Pianophilia

Frank Himpsl’s scores are always great and there are true gems among his recent uploads!
I’ve never seen the published version of “Swampy River” before and I’m glad to see that’s a note for note transcription of the Duke Ellington great piano solo recording!
The Bobbie Stainforth arrangements are simply fantastic and also the Bob Zurke arrangements and originals are great!
I upload here a very brief Bob Zurke arrangement of “At The Darktown Strutters’ Ball” that is quite enjoyable to play.
Since Frank posted a number of Clarence Williams publications (these are the true gems!), also including a slightly modernized version of “Cow Cow Blues” (with walking bass), I post the original publication from 1928, the manuscript edition (Clarence Williams had also published an horribly arranged piano solo version of this piece in C major).
Anyway also this 1928 version, like all these scores, is simplified in comparison with how the great Charles “Cow Cow” Davenport actually played it.
For those who really like this music there’s actually a perfect transcription of the Davenport piano solo of “Cow Cow Blues” and it can be found and purchased here:
http://boogie-online-us.npage.co.uk/pre ... 28200.html (that's the transcription)
and
http://boogie-online-us.npage.co.uk/ (the website selling it)

I’m glad that somebody is transcribing and selling some great piano recordings from the 1920s!
By the way, I also include another score of the great Cow Cow Davenport, “Slum Gullion Stomp”: although the score doesn’t not include all the variations that Davenport played in the recording, it’s a good transcription of his playing and so an invaluable document (to Benjamin Intartaglia: I bet you’ll enjoy this piece!).
There would be many things to say about Frank’s great upload…
As a ragtime music fan I can’t avoid to point out that two of the interesting and rare Axel Christensen scores, “Axel Grease”, that I already had, and “Take It Easy”, that I saw here for the first time, are respectively “Minnesota Rag” and “The Cauldron Rag”: Christensen was clearly re-using his own music in later years.
On youtube there’s a video featuring a piano roll of “Axel Grease” (Minnesota Rag) played by Christensen himself.
Here’s the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vP_alW6aZAY

Speaking of piano rolls, you’ll also find a video of a piano roll of “Zebra Stripes” and “Crazy Top” (two Lothar Perl pieces whose scores were already uploaded by Alfor here), played by Frank Himpsl!
Here’s the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjXPJYC05A0

Enjoy the music!
Luigi

Great gems, Luigi! Thank you so much for uploading them!

Very best wishes from France

Benjamin

Dear Luigi,

Thanks so much for all the wonderful information and site references which you uploaded!! Your knowledge of ragtime and all related styles is immense, and always greatly appreciated. I'm hoping to upload as much of my collection as possible in hopes of preserving it for future generations. I really look forward to your further comments and observations about the postings!

With great thanks and best wishes,

Frank

fhimpsl wrote:Dear Luigi,

Thanks so much for all the wonderful information and site references which you uploaded!! Your knowledge of ragtime and all related styles is immense, and always greatly appreciated. I'm hoping to upload as much of my collection as possible in hopes of preserving it for future generations. I really look forward to your further comments and observations about the postings!

With great thanks and best wishes,

Frank

Dear Frank,
thanks for the kind words! I don't think I'm an expert, but I absolutely have an immense love for ragtime music!
I'd actually have much to write about the great music you're posting, because these great rags and blues really stimulate comments and discussion.
For the moment I'd just like to add a couple of pieces of James P. Johnson.
You posted some great folios and scores of this great pianist (although I'm not very fond of stride piano, I really like Johnson!) and since I prefer his earlier period, from the mid 1910s to the mid 1920s, I'd add his "Caprice Rag", "Daintiness Rag" and the earliest published version of "Carolina Shout", in a ragtime and non stride-like arrangement, not as good as his Artempo 12975 piano roll which is superb, but quite in that old fashion.
Speaking of the links I post, I'll try more and more often to advertise any activities that have to do with ragtime music transcriptions, etc...
The reason is that I'd like to help this kind of business, hoping that those who are transcribing this great music will continue in their invaluable job!
So, speaking of James P. Johnson, I'd post a link to a folio of his piano transcriptions written by Paul Marcorelles (I have it and it's just great).
Here's the link:
http://www.blueblackjazz.com/sheetmusic_johnson.html
I hope that Paul will switch from stride piano to more interesting pianists (in my opinion ) that have been too often forgotten...I'm talking about the phonograph recordings of artists like Jimmy Blythe, Sugar Underwood, Jabbo Williams, Cow Cow Davenport, Frank Melrose, Seger Ellis, etc...
Best RAGards
Luigi

gigiranalli wrote:

fhimpsl wrote:Dear Luigi,

Thanks so much for all the wonderful information and site references which you uploaded!! Your knowledge of ragtime and all related styles is immense, and always greatly appreciated. I'm hoping to upload as much of my collection as possible in hopes of preserving it for future generations. I really look forward to your further comments and observations about the postings!

With great thanks and best wishes,

Frank

Dear Frank,
thanks for the kind words! I don't think I'm an expert, but I absolutely have an immense love for ragtime music!
I'd actually have much to write about the great music you're posting, because these great rags and blues really stimulate comments and discussion.
For the moment I'd just like to add a couple of pieces of James P. Johnson.

Luigi

Thank you Luigi. I like stride and James P Johnson is a great composer and very influential in the syncopation business I must argue.

Wow, Frank - this is like Christmas!!

Hi quercus,

Glad you like the posts...I'll keep Christmas alive with more postings until my scanner and/or my sanity run out of gas....

and Dear Luigi,

Once again many thanks for your contributions and postings. I especially appreciate the link to blueblackjazz. This morning my pocketbook took quite a hit as I ordered the JPJ, Lambert and Fats #3 (mostly for "Goin' About," which was always one of my favorites of his solos). Not cheap by any means, but the .pdf delivery option is nice and of course the material itself is worth every penny.

All Best,

Frank