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Click below to access my NEW! MIDIs.
 Ain't Misbehavin' (Fats Waller/Andy Razaf/Harry Brooks)
Here's a very playful (not to mention incredibly acrobatic) Art Tatum interpreting another genius of the ivories, Fats Waller.
Caprice Rag (James P. Johnson)
Johnson cut a piano roll for this jaunty rag in 1917. Two piano roll versions played by Johnson can be heard on a Biograph CD (BCD 150). Although very much a rag, you can hear a suggestion of the stride style that James P. was to make famous.
Castle House Rag (James Reese Europe).
This rag (subtitled a fox-trot) was written by Europe for the then-popular dance team of Vernon and Irene Castle, whose image appears on the cover of the sheet music. The C-strain is a very captivating stop-time.
Chicago Rapid Transit (George McClellan).
This composition is dedicated to the memory of John Roache by San Gabriel, California, composer George McClellan. George wrote in the sheet-music folio: "I thought that John Roache would have liked this one and so, with [his wife] Judy's permission, I dedicate 'Chicago Rapid Transit' to his memory." You can contact George McClellan at oldgeorge1@earthlink.net if you'd like to purchase a printed copy of the music. I strayed a bit from the written music in this arrangement.
Collins Street Rag (Paul Copeland).
This rag by Australian Paul Copeland has a bright, bouncy feel to it. Paul composes out well-structured, well-balanced and well-written rags. He promises to write more. Be sure to visit his very interesting and informative web site at http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/1153.
Flinders Street Station Rag (Paul Copeland).
Paul describes the source of this rag: "Flinders Street Railway Station is at the very centre of the Melbourne City shopping centre. From the station you can see just opposite St. Paul's Cathedral (Anglican Church) and opposite that Young and Jackson's' Hotel, a famous hotel in the area. Just down from the station is Crown Casino as well as the Concert Hall. All are within short walking distance of each other. From Flinders Street Station it is possible to take a train to just about anywhere in Victoria, sometimes by linking to other trains at other stations." Be sure to visit Paul's very interesting and informative web site at http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/1153.
Daintiness Rag (James P. Johnson).
This rag, which James P. wrote around 1914 and cut into a piano roll in 1917, features rolling tenths in the bass, a hint of the stride piano that was to come.
Dictys On 7th Avenue (Eubie Blake).
Terry Waldo, in "This Is Ragtime," writes: "[Eubie was] breezing through a course in the Shillinger system of music (a four-year program that he completed in two years) [and] composed 'Dictys On Seventh Avenue' as a demonstration of his understanding of modern musical principles." Eubie subtitled the piece "A Modern Rag."
Frog Dance (George McClellan)
My good friend, George McClellan (oldgeorge1@earthlink.net) wrote this jaunty little number. George continues to turn out some excellent stuff, with particular emphasis on keeping the novelty genre alive and well. For another example of George's outstanding talent, listen to his "Tin Lizzy."
Harlem Strut (James P. Johnson)
This piece was originally transcribed and sequenced by Bob Pinsker from the 1921 QRS piano roll. He was kind enough to have passed his MIDI sequence on to me for further editing. Bob wrote to me: " . . . it may interest you to know a little more about how I did this transcription. I can do transcriptions from recordings, but not really to my satisfaction Ñ I'm always worried that I haven't got the chord inversions right, especially the offbeats in the left hand, and whether the guy played an octave or a single note is often hard to pick up. This MIDI was made from a transcription of the piano roll, which I did by hand -- I didn't have access to a player piano (still don't) at the time, circa 1976 -- and I'd never even heard the piece in this case -- so I measured the holes in the roll with a special ruler I'd made. Took forever -- about 2 weeks of work for a single roll."
Hungarian Rag (Julius Lenzberg)
A take-off on Franz Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, this 1913 composition reflects the raggin'-the-classics fad that occurred during the Golden Age.
Introspection Rag (David Beattie).
David is an Australian who more than dabbles in composing rags -- he succeeds very well in writing intelligent and enjoyable music. David can be reached via e-mail at dandlbt@aol.com.
Jungle Drums (James P. Johnson).
The probable source of this driving rhythmic piece is "Rhythm Drums (Drums -- African Themes and Rhythms Arranged For Orchestra)," one of Johnson's "serious" compositions. According to Riccardo Scivales, "it was structured in three movements, with some passages in four-part counterpoint, and was scored for English horns, oboes, bassoons, four horns, flutes trombones, trumpets and many other instruments." A piece similar in texture, called "Drums," can be found on the CD "Victory Stride: The Symphonic Music of James P. Johnson (MusicMasters Classics 01612-67140-2).
Junk Man Rag (C. Luckeyth "Luckey" Roberts)
A 1913 rag that carries a broad smile. It's been described as "sunshine bright" (Jasen and Jones in "That American Rag") and a "joyous romp" (Jasen and Tichenor in "Rags and Ragtime").
