Pianophilia

Hi Pianojay,

I don't personally have a transcription of Hines "Blues In Thirds," but it might be available on one of the jazz transcription internet sites which charge a nominal fee for scores. The Pete Johnson tune I believe was published in a folio which I might have (but need to find). If I can find the score I'll certainly post it for you. "Get Happy" ala Tatum also most likely has been transcribed, and some internet searching on "Jazz piano transcriptions"or the like might prove fruitful.

All Best,

Frank

Hi Folks,

Some high class virtuoso piano stylings from Max Lanner here: Improvistations on Jerome Kern's "The Way You Look tonight" and "Lovely To Look At." Enjoy

Frank

And another German novelty composer discovered... Alexander Laszlo. His "Flip-Caprice" is a novelty tour-de-farce and quite difficult. Also the improvisations on "Oh Susannah" are taken very seriously, with good imagination.

Hello Frank,

Thank you very much for these last three pieces. I love these type of arrangements, and am going to really enjoy playing them.

Best wishes.

Peter.

Dear Peter,

You are most welcome, as always! Here some more Miss-Zellany:

Hello Everyone,

As always, Frank - thank you very much for your generous postings - you really do have an astonishing collection, which I am thoroughly enjoying.
The same thanks to you Luigi, though more appropriately, perhaps, in the Rags forum.
Thanks to all contributors

To all members and contributors in these groups: Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Regards,
tobyjj

Although only making comment I nevertheless feel obliged to post something - though it is neither seasonal, nor mellifluous, nor benignly titled - and probably off-topic for this forum, [though on that score (with this piece) I am a little confused]. There are 4 movements in this Suite - I only post the first and only as an example of the composer's work. if you want the other 3 movements let me know. They are quite fun.

and to assist in reading the music - an mp3 of the same.

Dear Tobyjj,
thanks for the kind words!
I'm sorry for my late reply; tonight I'm posting some hopefully interesting music.
First of all, I'd like to thank Frank Himpsl for the great music he's posting and for helping me with several rare pieces!
Frank recently posted a great novelty rag entitled "Benny's Bounce", composed by Ben Light.
Light was born in New York in 1893 and he was a virtuoso ragtime piano player who had claimed he was the true composer of the famous "Melancholy Baby" song.
Ben Light recorded some commercial discs in his sixties, that are a great document of his ragtime style.
Here I post Light’s recording the great "Benny's Bounce" of course, which he played in D flat, while I see the sheet music is in C major.
I hope you'll like his brilliant ragtime style.
Speaking of novelty ragtimers who recorded commercially late in their lives, I also post a mp3 of Jesse Sutton playing his own "Solid Ivory", a great recording of an unpublished novelty rag!
Then, in reply to Pianojay, I post a transcription of "Blues in Thirds" and also one of Hines' famous "A Monday Date".
I post these transcriptions since they're part of a folio that can't be purchased now, as long as I know.
"Dive Bomber" has been transcribed of course, but since the piece is still on sale, I post the link to buy it:
http://boogie-online-us.npage.co.uk/ (please notice that this website also offers a perfect transcription of a masterpiece: Davenport's "Cow Cow Blues"!!!!).
Then I'd like to post a rare composition by Clarence Johnson and I'd like to dedicate it to Frank. The title is "Darktown Capers".
I wish everybody a Merry Christmas and a Happy 2012!!!!

Dear Luigi,

Thank you for all the great rarities which you so generously posted! The Earl Hines transcriptions were a real surprise to me, as I wasn't completely sure that they had been done. I certainly didn't have them. They sound very faithful to the great 1928 QRS sides that Hines recorded! Also, the Jesse Sutton and Ben Light recordings were completely new to me, and they're both terrific!! The only records I've ever seen of Ben Light are on the Tempo label, incscribed "Ben Light and his Steinway." The ones I have are just so-so, nothing close to the great, rambling "Benny's Bounce!!"

Also thanks for the incredibly rare "Darktown Capers," which is I believe the only published instrumental composition by Clarence Johnson. There are a few songs, like "Jelly's Blues," "I'm Going Away To Wear You Off My Mind," and "My Good Man's Blues." The last one was subtitled "Mahalia's Blues on the sheet music, and I believe this was in honor of the very young Gospel singer Mahalia Jackson! Do you know that Clarence Johnson made a hand-played piano roll of "Darktown Capers?" It was issued under the Capitol label and entitled "Colored Fingers Rag." I have the roll, and when my piano roll scanner is operational again I'll be glad to record and post this roll. There are some differences with regards to the score of "Darktown Capers," but the basic themes are there. Also, "Mahalia's Blues" has survived on a Capitol A-roll...one of the great blues performances by Clarence Johnson. This one I'm posting as a piano roll scan from the original roll; some great funky Chicago Southside playing here!

Happy New Year to you and all PianoPhilians!

All Best,

Frank

An additional follow-up on Clarence Johnson re. his "Mahalia's Blues",attached is the Library of Congress copyright score for the tune, published 1923 by co-writer Lloyd Smith at 3129 S. State Street, Chicago; aka. "The Original Home Of The Blues."

All Best,

Frank

Dear Frank,
thank you so much for this fantastic piano roll by Clarence Johnson and for the sheet music of "Mahalia's Blues"!!!
That's great and you know, among my very favorite pianists of the 1920s there are Clarence Johnson and Jimmy Blythe.
You wrote some great comments about the Johnson-Williams insrumental and I must admit that I had never tried the Darktown Capers myself...so I didn' realize it was like "Colored Fingers Rag"...so thank you for having pointed it out!
It won't be necessary to scan this great piano roll by Johnson, because a scan already exists and I'm posing it here.
I'd like to ask about another piano roll artist, Donald Makay. I have scans of some of his piano rolls and they're great! Do you know details about his life?
I'm happy that you enjoyed the Jess Sutton and Ben Light recordings! Of Sutton I post his "Pyramyths" (sadly not as good as "Solid Ivory") and of Ben Light some of my favorite recordings, which I hope you'll like!
Luigi