Pianophilia

you really have an amazing collection, especially considering how it's hard to find the scores now.

hi eeks1982,

Nothing amazing about it! You'll find that if you're at something like sheet music long enough, the things start to pile up. But truly, the best way to collect is right here on Pianophilia.

Dear Frank,
thanks for these great rags!!!
Since you posted J. Russel Robinson's "That Eccentric Rag", I'd add two later arrangements (one in key of C and F, the other, more common, in E flat and intro in A flat) of the piece, under the title of "Eccentric", often recorded by jazz bands.
Have you heard of the bunch of piano solo recordings Robinson made for Circle Records in 1947?
I only found reference for three of them: according to David Jasen's "Ragtime Encyclopedia" the Robinson piano recordings of "That Eccentric Rag", "The Easy Winners" and "Minstrel Man" were issued by a label named Eagle.
I'm currently trying to obtain these discs, since I only have a bunch of Robinson recordings with Al Bernard (Dixie Stars) where he provides some great piano, a few accompaniments with blues singers and then the recordings with the Original Dixieland Jazz Band (in a couple those from the late 1930s Robinson can be heard taking solos).
My friend Adam Swanson, that fantastic pianist, posted a video of the ODJB from the 1930s and in a brief passage there's Robinson playing some great ragtime piano (starting at time 1:17 of the video)! Here's the link to the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHZIsfJ-m8U
I'm also attaching "Luxury", a song composed by Les Copeland that cannot be found on internet.
Best
Luigi

Dear Luigi,

Many thanks for your postings of the different versions of JRR's "Eccentric," and especially Copeland's "Luxury" which is a nice ragtime song and certainly extremely rare. On the J.Russel Robinson Eagle records, I spolke with Dave Jasen about these years ago and he told me that the recordings were never made. They were advertised in a record collector's periodical of the day (maybe "The Record Review?") and listed along with their serial numbers. I believe that advertisement is Dave's information source about the Eagle records. Unfortunately, it seems that these are phantoms and just don't exist....I don't know any collector who has one (including Dave). It's a real shame that this session never came off. Rudi Blesh would have known the whole story, but unfortunately we can't ask him now... There is a private acetate or two of J.Russel Robinson playing piano at the QRS Company circa 1952, when he came to visit Max Kortlander and J.Lawrence Cook. These turned up in the estate of Kortlander's brother Herman and are owned by collector Bill Burkhardt. I have a tape of them somewhere, but finding it right now would be simply impossible (truly impossible, my tapes are scattered throughout many boxes). Robinson played "Ringtail Blues." J.Lawrence Cook transcribed the solo to piano roll, but it wasn't issued. Then in the 1980's the master turned up at QRS, who loaned it to be recut by Mike Schwimmer. I have a copy of the roll, but haven't optically scanned it. Another one to put on the "to do" list! Max Kortlander also played some nice piano on the acetates. The QRS rolls which were issued in the early 1950s (like Minstrel Man, Sapho Rag, etc.) were all done by JLC. That's about everything I know on Robinson's last recording activities!! (BTW, the JRR recordings with Al Bernard on Brunswick are fantastic. He plays incredible ragtime piano accompaniment to Bernard on the title "My Poodle-Oodle Dog!)

All Best,
Frank

Hello Friends,

Several weeks back we had discussions and postings on the Syncopations thread concerning Lothar Perl, the wonderfully ingenious German novelty ragtime composer. Unfortunately Perl had passed away by the time I tried to locate him, but I was able to get to know his widow Gitta in the early 1980s and she gave me a stack of manuscript novelty ragtime which Perl had composed but never published. I had promised to scan and post these on Pianophilia, but since they are in very large (10 x 14) size format I had to order a new large format Mustek scanner in order to do so. The scanner was on back-order for weeks and finally arrived yesterday....so now the scanning can commence.

The Lothar Perl unpublished compositions might have been written for a stage play of some sort, based on the titles. They vary from novelty piano style to near stride-like pieces. This is some of the rarest material I will ever be able to share with you folks, and I welcome you to enjoy it. Dedicated to the memory of Lothar and Gitta Perl.

All Best,

Frank

.....More of the unpublished Lothar Perl....more in the process of scanning.....

Dear Frank,
these Lothar Perl manuscripts are pure gold!!
Thanks so much for them!
I think he was a great composer and I also liked very much the few piano recordings he made.
Speaking of German rags, I attach one by Eric Plessow that I find quite interesting, especially because its first strain is clearly stolen from Arthur Schutt's "Bluin' The Black Keys".
And by the way I really love the other two strains of this piece, that is entitled "Red Devil", and especially the third strain.
Best
Luigi

Dear Luigi,

Thanks for posting the Eric Plessow "Red Devil." We probably should post all the works of this composer eventually, because his material is very well written out. More folders to find! Yes the rip-off of Arthur Schutt's "Bluin' The Black Keys" would be rather unforgiveable if it were not for the other strains, which are very good indeed. My late friend John Farrell transcribed this piece onto piano roll and I remember issuing it on one of our labels, either "Jazz Man" or "Phantom Fingers." it's the kind of tune that really comes off well on piano roll.

All Best,

Frank

....continuing onward with the scanning.....