Customer Reviews (2)

A stupendous history of a vast topic-with one curious lack
I do not believe you can find a more complete book on the subject of American ragtime than by David A. Jasen and Gene Jones (Schirmer Books, 2000). It tells in some 307 pages of text andanother 100 or so of lists and charts "the Story of Ragtime from Coastto Coast" in great detail, far too great for quick reading. Indeed, Iam going to use this tome as a reference book in the future as a source ofinformation for my articles and talks, with due acknowledgment ofcourse.

Starting with the seeding and growth of rag in the fertile soilof Missouri, this book traces the development of the form through thesections of our country, ending up with New York City. The material isfurther organized by composer and publishing house, so it is easy to locateany particular composer by using the table of contents rather than theindex. But again, I suggest you assimilate all this in small doses.

While I am giving this wonderful history a top rating, I must voice apersonal observation concerning what I think is a curious omission. Thereis much mention about this and that rag being a masterpiece or at leastimmensely popular or pioneering; but I fail to locate a single explanationof WHY the music was so important or different. Perhaps the authorspreferred to avoid musicology, but I still consider this a real lack in anotherwise excellent work.

A "must read" for all ragtime music fans and scholars.
This story of ragtime explores the evolution of the ragtime style of music, from its Scott Joplin roots to the launching of a ragtime era in the country. Unlike competing titles, That American Rag provides a geographicfocus on the topic which reveals the evolution of ragtime in differentparts of the country, making for an involving focus on regional influenceson the overall style. ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document is an article from Notes, published by Music Library Association, Inc. on December 1, 1997. The length of the article is 2406 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

From the supplier: Robert Winter's 'Crazy for Ragtime' is an interactive CD-ROM software featuring the voices of soloist Dale Frenzen and Nmon Ford-Livene, produced by Calliope Media. The software, available at $49.95, requires a 68040 processor, 8 MB RAM with a 256-color 640x480 display and 2x CD-ROM drive system for a Macintosh computer. When played on a Power PC it needs 10 MB RAM, whereas for Windows 3.1, it requires 486/666 MHz, 16 MB RAM with a 265-color 640x480 Super VGA display and 2x CD-ROM drive. 'Crazy for Ragtime' is entertaining as well as informative music software.

Citation Details
Title: Crazy for Ragtime. (Software Review)(Evaluation)
Author: Victor Cardell
Publication: Notes (Refereed)
Date: December 1, 1997
Publisher: Music Library Association, Inc.
Volume: v54Issue: n2Page: p533(4)

Article Type: Evaluation, Product/Service Evaluation

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

This is Ragtime
This is Ragtime by Terry Waldo is an extremely well researched book on the history of ragtime and early blues.As a protege' of Eubie Blake, Mr. Waldo provides an inside view into this genre from the turn of the century through the 1970s.Engaging and witty, this history lesson takes the reader on a journey from ragtimes roots, through the baudy houses in which the music was once associated, to its acceptance in popular culture.Mr. Waldo is a very talented performer and songwriter in his own right.His anecdotes and interviews with fellow blues and ragtime performers make this book a highly entertaining and educational read. ... Read more

Product Description
96 pp. Subtitle: Easy to read, easy to play ragtime through jazztime. ... Read more

Book Description
In 1919, the world stood at the threshold of the Jazz Age. The man who had ushered it there, however, lay murdered--and would soon plunge from international fame to historical obscurity.It was a fate few would have predicted for James Reese Europe; he was then at the pinnacle of his career as a composer, conductor, and organizer in the black community, with the promise of even greater heights to come."People don't realize yet today what we lost when we lost Jim Europe," said pianist Eubie Blake. "He was the savior of Negro musicians...in a class with Booker T. Washington and Martin Luther King." In A Life in Ragtime, Reid Badger brilliantly captures the fascinating life of James Reese Europe, tracing a critical chapter in the emergence of jazz through one man's remarkable odyssey. After an early start in Washington, Europe found his fame in New York, the entertainment capital of turn-of-the-century America.In the decade before the First World War, he emerged as an acknowledged leader in African-American musical theater, both as a conductor and an astonishingly prolific composer. Badger reveals a man of tremendous depths and ambitions, constantly aspiring to win recognition for black musicians and wider acceptance for their music.He toiled constantly, working on benefit concerts, joining hands with W.E.B. Du Bois, and helping to found a black music school--all the while winning commercial and critical success with his chosen art.In 1910, he helped create the Clef Club, making it the premiere African-American musical organization in the country during his presidency.Every year from 1912 to 1914, Europe led the Clef Club orchestra in triumphant concerts at Carnegie Hall, winning new respectability and popularity for ragtime.He went on to a tremendously successful collaboration with Vernon and Irene Castle, the international stars who made social dancing a world-wide rage.Along the way, Europe helped to revolutionize American music--and Badger provides fascinating details of his innovations and wide influence. In World War I, the musical pioneer won new fame as the first African-American officer to lead men into combat in that conflict--but he was best known as band leader for the all-black 15th Infantry Regiment. As the "Hellfighters" of the 15th racked up successes on the battlefield, Europe's band took France by storm with the new sounds of jazz. In 1919, the soldiers returned to New York in triumph, and Europe was the toast of the city.Then, just a few months later, he was dead--stabbed to death by a drummer in his own orchestra. From humble beginnings to tragic end, the story of Jim Europe comes alive in Reid Badger's account.Weaving in the wider story of our changing culture, music, and racial conflict, Badger deftly captures the turbulent, promising age of ragtime, and the drama of a triumphant life cut short. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Jim Europe, The Founder of the International Jazz Movement
In a true sense of the word pioneer James Reese Europe, brought the only true American Art form tocontinental europe in the early part of the twentieth century. Reid Badger has captured the essence of a time inhistory that brought jazz and the cultural attitudes of black America tothe international scene.