I've Got A Feeling I'm Falling (Fats Waller)
A still popular song, the words and music were written by Fats in collaberation with Harry Link and Billy Rose.
Jingle Bells (J.S. Pierpont; Arr. Dick Wellstood.
Gimme a break! Who other than Wellstood could have taken a jaunty Christmas classic and made it even classier. Wellstood is stride.
Luna Park Rag (Paul Copeland).
Paul Copeland, an Australian, sent me the raw MIDI file of this rag and asked me what I thought. I liked it instantly and went on to shape it. Paul is an accomplished musician who dabbles in everything from Bach to Joplin to experimental electronic music. "Luna Park Rag" is very Joplinesque; indeed, Paul followed the chord progressions of one of Joplin's rags to produce this one. Visit his very interesting and informative web site at http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/1153.
Manly Ferry Rag (Paul Copeland).
Manly Ferry leaves from Circular Quay (which is just next door to the famous Sydney Opera House) in Sydney and travels to Manly across the Sydney Harbour. Although there are many ferry rides from Circular Quay, the Manly ferry ride is one of the longest trips. The ferry travels very close to the Heads -- and the trip at this time can get quite rough. Manly is a favourite spot for tourists, boasting a great surf beach. Most of the ferries that leave Circular Quay have recently been updgraded. The rag itself is programatic. Section A says "All Aboard." Section B represents the ferry leaving the jetty on calm waters. In Section C the passengers are enjoying the scenery -- especially the yachts. Finally, in Section D there is rough weather and a big ocean swell at the Heads (represented by the melodic line that runs up and down the keyboard). Visit his very interesting and informative web site at http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/1153.
Modernistic (James P. Johnson)
A wonderfully lilting piece published in 1930. Its full title is "You've Got To Be Modernistic." The composition features interesting chromatic runs and an outstanding trio section.
Myer Music Bowl Rag (Paul Copeland).
Myer Music Bowl is one of Australia's cultural landmarks. This rag is structured as INTRO AA BB CC AA. Section A is fairly classic in nature. At the 20th bar (repeat bar) there is a pause with the right hand coming in on the fourth beat (two sixteenth notes). An ear-catching fermata is used. Section B is almost a study in ascending scales. The scales have a few "blue" notes that may be unexpected. Section C has an interesting bar where there are eighth-note triplets played with the eighth notes in the left hand. Section A finished the piece Visit Paul's very interesting and informative web site at http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/1153.
Nobody But My Baby (Clarence Williams/Andy Razaf; arr. Fats Waller)
Talk about a trio of geniuses! Williams, Razaf and Waller . . . can't get any better than that. Fats arranged this tune in his inimitable stride fashion. He cut it as a QRS piano roll (3997) in August 1927. You can hear the original versin on a Biograph CD (BCD 104). I was overwhelmed by Fats' use of the left hand as a melodic tool. This is good music!
Numb Fumblin' (Fats Waller)
A bluesy Waller composition. Listen for the exquisite extended "floating" right hand in the final chorus.
Oxley College Rag (Paul Copeland).
This is a ragtime tribute to the school at which Paul teaches, and a successful experiment in "improvisational ragtime" of sorts. Listen for familiar Joplinesque chordal structures and bass lines and hear Paul's novel approach to paying homage to the master. Also, visit his very interesting and informative web site at http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/1153.
Poor Jimmy Green (Eubie Blake.
Here's a good example of the "transitional" style of Eubie Blake. It's ragtime, yet it's not quite ragtime (to wit, unlike the overwhelming majority of rags, the whole piece is written in one key, uses tenths in the left hand and has arpeggiated bass lines). Blake was known for this type of music, which also very often incorporated a large number of "trick." Listen to his "Charleston Rag" for examples of these tricks.
Puffing Billy Rag (Paul Copeland).
Paul Copeland describes this rag: "Puffing Billy is a Victorian icon in the form of a very old steam train that runs weekly in the Dandenongs (mountains about 30 miles from the main city), about 10 miles from where we live.
"There is a 'Puffing Billy' restoration society, and each year there is a foot race for people to see if they can outrun 'Puffing Billy' -- they can't, but some get close.
"The 'Puffing Billy' excursion is a two-way trip through the Dandenongs. It is a lot of fun poking your head out of the carriages as the train goes clickety-clack. We have been on the trip a couple of times.
"I would like to say that my rag is the first 'Puffing Billy' rag, but -- to quote Winston Churchill -- that would be a terminological inexactitude. Some years back I typeset a 'Puffing Billy' rag for an Australian composer, so mine is probably the second.
"The sections have the following annotations:
"Section A: Easy going
"Section B: Off the Tracks
"Section A1: Safe again
"Section D: Admiring the scenery
"Section E: Homeward-bound after a very enjoyable day. (A very confident and exhilarating melody).
"The left hand in this section is harmonically correct, but the right hand is very discordant as the train runs off the lines and the driver tries to get the train back online.
