The Rags Thread

[tobyjj]

Luigi,

This may not be the "Sky Rockets Rag" you refer to - but I post it anyway;
Regards,
tobyjj

Severin, E Philip - Sky Rockets Rag.pdf

Severin, E Philip - Jungle Time.PDF

[gigiranalli]

Luigi,

This may not be the "Sky Rockets Rag" you refer to - but I post it anyway;
Regards,
tobyjj

Dear Tobyjj,
no, of course that's not "Sky Rocket Rag" by Logan Sizemore...
I already had both these two Severin rags myself, but I think it's great that you uploaded them because they're both very fine rags!
Luigi

[fhimpsl]

Dear Luigi,

More on the Arthur Sizemore saga... His "Oak Leaf Rag" is a great mystery which I've been working on for over 30 years now! According to the Library of Congress catalog of copyright entries, this piece was copyrighted on May 10, 1911 and published by Arthur L. Sizemore in Mankato, MN. Back then 2 copies of the published sheet music had to be sent in to the Library plus a fee of something like $2. to get the copyright. in one of my first trips to the Library, which would have been 1978-79, I met and became friends with the head librarian, who was a Mr. Wayne Shirley. I was allowed access to the LOC huge storage warehouse in Landover, Maryland (this was a really big deal at the time, and today I think public access is strictly forbidden). This is where the real "Hard Core" collection was kept. Two huge shelving systems, each containing a complete run of sheet music (in copyright order...ie. the order in which the scores were actually received). I looked up the copyright number for "Oak Leaf Rag" (which WAS assigned) and for some reason BOTH copies of "Oak Leaf Rag" were missing. The boxes which should have contained these sheets looked to have been untouched since the day they were put together, but the copyright numbers just skip "Oak Leaf!" After this experience, my pet theory on "Oak Leaf" is that a copyright number was assigned but for some reason Arthur Sizemore never sent in copies to the library. That leaves us with the very dim hope of finding the original sheet someday. I know of no collectors who have ever seen this sheet. No doubt it is/was a fantastic rag, noting Sizemore's great talent as a rag composer and songwriter as well.

On "Moppin' Up Rag", this one is listed as a composition of Sizemore's under his name on either the "Climber's" or "Blue Blazes" sheets. (By the way, I do have a photocopy of "Blue Blazes," which surprisingly turns up on Ebay now and again. Let me know if you would like to see it posted). "Moppin' Up" was never copyrighted as far as I'm aware, and if it was published it's in the same category as "Oak Leaf." Again, I don't know of a single collector who has ever seen it.

The Sizemore's made piano roll recordings as well. Arthur did one for QRS ("I've Got The Blue Ridge Blues"), and quite a number for US. Logan's name appears as artist on US rolls also. These are rare, I only know of a few different rolls surviving.

So that's what I know about the Sizemore mystery rags...for what it's worth!

All Best,

Frank

[gigiranalli]

Dear Luigi,

More on the Arthur Sizemore saga... His "Oak Leaf Rag" is a great mystery which I've been working on for over 30 years now! According to the Library of Congress catalog of copyright entries, this piece was copyrighted on May 10, 1911 and published by Arthur L. Sizemore in Mankato, MN. Back then 2 copies of the published sheet music had to be sent in to the Library plus a fee of something like $2. to get the copyright. in one of my first trips to the Library, which would have been 1978-79, I met and became friends with the head librarian, who was a Mr. Wayne Shirley. I was allowed access to the LOC huge storage warehouse in Landover, Maryland (this was a really big deal at the time, and today I think public access is strictly forbidden). This is where the real "Hard Core" collection was kept. Two huge shelving systems, each containing a complete run of sheet music (in copyright order...ie. the order in which the scores were actually received). I looked up the copyright number for "Oak Leaf Rag" (which WAS assigned) and for some reason BOTH copies of "Oak Leaf Rag" were missing. The boxes which should have contained these sheets looked to have been untouched since the day they were put together, but the copyright numbers just skip "Oak Leaf!" After this experience, my pet theory on "Oak Leaf" is that a copyright number was assigned but for some reason Arthur Sizemore never sent in copies to the library. That leaves us with the very dim hope of finding the original sheet someday. I know of no collectors who have ever seen this sheet. No doubt it is/was a fantastic rag, noting Sizemore's great talent as a rag composer and songwriter as well.