The very detailed text is a wonderful read, thatgives you a sense of the push and pull of being an American Black living inthe early 1900's. The book reads as if it were an adventure tale with allthe action one could wish for.

The author has done a wonderful job ofputting together facts and photos in a fast moving easy to understandacademic work. His understanding of the contribution that Europe made tothe growth of Jazz is clear and compeling. The details of the stature ofthe man that was Jim Europe reveals his human and sometimes non perfectpersonality.

Of particular interest to all should be his tenure as theBand Master of the famous 369th Infantry "Hell-Fighters" bandduring WWI in Europe.

This a must read for any student of jazz ormilitary history and all who read about contributions to African-Americansociety. ... Read more

Book Description
Picnickers will enjoy these easy-to-prepare recipes from the grand summer music festivals of the United States and Canada. The recipes are created by the inns, restaurants, and caterers who make delicious portable meals for festival crowds. The musical recording of a dozen ragtime classics is performed by the Pickles and Peaches Ragtime Orchestra. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great easy one page recipes that can be made in advance.
This is a wonderful cookbook with easy one page recipes that can be made in advance.The foods are served at room temperature so there is no cooking at the last minute.This cookbook is not only handy for picnics but also for luncheons or any time you want to prepare delicious and easy recipes ahead of time.And as an added bonus a CD or cassette is included which plays classic ragtime music. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a book of sheet music. It measures 12"x 9". Songs include:Basin street blues, barnyard blues, chimes blues, chinese blues, dallas blues, doctor jazz, hesitation blues, livery stable blues, slippery elm, spread yo' stuff, stavin' change, tia juana, tin roof blues, whoop 'em up blues, willie the weeper. ... Read more

Product Description
This 8.75" X 12" SOFTCOVER Piano Music Book contains the music for 9 songs. Copyright 1950 by Melrose Music Corp. The songs are:Maple Leaf Rag,The Cascades,Cataract,Chromatic Rag,Frog Legs Rag,Climax Rag,Grace & Beauty,Excelsior Rag & Hilarity Rag. ... Read more

Product Description
This is the complete piano solo. ... Read more

Product Description
Including: PAL LEAF RAG, CASCADES, ELITE SYNCOPATIONS, SYCAMORE RAG, CLEOPHA, STRENUOUS LIFE, ORIGINAL RAGS. ... Read more

Product Description
THERE IS NO PUBLICATION DATE OR COPYRIGHT DATE SHOWN ON SHEET MUSIC -- BASED ON CONDITION AND FROM AND OTHER MUSIC ACQUIRED AT THE SAME TIME SELLER GUESSTIMATES 1800'S TO EARLY 1900'S -- BANJOS -- TREBLE ONLY -- ... Read more

Product Description
All Time Greats Including Scott Joplin ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

A beautiful depiction of an amazing man!
This is a non-fiction book you can actually read!It's funny, truthful, revealing, exciting and fun.Max approaches this book the way he approaches his music--with vigor and enthusiasm.The pictures have depth--you get to know Max through the photography.Would highly recommend it!

The Real Show Business
In all of the mass of literature about American entertainment, there are only a few books that give you an accurate idea of what show business is really like -- ACT ONE, by Moss Hart, THE TROUBLE WITH CINDERELLA, by ArtieShaw, ALL OF MY BEST FRIENDS, by George Burns, and the occasional passagein a star's autobiography (Sophie Tucker, Billy Rose, LittleRichard).

Now, THE ROAD TO RAGTIME has joined that select company. Thanks to Max Morath and Diane Fay Skomars, we have a document that showswhat real American show business is like in the late 20th Century trenches-- the one-man show, the community concerts circuit, the roadhouses andhonky-tonks, radio, television, and anywhere else there's an audience readyto be entertained.

Max Morath is one of America's greatest entertainers. He's one of those magical peformers who's able to get the audience in thepalm of his hand the moment he takes the stage.What's extraordinary isthat he's been able to be so successful without ever compromising theintegrity of his music.

He's a national treasure -- and this terrificbook helps us unlock it.

-- Murray HorwitzNational Public Radio

A handsome book, a thick slice of Americana in photos & text
Max Morath and Diane Skomars have created a handsome book celebrating Max's career as a channeler of American popular culture.Max loves the American present as much as he loves its past. He's been stirring themelting pot for fifty years now, mixing musical styles, fact, fiction,humor, and social observation.This book is much like a Morathconcert--that is, it is sweet, funny, and wise.Skomars' photographsgorgeously depict the world of "Present Max"--a world of fastfood, lookalike motels, freeway signs--as he travels to take "PastMax" to audiences everywhere. A beautiful evocation of Max at work andon his way to work.

