In This Issue

See continued on page 5

A

record number of student—sixty sev-

en in all—from all over California

jammed Trinity Cathedral in Sacramento

on November 7th for the Fifth Annual

West Coast Ragtime Society Youth Compet-

ition. Taking on the day like junior pros,

these talented youngsters from ages 8-17,

rocked the Cathedral with their joyful play-

ing and youthful exuberance.

Not only did the number of kids go

up significantly, but also the quality of the

playing hit new heights. And it is no won-

der that the playing level was so high, as a

total of 447 years of piano lessons went in-

to the making of this competition. Trans-

lated, that means thousands upon

thousands of hours of lessons from dedic-

ated piano teachers and parents who over-

see practice sessions. Is it worth the effort?

You betcha. Between 100-125 people were

present for the individual division sessions,

to revel in this jam-packed day of some very

exciting ragtime performances.

Out of the 67 students, 28 were re-

turnees from last year’s competition and

seven of those were honored for having

entered the competition for three or more

years. It’s gratifying to hear the growth in

their playing as these returning students

mature in their quest for musical excel-

lence.

To pull off a day like this, it takes

much effort from many people. We

couldn’t do this without all the help we get

from our wonderful SRS members. Lewis

Motisher works tirelessly all year on the

competition designing the flyer, and produ-

cing the wonderful Sampler CD that goes

out to all participants. Another person

who puts months and months of work into

the competition is Bev Eggers who handles

the large number of entry forms, and this

year also provided the lunch for the crew.

Bob Gonzales created the beautiful badges

and certificates for the finalists. Helen

by Chris Bradshaw, Competition Coordinator

by Merv Graham

T

he annual West Coast Ragtime Festiv-

al, which concluded just a short time

ago, was by all accounts another roaring

success. Due to the limited time we have

available, we won't be able to include any

detailed report on the festival at this time,

but the December issue will feature a full

fledged review. Suffice it to say, "It was

Great!!"

Sprinkled throughout this issue you

will find an assortment of festival pictures.

We welcome new SRS member

John Plut

Daly City CA

By Chris & Jack Bradshaw

A

n afternoon of Tom Foolery (actually Tom-less Foolery), SRS

never ceases to amaze in variety and style, even with many

off to Pismo Beach for a jazz festival. Halloween numbers, peppy

rags, and delightful period songs kept the room humming, toes

tapping and hearts a flutter. Based on a tip from Andrew Barrett,

Elliott was able to procure and perform what might be considered

the find of the year--the lively Bugatti Step by Jaroslav J , who is

considered the Czech Gershwin. Love was also in the air from Fe-

lix Arndt’s gift to his fiancee Nola to Chris Bradshaw’s

“something borrowed” corruption of Daisy Bell in honor of honey-

mooners, Steve and Mandi Johnson. Now, hit up the West Coast

Festival this coming month and we’ll see you all back at our

December 27th meeting.

THE PORCUPINE RAGTIME ENSEMBLE

Elliott Adams, piano; Petra Sullivan, violin; Bub Sullivan, man-

dolin, cümbüsh, *vocal; Robyn Drivon, tuba; Steve Drivon,

drums, #vocal

Shiftless Sam Carlotta Williamson, 1904

Tango Joe Jordan, 1913

*#The Japanese Sandman

Raymond B. Egan & Richard A. Whiting, 1920

*Rastus on Parade Frederick A. “Kerry” Mills, 1895

Merry Whirl (One Step) Julius Lenzberg, 1915

*You and the Moon and a Ragtime Tune Albert Von Tilzer, 1913

Chris and Jack Bradshaw, four-hand piano; Robyn Drivon, tuba;

Steve Drivon, drums; Petra Sullivan, violin; Bub Sullivan, man-

dolin

Ragged Jack Jack Bradshaw, 1909

RAGNOLIA RAGTETTE

Chris and Jack Bradshaw, four-hand piano; Robyn Drivon, tuba;

