The December 2001 meet of the Orange County Ragtime Society wasn't hampered by the inclement weather (rainstorms), although musically speaking, the afternoon brought lots of weather-related material. In all, six musicians delivered nearly four-dozen tunes or medleys inside the cozy confines of Steamers Cafe in downtown Fullerton, where more than three-dozen patrons braved the downpour for live renditions of their beloved ragtime.

Emcee Eric Marchese kicked things off, aptly enough, with Tom Brier's 1991 composition "Rainy Day Blues." He followed with the 1904 Smith & Chapman composition "One O' Them Things!" which Eric said has some blues-related harmonic patterns. Continuing with the blues line of thinking, Eric closed his set with the then-and-now popular "Blame It on the Blues," a 1914 tune by Charles "Doc" Cooke whose popularity extended well beyond the ragtime world.

Stan Long warmed up to the beautiful Kawaii grand with "Maple Leaf Rag," then proceeded to treat the crowd with "My Ditty," an original medley with bits and pieces of "Chopsticks," "Stars and Stripes Forever," "If You're Happy and You Know It (Clap Your Hands)," and "It's a Small World." He closed his set with Joplin's 1909 rag-tango "Solace."

Patrick Aranda launched into his specialized arrangement of the Original Dixieland Jazz Band's 1917 hit "The Original Dixieland One-Step," whose main theme was pirated from Joe Jordan's "That Teasin' Rag." Pat's version interpolated strains from Bach and Liszt -- quite a jarring combination! Pat then hit his "stride" with Luckey Roberts' "Pork and Beans," giving the piece a soft, restrained touch until the fiery fourth strain, and an impressive rendering of Jelly Roll Morton's "The Fingerbreaker."

Eric returned to deliver Paul Pratt's unpublished but transcribed 1916 composition "Wailana" and another, better-known rag from the same year, Joseph F. Lamb's masterful "Top Liner." Eric closed his set with the rag he wrote between 1989 and 1991 especially for the Christmas holidays: "A New England Yuletide."

Bill Mitchell gave rhythmic and melodic drive to Morton's "The Pearls," then delivered a weather-related medley that included "Stormy Weather" and "Blue Skies" -- both appropriate, because during the course of this OCRS meet, both could be seen from inside Steamers. Bill wrapped up his set with one of his reliable standbys -- James Scott's great Classic rag, "Grace and Beauty," from 1909.

Eric fulfilled a request for Joplin's "Pine Apple Rag," then turned the piano over to Ron Ross, who treated the crowd to several original pieces: "Ragtime Song"; "Retro Rag," an intricate piece that sounds like the vintage rag period but has modern-sounding harmonies; and the bouncy, jazzy "Digital Rag."

Eric played the piano part to his lyrical 2000 ragtime lament song "Goodbye to Paradise." Then Pat delivered more James Scott, the 1911 masterpiece "Ragtime Oriole." Pat then played his newest piano rag, "Hay Fever," which offers four strong sections, all in the Classic and Popular modes, with varied and fascinating rhythms throughout. Written in 2000, Pat described how he was about to debut the piece in Sacramento at the annual Jazz Jubilee's Ragtime Corner and was still searching for a title as he was about to go on stage. A weekend-long attack of hay fever provided the answer as to what to call the piece. Pat's set ended with James P. Johnson's "Mule Walk," with spirited, snappy rhythms and a genuine Harlem sound.

Stan Long returned and effected about half of Joplin's "Magnetic Rag" before running out of steam and switching to a weather medley that included "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" and "New York, New York." He closed his set with an original, brief boogie-style piece.

Eric introduced his newest rag, "Jumpin' Jupiter," a lively piece written earlier in the week. He noted that he had recorded the title into his computer in June along with a notation that the piece was written on June 28, yet had no recollection of such a piece -- nor any recording or score. He told the audience he had decided to appropriate the title for the newer composition and that, unless a recording of the older piece surfaced, the title would most likely stick. After hearing the piece, the audience agreed that it should indeed be named "Jumpin' Jupiter."

Pat then joined Eric on the piano for four-handed versions of "Peacherine Rag" and "Black and White" rag. Continuing with more George Botsford, Eric did a solo version of Botsford's 1909 rag "Pianophiends." Noting that you can't have a New Year's Eve celebration without cracked ice, Eric did another three-themed popular-style rag, George L. Cobb's 1918 "Cracked Ice."

Ron Ross encored with his slow, lyrical tune "Sweet is the Sound," his comical ragtime song "Studio Sensation" (complete with Ron's vocals) and the tender, romantic "Mirella," which has very creative harmonies. He closed his set with his peppy new song, "Fun in the Sun."

Following in the vein of comical songs, Pat offered one of his own: "You Were the Love of My Heart; Now You're the Pain in my Butt." Next up was the 1907 Joplin masterwork "Gladiolus Rag" and James P. Johnson's intricate, demanding Stride piece "Jingles," an Aranda showstopper.

Eric gave us yet another 1909-1911 Scott rag -- this time, "Quality" (1911). He followed with a request for the 1912 "Scott Joplin's New Rag," then the 1914 Joplin rarity, "Silver Swan Rag" and, finally, two 1909 Joplins: the tender "Wall Street Rag," which Eric dedicated to those who suffered in New York City on Sept. 11, and the ragtime waltz "Pleasant Moments."

All the way down from Bakersfield, Annette Given delivered a sparkling performance of "Maple Leaf Rag." Stan Long then took the afternoon of varied and high-quality music home with his versions of "Elite Syncopations" and "The Entertainer" (the latter complete with Stan's trademark, "Old McDonald Had a Farm" intro), then ended the day with his own tribute to Sept. 11, a patriotic medley highlighted by a stirring rendition of "America the Beautiful."

Click here to read about the previous meeting of the Orange County Ragtime Society, which was held at Steamers on 10 November 2001.