano parts and then the two recordings of Thomas' Devils of course!
Soon I will post some recordings of Hersal Thomas too.
Best RAGards
Luigi

For anyone who is tired of playing the Melody in F and the Blue Danube, here are alternative versions.

Roeland wrote:For anyone who is tired of playing the Melody in F and the Blue Danube, here are alternative versions.

Wow!!! These syncopated arrangements are great!!
Thank you so much for posting this great folio
Luigi

Ok, tonight I'm posting the last things I have about the Thomas family: George, Hersal and Hociel Thomas (no, actually I have other recordings of the Thomas brothers, but I think that's enough for the moment).
I start with Hociel, a very talented blues singer: the recording I'm posting is "The Fish Tail Dance" sung by Hociel Thomas with Hersal Thomas' piano accompaniment (watch out for Hersal's short but enjoyable piano solo part in the middle of the recording).
You should compare this recording with the great piano roll posted by Frank Himpsl, Fish Tail Dance (Kimball 10592):
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=178&start=260#p6814
Notice the similarities between the piano roll, certainly taken from the sheet music I guess, and the Hersal Thomas piano parts in the recording: in both there are also some funny slurs played in the verse.
The other recording I'm posting is a Hersal Thomas piano solo, "Hersal Blues", that shows what an advanced blues piano player he was in comparison with George W. Thomas.
That's a great boogie and let's recheck the piano roll scan of this number, National 8808 played by Hersal Thomas, posted by Frank Himpsl: viewtopic.php?f=11&t=178&start=260#p6812
Have you noticed anything particular after having listened to these recordings and having re-listened to Frank's piano roll scans?
I didn't post these Hersal Thomas recordings of "Fish Tail Dance" and "Hersal Blues" at random: the interesting thing I noticed is that the chorus of "Fish Tail Dance" is also played by Hersal Thomas in the "Hersal Blues" piano roll (with the left hand, while the right hand plays tremolos), while that is not included in the phonograph recording. If you listen again to the piano roll you'll recognize that part!
There would be several other things to say about the music of George and Hersal Thomas. For example, the additional strains added in the Hersal Thoams piano roll of "The Fives" may suggest other interesting observations.
I don't know if anybody else here, who's been silent while Frank and I dialogued about these things, has anything to say about this matter.
I close with a midi of "New Orleans Hop Scop Blues", sequenced by Doc Wilson, that is not based on the 1916 publication of this piece that I posted some days ago, but on the 1923 publication by Clarence Williams. I don't have the sheet music of this version, but since the arrangement has been slightly improved, I thought it would have been interesting to listen to it.
Best
Luigi

gigiranalli wrote:Ok, tonight I'm posting the last things I have about the Thomas family: George, Hersal and Hociel Thomas (no, actually I have other recordings of the Thomas brothers, but I think that's enough for the moment).

.....well, now I feel like posting another thing by Hersal Thomas, his 1925 recording of another of his great blues pieces, the beautiful "Suitcase Blues".
Just to compare it with the more famous recording by Albert Ammons from 1939.
Then I have other songs sung by Hociel Thomas, with Hersal Thomas at the piano or with an orchestra and then another couple of recordings of a combo including George W. Thomas, some very rural pieces.
But I'm far more interested about this piano solos I posted here.
Enjoy!
Luigi

pianojay wrote:Anyone have "Eccentricity (A Syncopated Waltz)" by James P. Johnson?

Eccentricity is in a folio called "Jazz, Blues, Boogie & Swing For Piano". Previously published by MCA/Mills, re-issued by Hal Leonard. If you don't have that book or haven't already acquired this piece let me know and I'll post it for you.
Best ragards,
Shoshana

First of all, thank you everyone for posting such wonderful pieces!
I am looking for a couple of pieces/transcriptions.
Eye Opener by Bob Zurke and
Jelly Roll Morton's transcription of Tiger Rag
I would greatly appreciate anyone posting these.
Best RAGards,
Shoshana