Steve Drivon, drums

Ballin’ the Jack Chris Smith & James Reese Europe, 1914

Rabbit’s Foot George L. Cobb, 1915

Nola Felix Arndt, 1915

Elliott Adams, piano

Hallowe’en (The Jack O’Lantern Rag)Arthur Manlowe (Abe Olman),

1911

Sunflower Tickle Dolly Richmond (Percy Wenrich), 1908

Bugatti Step Jaroslav J , 1931

Jack Bradshaw, piano

Mephistopheles’ Two Step (A Rag for Halloween) Galen Wilkes, 1980

Old Adam (Two Step) William Bolcom, 1969

Pegasus James Scott, 1920

Chris and Jack Bradshaw, four-hand piano; Petra Sullivan, violin;

Bub Sullivan, mandolin

Cakewalking Through Kansas Galen Wilkes, 1992

Coon Hollow Capers Frank R. Gillis, 1899

South Valley Rag Chris Bradshaw, 2003

Elliott Adams, piano; Petra Sullivan, violin; Bub Sullivan, man-

dolin

Black Beauty Ed Kuhn, 1904

Hunky Dory (Cakewalk) Abe Holzmann, 1900

Peaceful Henry E. Harry Kelly, 1901

Petra Sullivan, piano; Bub Sullivan, mandolin

Vals De Alejandra Enrique Mora, 1907

Cotton Babes Percy Wenrich, 1909

Pansy Blossoms Charles L. Johnson, 1909

Elliott Adams, piano; Jack Bradshaw, piano; Chris Bradshaw, vo-

cal; Bub Sullivan, vocal, mandolin; Petra Sullivan, violin; SRS

Chorus

Daisy Bell (for Steve and Mandi)

Harry Dacre, arr. Chris Bradshaw, 1902

Chris and Jack Bradshaw, four-hand piano

The Phantom Melody Bober, 1998

Cradle Rock Abe Frankl & Phil. Kornheiser, 1916

Champagne Rag Joseph Lamb, 1910

Kalimba Capers - A Ghostly Dance Chris Bradshaw, 2005

Elliott Adams, piano

Snowy Morning Blues James P. Johnson, 1927

Fig Leaf Rag Scott Joplin, 1908

In A Mist Leon “Bix” Beiderbecke, 1927

Jack Bradshaw, piano

Kentucky Gentleman Jack Rummel, 1996

From Lone Jack to Knob Noster (The Rolling Road to Ragtime)

Jack Rummel, 1993

Show-Me Rag (A Missouri Defiance) Trebor Tichenor, 1966

Steve Johnson, piano

Solace (A Mexican Serenade) Scott Joplin, 1909

Gladiolus Rag Scott Joplin, 1907

By Fred Hoeptner

B

y 1913 Victorian mores were begin-

ning to erode, a process that reached a

climax, or at least a plateau, with the roar-

ing twenties. The cakewalk was passé and

the animal dance craze had come into

vogue, commonly performed to ragtime

music. But still moralistic do-gooders dis-

paraged many of the dances.

An Associated Press dispatch dated

September 4, 1913, picked up by numerous

local newspapers, reported as follows:

“Of all the ‘speed’ dances which have

been noticed by the International Associ-

ation of Masters of Dancers [now in ses-

sion in Bridgeport, Connecticut] the

‘tango,’ the ‘Hesitation Waltz,’ the ‘Hitchy

Koo,’ and the ‘Peacock Glide’ are all right

if danced with decorum. . . P.H. Kelly, sec-

retary of the association, declared that the

‘Turkey Trot,’ the ‘Horse Trot’ and the

‘Grizzly Bear’ were vulgar.

‘We will never recognize them,’ he

said. ‘The dancing is from the hips up, in-

stead of from the hips down’ as is proper.

‘It is not so much what the Turkey Trotters

do with their feet. That does not count. It’s

the position which tends to vulgarity.’

“The association during its session

will unify the steps of the approved dances

in order to teach them correctly.”

Dancers, let this be fair warning!

By Jack Rummel

Sami CD 1010

Danza / Three Sisters / Pierette / A Rag-

time Oddity / Valse Miroir / Solace / Clair de

Lune.

K

eith Taylor has been a part of the rag-

time scene for decades, yet his record-

ings have been sporadic until the

twenty-first cen-

tury began when

they started to ap-

pear with some

regularity. His

latest may con-

tain a slender list

of titles but these

seven pieces add

up to almost 45

minutes of stellar

pianistics. How

he rationalizes in-

cluding these dis-

parate styles

under the umbrella of “ragtime” remains a

bit of a mystery, but that’s unimportant.

