Pianophilia

benjamin75 wrote:Fear Ragtime Friends!

Thank you a lot for your last contributions....!
A great pleasure to discover and listen to!!!!!!

Dear Benjamin,
you're welcome and I also would like to thank Frank again for his incredible contribution!
The sheet music of "Las Vegas Stomp" arranged by Aletha Robinson is very interesting: let's notice this arrangement is transposed in C major, exactly like Ford Dabney's "Oh You Devil!" (sheet music here: http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/cgi-bi ... u&Rag&main ).
I'd have several things to say about this great piece adn Dink Johnson, but for today just let me take leave with one piece: I chose a rag by J.B. Lampe from 1910 that is descriptive of the animals of a farm.
The title is "Mr. Rooster" and it's a good rag in spite of it's simplicity. Luigi

Luigi, you are the best!
It's absolutely true: me too, I recognized the A them of Dink's composition as a famous classic rag strain. And I thought it was in one of those DOVER publications, but I was unable to recall wich one.
My hat off to you, Luigi, for finding the real title!!!

I'm hoping by posting this link that someone might become interested in transcribing this version of the Maple Leaf Stomp by Jelly Roll Morton:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4NPqhD0-nw

This is my favorite version by far of the Maple Leaf Rag by any pianist and I'd guess it has been played by many of the most famous jazz/stride/ragtime pianists. The version I posted has all the "notes" but because it was transcribed by a computer program it becomes impossible, at least for me, to use the "music".

Greetings all,
2 fun rags by Hal Nichols More to follow shortly
Thanks to all for sharing
Barry
Mod edit: Thanks for the uploads, Barry. Could you (and all others) place uploaded scores in-line as I've done here. FB

Hi jellyroll,

Welcome to Pianophilia...and many thanks for your uploaded Hal Nichols scores!! Your scans are beautifully clear. The sheet of "Black And Blue Rag" tends to turn up frequently, but "Alligator Bait Rag" is an extremely rare piece. All I had on "Alligator Bait" was a faded, barely legible xerox 40 years old.

Great to have you as a new friend and contributing member!

All Best,

Frank Himpsl

Welcome jellyroll,

Thanks for the alligator bait

I look forward to the more short followings ...

rgrds,
tobyjj

lebowl wrote:I'm hoping by posting this link that someone might become interested in transcribing this version of the Maple Leaf Stomp by Jelly Roll Morton:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4NPqhD0-nw

This is my favorite version by far of the Maple Leaf Rag by any pianist and I'd guess it has been played by many of the most famous jazz/stride/ragtime pianists. The version I posted has all the "notes" but because it was transcribed by a computer program it becomes impossible, at least for me, to use the "music".

Lebowl,
the music program used to "watch" that midi file in that youtube video is MidiNotate Musician, the same program I use when I have to find the notes in the piano roll transcriptions I then write down (I write them with Finale).
Of course I cannot transcribe anything and I'm very far from having perfect pitch...but with the help of these programs, that can be purchased or even downloaded for free with eMule or similar file sharing programs, everybody can transcribe a midi file.
I tell you that because I cannot do that job for this midi file of "Maple Leaf Rag" a-la-Morton for several reasons, the first being that the midi file was hand-played by Bill Edwards and, as you can imagine, he owns the copyright on his own performances.
Let me suggest you get a notation program to watch the notes and, at the same time, you start learning the Morton transcription of the piece that has been posted first by myself and then by somebody else on Pianophilia. If you learn the transcription, then it would be quite easy to learn Bill's variations of the tune.
By the way, I'm currently working of a piano roll transcription of Egbert Van Alstyne's unpublished "Cheese & Crackers" (different tune than the one by Homer Denney). I'll post it on Pianophilia when it's ready.
Luigi

jellyroll wrote:Greetings all,
2 fun rags by Hal Nichols

Nichols-Alligator Bait.pdf

Nichols-Black and Blue Rag.pdf

More to follow shortly
Thanks to all for sharing
Barry
Mod edit: Thanks for the uploads, Barry. Could you (and all others) place uploaded scores in-line as I've done here. FB

Dear Barry,
I also would like to welcome you on Pianophilia and it's great to have you here!!
Thanks so much for the sheet music of the "Black & Blue Rag" and "Alligator Bait": while I was familiar with the first, the second is something I was looking for and I see it's really a great rag!! Thanks so much for posting it!
Today I'm going to post another recording by Dink Johnson, quite a particular one: Dink was mainly a ragtime pianist, but also a pioneer jazz drummer (he played in the Keppard orchestra!) and clarinetist.
This recording from 1947, entitled "Rag Bag Rag", feautures him playing piano, drums and clarinet....of course there have been two overdubbing processes to obtain that and in fact also the master with Dink playing just piano, with no drums or clarinet, has been issued.
It's a curious recording and quite entertaining. The first strain has a slight similarity with the <harry Lincoln piece of the same title (sheet music here: http://purl.dlib.indiana.edu/iudl/lilly ... -203011-01 ), but then Dink repeatedly plays a common N.O. strain often included in "Panama", a strain actually composed by Fess Manetta rather than Will Tyers, and then also a bit of "12th Street Rag". It's a fine ragtime medley.
Those who would like to know more on the curious life of Dink Johnson can find information on Mike Meddings' website:
http://www.doctorjazz.co.uk/draftcards2.html#musdcdj
But I would like to add the very funny and informative memories of jazz scholar and journalist Floyd Levin on Dink Johnson, whom he met in 1950.
So I upload here Levin's chapter on Dink from his great jazz book "Classic Jazz : A Personal View of the Music and the Musicians".
It's a funny and interesting article and Floyd Levin was a great jazz historian. He even had the honour to know and be friend of the great Brun Campbell!!! (Soon I will post Levin's biography of Brun!).
Again on Mike's website you find some correspondence from Brun Campbell to Floyd Levin: in one of those he talked about Dink Johnson saying:"You are fortunate in having Dink Johnson as your pianist. He plays in the old Sedalia style, not New Orleans".
http://www.doctorjazz.co.uk/bruncfl.html
I definitely agree that Dink Johnson sounded like the typical Midwestern ragtime pianist, although I have the suspect that all the New Orleans ragtimers of the day sounded like that (I have some clues, of which I will write soon).
Then I also would like to introduce quite an obscure original black ragtime, blues and barrelhouse ragtime pianist discovered by documentarist Alan Lomax (he also "re-discovered" Leadbelly and Jelly Roll Morton) named Thomas "Jaybird" Jones.
Among the things he recorded for Lomax (the sound quality of the recordings is quite poor) there were two unnamed rags. After one of them he's also interviewed by Lomax about ragtime music (those who insist on ragtime having to be played necessarily slow should hear the interview )
I hope you'll find that interesting!
Luigi

Thanks to all for the warm welcome. A big thank you to Luigi for informing me about this forum. I always enjoy finding new pieces of music, but I also enjoy the information being offered. Here are some more rags while I am scanning my collection. Enjoy

Thank you very very much jellyroll (and Luigi, too!) for your exciting contribution.
Great!