Feb. 12 2005 OCRS hails
Black History Month, Feb. birthdates and club’s 3rd anniversary
An enthusiastic audience was on hand for
the first OCRS meet of 2005 (Sat., February 12), as the society, founded
in November of 2001, recognized its third anniversary. With 11 performers
on hand, a total of 43 selections were performed – some of the
best music ever heard at any of the club’s gatherings at Steamers
Jazz Club in Fullerton.
In honor of Black History Month, the focus was on the tunes of America’s
great black ragtime composers, with February composer birthdates getting
the lion’s share of attention – James P. Johnson (Feb.
1), Eubie Blake (Feb. 7); and Joe Jordan (Feb. 11). Special attention
to the music of James S. Scott, whose birthdate is Feb. 12. In addition,
the club celebrated its third anniversary, which technically occurred
in Nov. ’04.
Eric Marchese opened the proceedings with James Scott’s outstanding
1909 essay “The Ragtime Betty,” followed by two of Arthur
Marshall’s best solo compositions, “The Pippin”
(1908) and “Kinklets” (from 1906).
Bill Mitchell immediately jumped in on honoring James P. Johnson with
a medley of some of the master’s greatest compositions. He opened
with the romantic “If I Could Be With You One Hour Tonight,”
then segues into “Old Fashioned Love” before ending with
one of Johnson’s most rousing – and most universally known
– compositions, “The Charleston.” To all, Bill added
a smooth touch, style and flair.
Ron Ross contributed three originals, all of which can be found on
his Ragtime Renaissance CD: the jazzy and contemporary “Digital
Rag,” “Moscow Rag” (an interesting minor-key study)
and “Sweet Is the Sound.”
Andrew Barrett chose two of Scott’s most intricate and difficult
rags to honor the great Classic rag composer’s birthday, interspersing
what is perhaps Joe Jordan’s most famous ragtime composition.
He opened with Scott’s restless and lively “Efficiency
Rag” from 1915, continued with “That Teasing Rag”
(1909) and ended with Scott’s “Pegasus” (1920).
Evidence of Andrew’s growing prowess at the keyboard: his penchant
for adding intricate improvisational licks to already-difficult pieces
such as “Efficiency.” His playing was equally deft on
a slowed-down version of “Teasing Rag,” bringing out ehe
piece’s beautiful harmonies.
Visiting the southland from her home in the Bay Area, Nan Bostick
opened with the busy, lively “Sue,” by black Detroit composer
Fred S. Stone (and noting that his late January birthday made him
an Aquarian, and thus roughly fitting the performing theme of the
day). Next was the rarely heard “Such Is Life” by Charles
“Doc” Cooke, whose “Blame It On the Blues”
is widely performed today; “Such Is Life” has a funky
A theme, while the B theme is snazzy and jazzy. Nan ended her fine
set with one of the few rags to be published in California during
the vintage era: “Meadow Lark,” by black San Francisco
composer Tom Pitts (and issued in 1916 by Nan’s great-uncle,
Charles N. Daniels). Frank Sano followed Nan with a lively medley
of “saloon songs” that included “Hello Ma Baby,”
“Susie,” “Five-foot Two,” “Piano Roll
Blues” and “Toot-Toot-Tootsie,” adding many a pleasing
improvisation.
Bob Pinsker continued the James Scott tribute with an entire set of
tunes by Classic ragtime’s “Little Professor”: “Great
Scott Rag,” “Troubadour Rag,” “New Era Rag.”
Seemingly derivative of the works of Scott Joplin and Charles L. Johnson,
the lively “Great Scott” dates from 1909, from the composer’s
prolific early period of 1907 through 1911, while “Troubadour”
and “New Era,” both from 1919, are two standouts from
Scott’s late working period (1914 to 1922), which features intricate,
thickly textured studies. Bob created a funky improv for the last
repeat of the closing strain of “Great Scott,” added the
Scott “echo effect” to the ending of “Troubadour”
and took “New Era” with a swinging rhythm and much verve.
In from Temecula, Brett Torres – now 17 and prepared to enter
college – debuted four original compositions, all untitled.
Each features what are now Torres signatures, including shifting time
signatures, unpredictable bass lines and unusual harmonies. The first
number meshed foxtrot and waltz rhythms and discordant harmonies,
with a driving second subject. The second piece sounds like a rag
written during the Jazz Age. The third piece shows Brett’s knowledge
of the classics – a waltz that opens with a gentle, pretty theme,
then turns stormy, with dramatic chords and harmonies out of the classical
repertoire. Brett’s penchant for mixing tempos, styles and harmonies
within individual compositions has caused many to herald him as the
“next” Keith Taylor – a not unflattering comparison
for the young man!