The varied music is beautiful and speaks

for itself.

Taylor opens with Danza by L.M. Gott-

schalk, its tango rhythms charged with emo-

tion. This leads to Three Sisters by Gil

Lieby, the only true rag and a light-hearted

one at that. Pierette by Hal Isbitz is rag-

based and lush, its meter teasing toward

Latin on occasion, whereas A Ragtime

Oddity by Lieby retains a solid 5/4 beat

throughout, which can mess with your

mind if you let it.

Valse Miroir by the French-Canadian

composer Jean-Baptiste Lafrenière begins

with an added introduction that piles fili-

gree upon filigree, but once Taylor begins

the waltz its beauty is brought forth. Scott

Joplin’s Solace, a tango residing in a four-

sectioned rag struc-

ture, is played with

grace and overt affec-

tion. Taylor ends

with Clair de Lune by

Claude Debussy, per-

haps the most over-

played classical piano

piece of the twentieth

century, yet its appeal

is enduring and his

performance is delic-

ate and reverent.

The overall

mood of the album is

that of looking back at a well-lived life;

thus, the pieces are not fast and flashy and

the dynamics seldom exceed a medium

forte. The piano is a good one and the

sound quality is intimate. The liner notes

are philosophical – befitting of a reminis-

cence – but generally uninformative. Keith

Taylor has been accused of some quirky mu-

sical side trips here and there, but this CD

is eminently satisfying, straight-forward

and thoroughly pianistic.

Available for $14.00 plus shipping

from http://cdbaby.com .

normally meets the last Sunday of the month. If you would like to

receive the monthly newsletter, the subscription rate is $16 per year.

The subscription year runs from August 1st to the following July

31st. Subscriptions beginning after August 1st may be pro-rated.

Payments should be made payable to Sacramento Ragtime Society.

Merv Graham, PO Box 2286, Grass Valley CA 95945

(530) 273-0487

mgraham@funkyfiddler.org

By Jack Rummel

Auburn Fruit & Nut Co. (No number)

King Chanticleer / Hindustan / Garden Walk

/ Lulu’s Back in Town* / Sugar Lump /

Moonlight on the Ganges / Memories of You /

Red Pepper / The Rag-Time Dance / Odeon /

Happy Feet / Russian Rag / Do You Know

What It Means to Miss New Orleans? / Tres

Moutarde / Apple Jack / California Here I

Come* / One More Hour / Redneck Rag.

(*Vocal)

T

he Raspberry Jam Band is a group

that got together to have fun with rag-

time and, by the sounds of this CD, they

are still reveling in it. The six-member en-

semble features the unorthodox combina-

tion of flute (and piccolo), violin, piano,

euphonium, tuba and washboard – hardly

your standard line-up, yet it works and the

excitement they feel among themselves is

easily discernable.

Julia Riley’s flute carries the melody

most often and it sings out over the piano

and the doubled low brass of George Pre-

ston and Mark Meeker. Tom Brier’s key-

board work is richly chorded and his solos

are always a high point . Kitty Wilson ’s

treble tinkling on the washboard, bells and

blocks seems to add just the right amount

of sparkle. Mary Preston’s violin, however,

seems a bit tentative and frequently

struggles to be heard. Augmenting the jovi-

al ambiance are the sounds of kazoos,

whistles, roosters and more, plus the vocals

of George Preston.

The playlist

spans 90 years

and is evenly bal-

anced between

rags and pop

tunes.

I especially

liked Eubie’s

Memories of

You, with its mel-

low euphonium

lead and, in this

case, strong viol-

in solo (why did

they have to double-time it at the end?);

Milton Agar’s Happy Feet, with its clever

washboard antics; and George Cobb’s Rus-

sian Rag, with its skilful blend of solos.

Do You Know What It Means to Miss New

Orleans features the mournful voices of

both euphonium and tuba, giving the

listener an opportunity to “feel” the range

and the timbre of each – a nice touch. Spe-

cial mention should also be made of

Randy Newman’s lovely waltz, One More

Hour, the performance of which could

have gone on a lot longer. By contrast, Bri-

an March’s Redneck Rag, which closes the

disc, is a hoedown free-for-

all that begs for a 5-string

banjo and some down-

home fiddlin’.

The CD features

strong, clever artwork and

very descriptive liner notes.

