Features and Reviews
OTMH Ragtime Festival 2005
By Bill Mitchell
The weekend of July 9/10 encompassed three performances of the perennially popular Ragtime Festival at the Old Town Music Hall in El Segundo. As in the past, this year's program featured four pianists and was presented at matinees Saturday and Sunday, with an evening performance Saturday. We caught the Saturday matinee, and found the music great, but the attendance disappointing. The performers were the same as last year: Kathy Craig, Robbie Rhodes, Alex Hassan, and Frederick Hodges. Their different styles and areas of interest made for a varied musical menu.
Kathy began the proceedings with a peppy rendition of th 1899 cakewalk, "Smokey Mokes." By way of contrast she played the stately "Ragtime Nightingale" by Joseph F. Lamb, which, as Kathy noted, contains references to Chopin and Ethelbert Nevin. Eubie Blake's "Charleston Rag" was next, played on the same Bosendorfer piano that Eubie played back in the 1970s. Robbie joined Kathy for a duet on Joplin's fine "Pine Apple Rag."
Robbie's first solo segment opened with Muriel Pollock's "Rooster Rag," a rouser that never lays an egg. He followed up with an Isham Jones ballad from the 1920s, "Down Where the Sun Goes Down," and wound up with what he termed a San Francisco style "Maple Leaf Rag," showing the Wally Rose influence.
Alex Hassan and Frederic Hodges rendered "Miss Annabelle Lee" in a two-piano arrangement. Alex Hassan remained on stage to entertain us with an extended medley of songs by Mack Gordon and Harry Revel, including, among others, "Did You Ever See a Dream Walking," "Love Thy Neighbor," and "Stay as sweet as You are."
Frederick Hodges soloed on a well-named number, "Technicality Rag," by Arnold Johnson. He then played two 1920s novelty piano numbers, "Sailing Along," by Frank Banta, and "Jim Jams," by Roy Bargy.
Just before intermission the four pianists merged their talents in a rousing version of Lamb's "Bohemia Rag."
Kathy began the second half of the show with Tom Turpin's "Harlem Rag" and Joplin's "Gladiolus Rag," two real classics of the genre.
Robbie continued with "Triangle Jazz Blues," and his signature piece, "Echo of Spring," by Willie "The Lion" Smith. (Robbie reminded us that "The Lion" looked the stereotypical ragtime pianist, with bowler hat and cigar.) "Superstitious Blues" was the next number, but it was not at all melancholy.
Alex returned to play "All God's Chillun Got Rhythm," by Bronislau Kaper and Walter Jurmann, who were German immigrants. This piece was featured in the Marx Brothers' 1937 film, "A Day at the Races." Alex played another of this team's songs, "Adieu." He closed his solo set with a Robin Frost novelty, "Dancing with Whom?" This one was sophisticated stride, and, like most of Frost's work, no snap to play.
Frederick Hodges joined Alex on "Get Out and Get under the Moon," and then soloed on "Cracked Ice Rag," by George Cobb, and "Kismet Rag," by Scott Hayden (and Joplin, according to the sheet music). "Kismet" was taken at an unusually brisk tempo. He concluded with "Dancing Tambourine," a 1927 novelty by W. C. Polla.
For the grand finale the quartet played a couple of songs associated with Eddie Cantor: "My Baby Just Cares for Me," and "Take Your Girlie to the Movies." On each, Frederick leapt from the piano to the mike for engaging and spirited vocals. The last number was dedicated to the memory of Bill Coffman.
More OTMH Ragtime Festival Reviews:
2006 Festival
2004 Festival
2003 Festival
2002 Festival
2001 Festival
2000 Festival
1999 Festival