Eric unveiled a surprise piece he said neatly tied together Black
History Month, Abraham Lincoln’s freeing of the slaves, and
ragtime: “Since Emancipation Day,” a 1910 song by Robert
B. Joplin, Scott’s younger brother. Eric noted that the piece
has its own character quite apart from anything by Robert’s
more famous brother; that Robert’s otherwise mundane lyrics
make startling use of the phrase “equal rights bill” with
respect to blacks, and allude to Booker T. Washington’s visit
to the White House and to a black someday being elected president
of the U.S.
Citing Ed Berlin’s research, Eric noted that Robert Joplin had
sung bass in Scott Joplin’s early vocal group, the Texas Medley
Quartette, that Robert carved fame for himself as a theater manager
and stage director; writer of several vaudeville musical shows; and
as a singer, dancer and comedian. As interesting is the fact that
“Since Emancipation Day” was arranged for publication
by Sam Patterson, Louis Chauvin’s partner and best friend and
also a friend of Tom and Charlie Turpin, Joe Jordan and Scott Joplin.
Eric followed with “Augustan Club Waltzes,” one of Scott
Joplin’s non-ragtime waltzes, then closed his set with “Rag
Sentimental,” a late (1918) James Scott rag and one of the few
that’s in a more melodic vein.
Rick Friend, a pianist at The Silent Movie theater in Los Angeles,
made his first OCRS appearance with a raggy, jazzy arrangement of
“Dixie,” which he said he uses to accompany Buster Keaton’s
classic “The General,” and a lyrically slow, bluesy, dreamy
rendering of Foster’s “Old Folks at Home.” He closed
things with Joplin’s 1908 masterpiece, “Pine Apple Rag.”
Toting his banjo, Phil Cannon delivered a slow-tempo rendition of
Ted Snyder’s 1908 hit, “Wild Cherries” and Lamb’s
intricate 1909 rag “Ethiopia” before adding to the Scott
tribute with “Ragtime Oriole,” Scott’s 1911 entry
into the birdcall genre. He took “Wild Cherries” at a
modest tempo, emphasizing the prominent flatted sixth of the trio
while adding a twangy sound, handled the intricate “Ethiopia”
with apparent ease and added grace notes to “Oriole’s”
first and last themes. In between, Phil explained that all of his
performances are based on his own transcriptions, for banjo, of the
original piano scores – a daunting task in itself, not to mention
the difficulty of trying to play these things on so compact an instrument!
Phil’s playing of “Ragtime Oriole” kicked off seven
consecutive James Scott pieces: one by Phil, three by Bill Mitchell
and three more by Fred Hoeptner. Bill tore off “Frog Legs,”
“Sunburst” and “Kansas City Rag” (including
a creative arrangement on the opening theme’s bass), all from
Scott’s earlier working period; Fred dove into “Grace
and Beauty,” the 1909 rag considered by many to be Scott’s
masterpiece, before tackling the intricate, challenging “Victory
Rag” from 1921. Though from 1915, “Evergreen Rag”
has a thinner texture and is more lightly syncopated, providing a
pleasing contrast to “Victory.”
Nan encored with “Echoes of the Snowball Club,” the first-ever
ragtime waltz (1898) by black Detroit composer Harry P. Guy, playing
the piece with grace and elegance. A late arrival, composer-pianist
Doug George made his first OCRS appearance with three parody songs:
“Hey Saddam Hussein-ey” (sung to tune of “Honolulu
Baby”); “I’m Doin’ What I’m Doin’
for Cash”; and “Got No Time” (by Gus Kahn).
Brett Torres encored with yet another original, which he jokingly
referred to as “Blues Improv. Number One,” and indeed,
the number was both bluesy and jazzy. Andrew Barrett encored with
one of James P. Johnson’s many great Stride pieces, “Mule
Walk,” and Bob Pinsker followed with “Harlem Strut,”
another great Johnson tune, making the piece’s triplets, intricate
fingerings and drop-bass appear easy. Bob then closed the afternoon
with the only Eubie Blake piece to be heard, the immortal “Charleston
Rag.”
While the afternoon brought too little of Blake, Johnson and Jordan,
the surplus of James Scott – a total of 14 Scott tunes, nearly
half of the composer’s entire ragtime output – was impressive,
and the entire afternoon a fitting display of versatility by the society’s
various pianists.