I certainly suspect that

these musicians all have

day jobs and play this mu-

sic for the love of it. The

Raspberry Jam Band calls

their brand of music “Rag-

time with whimsy,” and I

can’t think of a better description. They

must be a hoot to watch, and even if you

haven’t seen them in a live performance,

listening to this CD will still bring a smile

to your face.

Available for $18.00 postpaid

from Julia Riley,

189 Blackberry Court,

Auburn , CA 95603 .

Continued from page 1

Burns, Robyn Drivon, Bev Eggers, De-

borah Gale, Marilyn and Byron Hindman,

Hal Krueger, and Virginia Tichenor were

on hand all day to keep things running

smoothly. Virginia also provided some won-

derful ragtime music throughout the day.

Our hard working judges were Tom Brier,

Jack Bradshaw, and Petra Sullivan who had

the toughest job of all--making those

choices for the first, second and honorable

mention awards. A nod too to Jack

Bradshaw for his work on the

competition's database. This year the Sacra-

mento Bee sent a reporter. You can view a

short clip of the competition by clicking on

the “piano hands” at: http://videos.sac-

bee.com/vmix_hosted_apps/p/me-

dia?id=7175195&item_index=1&al

Next year’s competition will be held

on November 6th, 2010, at Trinity Cathed-

ral. We hope to see you there.

The 2009 competition finalists are:

Division 1 (ages 8-10)

First Ashley Kim

Missouri Rag (Martha Mier)

Second Melody Mei

Garden City Rag (Judy East Wells)

Honorable Mention Lilian Chen

Ragamuffin (Eugenie Rocherolle)

Honorable Mention Sean Mignosa

Dandelion Rag (Martha Mier)

Honorable Mention Sana Shrikant

Peppermint Rag (Martha Mier)

Honorable Mention Adeline Zhou

Persnickety Rag (Martha Mier)

Division 2A- Junior (ages 11-14)

First Augustine Nguyen

Tuxedo Jazz (Martha Mier)

First Namkha Nguyen

Steamboat Rag (Martha

Mier)

Second Victor Chen

Maple Leaf Rag (Scott Joplin/arr. A. Small)

Honorable Mention Mihir Sharma

Banjo Twang

(Charles Drumheller, arr. J. Schaum)

Honorable Mention Avinash Thangali

Triple-T Rag (Melody Bober)

Division 2B - Classic (ages 11-14)

First Jamison Sloan

Graceful Ghost (William Bolcom)

Second Alexander Fang

A Breeze from Alabama (Scott Joplin)

Second Ella Pearson

Weeping Willow (Scott Joplin)

Honorable Mention Katrina Hill

Eli Green’s Cakewalk (Sadie Koninsky)

Honorable Mention Shayon Konjkav

Smokey Mokes (Abraham Holzmann)

Honorable Mention Shivani Sharma

Chevy Chase (Eubie Blake)

Division 3 (ages 15-18)

First Linda Zhang

Peacherine Rag (Scott Joplin)

Second William Perkins

Texas Foxtrot (David Guion)

Honorable Mention Vincent Johnson

Sunshine From My Fingers (Zez Confrey)

Honorable Mention Wendy Sun

Weeping Willow (Scott Joplin)

Nov 25 Frederick Hodges

Dec 2 Benny Marcello, piano; Jim Lucas, Bass; Jack Scott,

drums; Geri Eckert, vocals.

Dec 9 Pat Blucher and her Jazzin' Gents

Dec 16 Ken Meyers, piano; Eddi Benjamini, bass;

Terry Carlisle, drums; Clint Ritchie, drums

Dec 23 Jim Maihack, piano and everything else except a flute;

"Sugar" Willie, piano and

bass horn; Bill Dendle, piano, banjo, trumpet

and drums. I have no idea what will happen.

Dec 30 Dr. Bach's Jazz Practitioners with Tom Brier on piano

For more information call 916-987-7434 or e-mail Bs25ss28@aol.com

Nov 24 Frederick Hodges

Dec 1 Marty Eggers

Dec 8 Virginia Tichenor

Dec 15 Crown Syncopators

Dec 22 Marty Eggers

Dec 29 Frederick Hodges

For more information call 415-362-5125

Sunday Brad Kay, The Unurban, 3301 West Pico Boulevard, Santa Monica, 2:00–4:00 P.M.