Invaluable portrait of a wonderful performer and his world.
Only Max Morath and his wife, photographer Diane Skomars, could have created this book. It's a beautifully designed time capsule, a portrait ofa showman who, though he plays music from the turn of the century, is verymuch a man of the present. The iconography of the freeway -- lurid hotel,restaurant, and gas station signs -- is part of this story, as well asMax's pithy words on chocolate malts, where to sit on an airplane (on theaisle toward the front), and a thoughtful final essay called "ThinkingAbout the Music" wherein Max tells us exactly where American popularmusic came from.

Invaluable portrait of a wonderful performer and his world.
Only Max Morath and his wife, photographer Diane Skomars, could have created this book. It's a beautifully designed time capsule, a portrait ofa showman who, though he plays music from the turn of the century, is verymuch a man of the present. The iconography of the freeway -- lurid hotel,restaurant, and gas station signs -- is part of this story, as well asMax's pithy words on chocolate malts, where to sit on an airplane (on theaisle toward the front), and a thoughtful final essay called "ThinkingAbout the Music" wherein Max tells us exactly where American popularmusic came from. ... Read more

Book Description

Ragtime: An Encyclopedia, Discography, and Sheetography is the definitive reference work for this important popular form of music that flourished from the 1890s through the 1920s, and was one of the key predecessors of jazz. It collects for the first time entries on all the important composers and performers, and descriptions of their works; a complete listing of all known published ragtime compositions, even those self-published and known only in single copies; and a complete discography from the cylinder era to today. It also represents the culmination of a lifetimes research for its author, considered to be the foremost scholar of ragtime and early 20^th century popular music. Rare photographs accompany most entries, taken from the original sheets, newspapers, and other archival sources.

Customer Reviews (1)

Jasen's Ragtime Encyclopedia: Essential Reference For The Historian and Collector
What is Ragtime? David A. Jasen gives the definitive musical definition as well as the history of Ragtime from it's beginning to the present day in his latest book "Ragtime An Encyclopedia, Discography, and Sheetography" published by Routledge. It's 550 pages, hardcover, 8 ½" X 11".

Jasen describes in detail the categories of Ragtime. From the Early Folk Rags, The Joplin Tradition or Classic Ragtime, Popular Ragtime, Advanced Ragtime, Novelty Ragtime, Stride Ragtime, and Jelly Roll Morton's Ragtime. Ragtime's original heyday as well as its Revivals are covered up to the present day.

The book is divided into 4 primary sections. The first section contains the Encyclopedia entries. You can look up Composer, Performer, and Publisher Profiles, Ragtime Compositions with musical descriptions and other interesting related facts. There are over 100 images of rare photos and artifacts from the Ragtime era. Including a signed contract between Scott Joplin and his publisher John Stark for his landmark composition "The Maple Leaf Rag". There are images of Sheet Music, Record and Piano Roll Labels, Period Advertising, Composers, Performers, and Places of historical interest.

As a serious collector of Ragtime Sheet Music, Piano Rolls and Records, I really appreciate the next three sections of the book. The perennial question for the collector is "What's out there to collect?"For the performer it might be "What tune can I perform that nobody else has done or may even know about?" Stamp collectors have their Scott's Catalog to see what's possible to collect. We Ragtimers have a Discography, Ragtime Piano Rollography, and Sheetography, thanks to Professor Jasen, the first to have published them. I check off the items I own, and then I can see the items I need.

Appendix 1Rags On Record: A Discography

"The intention of this discography is to identify all commercially released discs of 78s, 45s, and LPs throughout the world since the beginning of Ragtime recording in 1897." The discography lists the Compositions alphabetically with the Composer, followed by Performers, Record Speeds, Record Companies and Number, and Year of release.

Appendix 2Ragtime Piano Rollography

There are Ragtime Compositions that were never published in sheet music form, or recorded on disc, as you will note from the entries in the encyclopedia. However, some compositions do turn up on Piano Roll. Some of the performances are truly extraordinary. The Rollography lists the Compositions with Composers alphabetically, then the Roll Companies and Number. If the roll is an early 65-note type it's indicated. The performer is listed if the roll is hand played.

Appendix 3Published Rags In America

There's an alphabetical list of over 2000 Published Instrumental Ragtime compositions. It lists the Composition followed by the Composer, Date, Publisher, City and State of Publication.

David A Jasen is internationally recognized as a leading authority and collector of American Popular Music. He's authored many well-received reference books on Ragtime, Early Jazz and Popular Music. He produced many sheet music folios and Records. As a Composer and Performer, The Professor captures the true essence of Ragtime. He is Professor of Media Arts at the C.W. Post campus of Long Island University, where he has been teaching for the past 35 years.

Joel@sheetmusiccenter.com
www.sheetmusiccenter.com ... Read more