On "Moppin' Up Rag", this one is listed as a composition of Sizemore's under his name on either the "Climber's" or "Blue Blazes" sheets. (By the way, I do have a photocopy of "Blue Blazes," which surprisingly turns up on Ebay now and again. Let me know if you would like to see it posted). "Moppin' Up" was never copyrighted as far as I'm aware, and if it was published it's in the same category as "Oak Leaf." Again, I don't know of a single collector who has ever seen it.

The Sizemore's made piano roll recordings as well. Arthur did one for QRS ("I've Got The Blue Ridge Blues"), and quite a number for US. Logan's name appears as artist on US rolls also. These are rare, I only know of a few different rolls surviving.

So that's what I know about the Sizemore mystery rags...for what it's worth!

All Best,

Frank

Dear Frank,
thank you very much for the very interesting details about Arthur Sizemore and his rare rags!!
I find particular fascinating to know about your accurate and deep researches and that should be a lesson for all of us on how to proceed in ragtime researches!
I’m trying to do my best to locate rare rags, but it’s not always an easy task…
Although I’ve never been in the USA for the moment, I often contact libraries all over the United States to try to obtain copies of rare rags.
eBay of course is another good source from time to time.
Indeed I sometimes receive help from collectors I know, although it’s not very easy to get music from some of them.
I’m currently try to get the “Kentucky Rag” and the “Fig Leaf Rag”, but I’m still waiting for a reply from the one I have asked for the music (I know for sure he’s got both pieces!).
Once again I’d like to invite all the Pianophiliacs who’re downloading and enjoying ragtime music here to contribute music.
Those who live in the United States can very well go to a local library to see if they can find old sheet music. I even happened to find some rare American rags in my local library in Milan, Italy….
That would be an important contribution.
Thanks for offering to scan “Blue Blazes” for me, Frank, but I’m actually a bit ashamed in asking for music here, because I know that would automatically mean to ask YOU for music everytime!
You’re doing so much and you posted so many incredible ragtime treasures that I can’t ask you for further involvement…
And again I can’t thank you enough for the pieces you’re sharing!!!
It would have been impossible for me to find many of those rare rags!
As for the Sizemore rag, I’d rather ask some other Pianophiliacs, maybe from Chicago, if there are any, to spend one hour of their precious time to locate the “Blue Blazes Rag” in their local library, get a photocopy of the piece and post it on Pianophilia.
Speaking of “Sky Rockets Rag”, the file previously posted has been obviously taken from Benjamin’s website, since it includes his own stamp, so I’d repost an original scan of the piece, without the stamp.
Then I also add the only recording of this piece that I know, played by Bob Wright.
And then two other rags, hopefully interesting, “The Blue Grass Queen” by Wm. Davies and “Brush Creek Rag” by Eleamora Beauchamp: the latter has been included in a ragtime medley by the great Johnny Maddox, who played the second strain of this fine rag in a recording he made in the mid 1950s.
You find this great recording, “Johnny’s Medley”, on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ql3B55-Vu7Q
Enjoy the music from this fantastic ragtime pianist!
Luigi

Bob Wright - Sky Rockets (Severin).mp3

Severin, Philip - Sky Rockets.pdf

Beauchamp, Eleanora - Brush Creek Rag.pdf

Davies, William - The Blue Grass Queen.pdf

[gigiranalli]

Dear Frank,
There are two rags that I cannot recognize among the many great pieces played by the great Bob Darch from tapes recorded in 1966 and 1967 of which I have copies...
I asked several people about the title of these two pieces but nobody seem to be able to recognize them.
I post these two recordings here and I'd like to ask you if you can identify these two pieces. I think it's very hard and I don't have idea of which rags they are...
I think that the first one is something I've already heard somewhere (and maybe I also have it...), while the second is not familiar at all to me and I suspect if may be a Darch original, since his ragtime compositions were generally very melodic, but of course I don't know...
Do you perchance know these two pieces? Or does anybody else in here?
Thanks!
Luigi