Sunday Devine's Jug Band, On the Corner Cafe, Divisadero & Oak, San Francisco, 2:00–4:00 P.M.

1st Sunday Friends of Scott Joplin—Ragtime Rendezvous, The Pub Above at Dressel's, 419 N Euclid St. St Louis, MO, 5:30–8:30 P.M.

1st Sunday Portland Ragtime Society, It's a Beautiful Pizza, 3342 SE Belmont St, Portland, OR, 2:00–6:00 P.M.

1st Sunday Classic Ragtime Society of Indiana, Even-numbered months (e.g. February, April, etc.) only. For more info contact

Josi Beeler 317-359-6452, josibee@sbcglobal.net or Irene Weinberg 317-578-7883, turtleindy@aol.com.

1st & 3rd Sunday—Sacramento Banjo Band, Straw Hat Pizza, 2929 Mather Field Rd, Rancho Cordova, 2:00–4:00 P.M.

2nd Sunday Mont Alto Ragtime & Tango Orchestra–Tea Dance, Temple Events Center Uptown, 16th & Pearl, Denver, CO,

Lessons 1:30–2:00 P.M. Dancing 2:00–5:00 P.M. Call 303-655-9413 or 303-449-5962 for more information.

Last Sunday Rose Leaf Ragtime Club, Aztec Hotel, 311 W. Foohill Blvd., Monrovia, 2:00–5:00 P.M.

Participating musicians free, $2 donation for others, 626-358-3231 or 818-766-2384

Tuesday Ragtime and Vintage Piano Music, Pier 23, San Francisco (See separate listing)

Tuesday East Bay Banjo Band, Round Table Pizza, 1938 Oak Park Blvd. Pleasant Hill, CA 7:30–8:30 P.M. 925-372-0553

Tuesday Victorian Dances, Lake Merritt Dance Center Lounge – Oakland Veterans Bldg. 200 Grand Ave, Oakland, 7:00 P.M.

Beginning & Intermediate classes and dance. $8, For more info: 530-759-9278 or www.vintagewaltz.com

Tuesday Piano Ragtime Cutting Contest, Frederick's Music Lounge, 4454 Chippewa, St. Louis, MO, 7:00–9:00 P.M.

Contestants appear on the Ragtime St. Louis TV show. For more information 314-968-2635 or ragtimefest@aol.com

Wednesday Ragtime & Vintage Music, Straw Hat Pizza, Rancho Cordova, (See separate listing)

Wednesday Craig Ventresco & Meredith Axelrod, Cafe Divine, 1600 Stockton St. (across from Washington Square) San Francisco,

7:30–9:30 P.M. 415-986-3414

Wednesday Peninsula Banjo Band, Cabritos Mexican Bistro, 1685 E El Camino Real, Sunnyvale, 7:00 p.m., Info: 408-993-2263

Wednesday Happy Time Banjos, Soprano's Pizza, 373 Main St., Redwood City, 7:00 P.M., Info: 408-253-3676

2nd Wednesday—Marty Eggers & Virginia Tichenor, Hot Ragtime & Classic Jazz Piano, The Belrose Theater, 1415 5th Ave. San Rafael

5:30–8:00 P.M. 415-454-6422 or 510-655-6728, Wine bar, beer & light food available. No cover charge.

Thursday Oakland Banjo Band, Porky's Pizza Palace, 1221 Manor Blvd. (corner of Farnsworth) San Leandro, 7:30–9:30 P.M. 510-357-4323

Sacramento Ragtime Society events are starred (*) and up to date information can always be obtained from the society's web site at

www.SacramentoRagtime.com.

Please let us know as soon as possible about upcoming ragtime or ragtime related events so we may list them.

