JULY, 1999
NUMBER 40
Rose Leaf Ragtime Club June Meeting (6/27/1999)
At the June meeting, ten pianists and a barbershop quartet entertained a full house of delighted fans. Host P.J. Schmidt opened with Joplin's "Rose Leaf Rag," then turned the piano over to Bill Mitchell, who responded with Joplin's "Maple Leaf Rag" and continued with J. Bodewalt Lampe's "Creole Belles," Ferdinand Morton's "Frog-i-more Rag," and the Joplin/ Chauvin collaboration, "Heliotrope Bouquet."
Next up Gary Rametta started out with a couple of Joplin/Hayden collaborations, "Something Doing," (published when Hayden was 19), and "Sunflower Slow Drag" (published when he was 21). Gary finished with two Joplin compositions, "Peacherine Rag" and the lovely "Bink's Waltz."
Susan Erb celebrated "The Fourth" with "Anchors Aweigh" and followed with Joplin's ragtime waltz, "Pleasant Moments." George McClellan played his own composition, "Khartoum," then provided a change of pace with the songs, "Georgia," and "Just a Shanty in Old Shantytown."
Ron Ross came up next with a trio of numbers: his own "Retro Rag," then Jean Schwartz's 1918 song, "On the Level, You're a Little Devil," and finally his lovely habanera, "Mirella," named for a friend's new baby. Jim Lutz, a newcomer to the club, came up next to play three Joplin compositions: "The Strenuous Life," "Cleopha," and "Combination March." Then P.J. closed off the first half with James Scott's "Suffragette Waltz" and "Victory Rag."
Ian Wallace began the second half with Joplin's "Paragon Rag" and two contemporary works: David Thomas Roberts' "Roberto Clemente" and Glen Jenks' "Harbor Rag."
Then our featured performers of the night, the Chairmen of the Chord, a barbershop quartet sang "California, Here I Come," "How Can I Miss You if You Won't Go Away?" and "To-Rah-Loo-Rah-Loo-Ral (It's an Irish Lullaby)." They finished with "The Star Spangled Banner, to much applause.
Fred Hoeptner played the beautiful Max Morath rag, "One for Amelia." Brad Kay's set began with an improvised blues on both of our pianos, which he whimsically called "The Green Piano/Brown Piano Blues." He followed with Joplin's "The Ragtime Dance," and finished with the Fats Waller tune, "Squeeze Me." The exclamation point at the end of the meeting was played by Susan Erb - John Philip Sousa's "Washington Post March."
And so we marched gaily away into the night. If you weren't there, you should have been there. See you next time?
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