Bob Darch - unknown rag no1.mp3

Bob Darch - unknown rag no2.mp3

[fhimpsl]

Dear Luigi,

Many thanks for posting the unknown recordings by Ragtime Bob.. There's nothing I like better than researching ragtime mystery tunes. I can honestly say I've never heard these two pieces before. However, on Rag #1 the first strain is somewhat similar to George L. Cobb's "Feedin' The Kitty." It seems Bob just played the first and second theme and then repeated the first again. But of course the second theme does not match, so it's not "Feedin' The Kitty" after all! On Rag #2 Bob is obviously playing more in a traditional jazz style (plenty of Morton influence) especially on the first theme, which reminds me a little bit of the jazz standard "Tia Juana". But of course it's not that tune at all. One thing is for sure, it's a great rag and playing by Ragtime Bob at his best.

Sorry I couldn't be more help in identifying these tunes. Unfortunately Bob Darch has long passed, as have sadly so many of the "second generation" ragtimers of the 1950s-60s. The only people I can think to ask would be Dave Jasen, Trebor Tichenor, or Terry Parrish. I know all of them for years, but have been out of touch with Dave for a very long time (and he might be the most likely to know). I can play the files for Trebor the next time I see him. He might not remember the titles, but would probably have the tape from which these cuts were taken, and that tape hopefully still has an index! Bob Wright is another possibility, but I've been out of touch with him for years as well. I'll try hard as I can to ID these.

Thanks too for the "Blue Grass Queen" which is beautiful, and also "Brush Creek" which I have somewhere, but never knew Johnny Maddox had recorded part of it in a medley! I didn't think that rag existed outside of the Library of Congress; but there's always a chance of finding a rarity. We all know the most amazing things still turn up after all these years!

All Best,

Frank

[fhimpsl]

Here are a couple of rags by Harry Roy, who had one of the happiest sounding ragtime bands of all time imho! Enjoy

Roy, Harry - Leicester Square Rag.pdf

Roy, Harry & Cook, Eric - Election Rag.pdf

[honkytonkpiano]

Dear Frank, Luigi, Toby, Benjamin and all other members,
Thank you very much for all great music uploads and all very interesting comments about Ragtime history.
in the "Rag" and "Novelty" threads in the last weeks !!!!!
Most of this files are very rare and great treasures.
I appreciate "all" this great music scores, mp3 and midi files so much !!!!!
In the next days i will upload some rare scores more in the "Rag" and "Novelty" sections.
First, here is my scan of an alternate arrangement of "Leicester Square Rag" by "Harry Roy".
Best RAGards,
Martin

Roy, Harry - Leicester Square Rag (1949) ((published by Francis Day, Paris)).pdf

[honkytonkpiano]

Here's a scan for all "Harry Roy" fans...
I know most of all members already have the score "Canadian Capers (Fox-Trot) (1915)" by "Chandler, White & Cohen". But i'm sure the front cover of the published edition by Feldman, London will be interesting especial for the "Harry Roy" fans.
On front cover "Harry Roy's" foto plus text "featured, recorded & broadcast by Harry Roy & his Band".
Best RAGards,
Martin

Chandler, White & Cohen - Canadian Capers (Fox-Trot) (1915) ((feat.by Harry Roy & his Band)).pdf

[honkytonkpiano]

Dear Luigi,
I know you are a great fan of "J. Russell Robinson" and "Joe Jordan".
Here are some of my scans especial for you!
First a couple of rare Rags by "J. Russell Robinson" and at last a rare Fox-Trot by "Joe Jordan".
Unfortunately the score by "Joe Jordan" is in a poor quality (like my original printed score), but i hope it's ok.
Luigi, hopefully all this scores are new for you (?) Sure you will enjoy it!
Best RAGards,
Martin

Robinson, J.Russell - Minstrel Man, The (A Ragtime Two-Step) (1911).pdf

Nash, Will - Lonesome Road (Blues) - Arr.J.Russell Robinson (1919) ((a bluesy rag!)).pdf

Jordan, Joe - Sweetie Dear (Fox-Trot) (1914).pdf