He has a long history in the field of ragtime performance. Dave is the director of the American Ragtime Ensemble. Our emcee, Dave Reffkin, took his turn at the mike, asked Dave Majrchzak, former Festival director and outstanding ragtime performer, to accompany him on piano, and picked up his violin. He’s most famous for his song, “Creole Bells.” But it does demonstrate that ragtime was alive and well in many places. Lampe doesn’t really fit the Cradle of Ragtime mold, since he was a Danish immigrant who settled in Minneapolis and later moved to Buffalo. Bodewalt Lampe‘s, Watermelon Club, and Charles L Johnson’s Cum-Bac Rag. Continuing the “Cradle of Ragtime” theme, Tolentino entertained us with Scott Joplin’s Palm Leaf Rag, J. … A true instrumentalist, he plays accordion, clarinet, saxophone, tuba, banjo, and piano.” He has lots of other skills and experience, too, but we only heard him play the accordion. Rags, marches, fox trots, waltzes, one-steps, oriental fox trots, even polkas. The program blurb says that this young man’s “main focus is on American popular song, 1895-1935. Next we saw Matt Tolentino, accordian player. The disease finally took him on January 23, 1906, just 13 weeks after his marriage and a little short of his thirtieth birthday.
However, it was around this same that the tuberculosis that was starting to ravage his worn body was discovered. Trying to pull himself out of this destructive low point, Hunter managed to see the error of his ways and attempted to return to a healthier mode of living. As with many other performers who lived and played hard, the alcohol and carnal activity took a toll on his body.
2018 santa cruz ragtime festival full#
Hunter evidently found himself welcomed in many places, and took full advantage of the hospitality, often to the detriment of his job, although there is no mention of him ever playing in “colored bars” such as Turpin’s Rosebud. According to Bill Edwards extensive article on Hunter: Louis in early 1903 while still in his mid-twenties. Born in Columbia, Tennessee in 1876, he was almost blind, but had lots of talent and found his way into the ragtime entertainment circuit quite early. Charles Hunter had a similar dramatic but short existence and exit. Both of these young courtesans die young of consumption but go out singing in fine voice. Jeff can put up a spectacular performance, and is a regular at ragtime festivals, but here he was just helping to forward the main program and giving us a listen back.Ĭharles Hunter is kind of the male version of Mimi in La Bohème or Violetta in La Traviata. Jeff Barnhart treated us to not one, but three rags by Charles Hunter, who is a sad story of early ragtime which has been told many times. I also got a video of The Rhythmia at a later concert. Johnson’s “Fun on the Levee” and Maude Gilmore’s Slivers/Splinters. The other two Kansas City rags they played were Charles L. One of the rags they played that night they also performed in the very first ragtime festival in 1974, Edward Harry Kelly’s Georgia Echoes. The Rhythmia is keeping this ragtime string band tradition alive.” They are based in Kansas City, and they are keeping alive ragtime that was written in Kansas City. Their program notes says it well: “While considered primarily as piano solo music today, ragtime was often played during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries by string bands consisting of violins, guitars, banjos and mandolins. The Rhythmia consists of Pat Ireland on violin and Kevin Sanders on guitar. There’s sure to be a wonderful mix of classic and folk ragtime to please even the most ardent fan of America’s greatest music.įeaturing David Reffkin as emcee, Jeff Barnhart, Marty Eggers, The Rhythmia, Virginia Tichenor, Mat Tolentinoĭave Reffkin, himself a long term participant in the festival, introduced the first act. This unique concert celebrates the melodious compositions of the Missouri Valley, lovingly referred to as the “Cradle of Ragtime.” You might hear rags by James Scott, Brun Campbell, Charles Johnson, or John William “Blind” Boone, to name a few. A good place to start is to elaborate on the program blurb:
2018 santa cruz ragtime festival series#
(This is in a series of posts about my trip to Sedalia, Missouri May 31-June 2, 2018)Īs I said before, here I am at seat G10 in the Liberty Arts Concert Hall, full of anticipation for my first concert at the 2018 Scott Joplin International Ragtime Festival in Sedalia, Missouri.
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