24-29 AFCDJS 30

th

Annual Thanksgiving Dixieland Jazz Festival, Town & County Resort & Hotel, San Diego, CA

More info at: www.dixielandjazzfestival.org

29 No Sacramento Ragtime Society session this month.

27 Sacramento Ragtime Society, Red Lion Sacramento Inn, 1401 Arden Way, Sacramento, 1:00–4:00 P.M. 916-457-3324

8-10 11th Annual Ragtime festival Eau Claire, WI Featuring Anne and Jeff Barnhart and Carl Sonny Leyland, it also

features dozens of national and regional Ragtime performers like Steve Strandiford, Dave Tucker, Jim Radlof, John Partridge, Faye

Ballard, Bill Edwards, John Remmers, Adam Swanson, Morgan Siever, Wesley Reznicek, Larissa Migaychov, Monte Suffern, Bill

Brown, Galen Parker, Ruby Thomas, Sandy Williams, Dave Majchrzak .More info, and a brochure to register is at the website:

www.ecragtime.org

15-25 Tex Wyndham, JazzSea Cruises, Cruise to the Caribbean, contact: Carol Neumann 800-323-3881 or www.jazzsea.com

31 Sacramento Ragtime Society, Red Lion Sacramento Inn, 1401 Arden Way, Sacramento, 1:00–4:00 P.M. 916-457-3324

Page 8

c/o Merv GrahamPO Box 2286Grass Valley CA 95945

Mondays The Ragtime Machine, KUSF, 90.3 FM, San Francisco. 9:00 10:00 P.M. Host: David Reffkin, www.kusf.org

Sundays Syncopation Station, KDHX 88.1 FM, St. Louis, Missouri, 4:00 5:30 P.M. Host: Vann Ford, www.kdhx.org

Thursdays Ragtime America, KGNU, 88.5 FM, Boulder, Colorado, 8:00 9:00 P.M. Host: Jack Rummel. www.kgnu.org

Continuous Rocky Mountain Ragtime, Ragtime 24 hours a day, www.live365.com/stations/rmragtime

Friday Jerry Rothschild, Curley's Restaurant, corner Willow & Cherry, Signal Hill (So. Cal), 7:00–10:00 P.M. 562-424-0018

Friday Keith Taylor, Mad Matilda's, 1917 Main St, Baker City, Oregon. For information call 541-519-4072

Friday Friday Night Waltz, 1st United Methodist Church, 625 Hamilton St. (& Cowper), Palo Alto, Lessons: 7:00–9:00 P.M.,

Dancing 9:00 P.M. to Midnight. 650-326-6265, Check web site to confirm time and location, www.fridaynightwaltz.com

2nd Friday Chico's Ragtime/Tin Pan Alley Sessions, The Terraces, 2750 Sierra Sunrise Terrace, Chico, 6:30–8:30 P.M.

Contact: Bernie or Bob LoFaso 530-894-6854, b_lofaso@hotmail.com

4th Friday Vintage Dance & Waltz Lessons, Finnish Hall, 1970 Chestnut, Berkeley, $6 for dance; $8 lesson & dance

8:00 P.M. Lesson; 9:00 P.M. to midnight, Dance. For more info: 530-759-9278 or www.vintagewaltz.com

1st Saturday Bitterroot Valley Ragtime Society, Hamilton Public House, Victor, Montana, 4:00–6:00 P.M.

For more info call 406-961-3245 or visit www.bitterroot-ragtime.com

1st Saturday San Francisco Starlight Orchestra, [Feb, May, Aug & Nov only] Strawberry Recreation Center, 118 East Strawberry Drive,

Mill Valley, $20. 7:00–8:00 P.M. Complimentary Dance Lessons with Cynthia Glinka, 8:00–11:00 P.M.

General dancing; Soft drinks and desserts available or BYO spread.

Contacts: 707-973-6107, 415-485-5500 (Cynthia Glinka) or 415-285-8409 (Lucia & Duke Edwards).

1st Saturday San Francisco Banjo Band, Molloy's, 1655 Mission Road, Colma, 7:30 P.M. Info: 650-692-7878

2nd Saturday Valley Ragtime Stomp. Vitello's Restaurant 4349 Tujunga Ave. Studio City, CA , 1:00–4:00 P.M.

Info, videos, and sign-up for e-newsletter via: http://www.valleyragtimestomp.blogspot.com

3rd Saturday Mother Lode Ragtime Society, Sutter Creek Ice Cream Emporium, 51 Main St. (Hwy 49), Sutter Creek CA,

7:30–9:30 P.M. [Odd numbered months only] For more information call 209-267-0543 or sodajerk@volcano.net

3rd Saturday Cascade Ragtime Society–Ragtime Jam, Noah's Ark, Winston, Oregon [Even numbered months only] 541-784-1261