"The last two chords are very discordant and unexpected (Copeland style here). Instead of the dominant tonic progression, I have used a major dominant seventh with an augmented fifth, followed by a tonic major seventh with an augmented fifth. The harmony is unresolved! (Perhaps this is the sound of 'Puffing Billy' breathing a sigh of relief at getting back to the station safely).
"Incidentally, the four-bar introduction is supposed to be the 'Puffing Billy' starting off. The harmonies here are definitely 'Copelandesque' with a minor triad simultaneously being played with a major triad, suitably voiced so as not to be too discordant."
Visit Paul's web site at http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/1153.
Radical Rag For Irwin (Paul Copeland).
I'm deeply honored that Paul chose to dedicate one of his rags to me. This rag veers . . . well . . . radically from the straight and narrow. Paul explains: "'Radical Rag For Irwin' is quite classic in structure INTRO AA B A1 CC INTRO D. (The intro going to D and not the A1 repeat is perhaps a little unusual). It is also reasonably classic in rhythm -- (the right hand). But that is where the similarities end!
"The left hand is very adventurous harmonically and moves around a lot, seemingly taking harmonic liberties at will! The right hand most of the time is doing it's own thing, with almost total disregard for the underlying harmony. The right hand in parts sounds almost improvisatory because of the unusual harmonies. In the last section [D] there are triplet figures, almost as if the pianist has made a mistake and is trying to get to the right note in time. However, to give the sections a sense of tonality and cohesion, for a couple of bars in each section I force the hands together harmonically at times in a purely classic outburst. Although these few bars are harmonically 'correct,' because they contrast so much with the discordant nature of the adjacent bars, the concordance is not that noticeable. The left hand rhythms get quite syncopated at times [16th 8th 16th 16th 8th 16th]. The key changes are C/D/C/E/C. Although these are the underlying keys that the sections are written in (as can be seen by the left hand harmonies) the right hand is very chromatic and often the chromaticisms are not 'resolved'.
"In the B section The right hand anticipates the left hand harmony but instead of anticipating it on the fourth 16th of a beat with a tie to the next downbeat, the right hand anticipates the harmonic change much earlier and on the beat, leaving the ear somewhat perplexed as to the tonality since a tension is created that isn't resolved for a whole bar."
Visit Paul's very interesting and informative web site at http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/1153.
A Real High-Class Rag (George McClellan)
Written by San Gabriel, California, composer George McClellan, I think this sequence is John Roache's last MIDI arrangement.
Rippling Waters (Willie "The Lion" Smith).
Written in "The Lion's" lyrical stride style. A recording of Smith playing this piece can be heard on the CD "The Lion And The Lamb" (Topaz TPZ 1057). My MIDI derives from the sheet music, while the version on the CD features wonderful improvization by Smith.
Russian Fantasy (Fats Waller)
A major league tour de force. Waller's understanding of the musical subtlties of other cultures, coupled to his absolute mastery of stride piano, resulted in a meisterwerk that is not so well known.
St. Kilda Beach Rag (Paul Copeland).
St. Kilda Beach is an Australian playground that features rides, eats and the Scenic Railway. Paul used to go there as a kid to escape the insurmountable issues facing youngsters, such as school, household chores and shopping for clothes. Listen to the last strain and consider whether you can duplicate the perpetual-motion octave figures. Also, visit Paul's very interesting and informative web site at http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/1153.
Sydney Opera House Rag (Paul Copeland).
Paul explains: "The Sydney Opera House is in the main harbour of Sydney, Australia, just before the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Many concerts are held there each year and you can't miss seeing the building if you cross the bridge or if you take a ferry ride. This is a very 'classical' rag. Of structural interest are the A, C and D sections, in which a type of 'leit-motif' is used in the form of two chords. In section A, the two-chord motif is an eighth note followed by a tied eighth note and then a flourish. In section C, the two-chord motif is an eighth note followed by a dotted quarter note and then a flourish. In section D, the two-chord motif is a quarter note followed by an eighth note All the above two-note motifs are chords moving upward. An interesting structure has emerged, I think. For the sake of contrast, section B is very different from the other sections." Visit Paul's very interesting and informative web site at http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/1153.
Tickle The Ivories (Wallie Herzer)
This rag, published in 1913, sounds Lisztian -- like a Hungarian Rhapsody -- the result of the fad of ragging the classics. Jerome H. Remick, who published this rag, also published Julius Lenzberg's "Hungarian Rag." Very popular, each of these rags sold over a million copies.
When You And I Were Young, Maggie (James Austin Butterfield; Fats Waller, arranger)
Here's a wonderful, albeit short, rendition of the popular 1866 song in the inimitable stride style of Fats Waller.
Wild Cat Blues (Fats Waller/Clarence Williams).
This collaberation between Waller and Williams was published by Williams in 1923. The only recording of it I've heard is that by John Gill on his CD, "All By Myself" (PianoMania CD-110). The liner notes categorize the piece as "hot stride." Yes, indeed.
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