Ragtime /Jazz

01

2004. I arranged this early Jelly Roll Morton tune from the Smithsonian collected piano music, where it is the opening piece. It’s a blast to play but I had not heard it on piano until I found the superb recording by David Thomas Roberts. He plays with more syncopation and restraint than I do, but I am working towards that! Tablature

02

2000.  I reworked Ton Van Bergeyk’s wonderful Dropped G arrangement of this classic tune. His featured an infectious baseline vamp taken from Oscar Aleman’s recording of Swing Guitar Masterpieces. My arrangement is in standard tuning but I tried to keep the bounce and baseline moving throughout.

03

2000. A 1922 Zez Confrey piece. I started working from a killer arrangement for two guitars by Dave Laibman and Rick Schoenberg. Then I dug up the piano music and listened to the recordings of Georgia born pianist Eteri Andjaparidze. Her sparkling crazy-fast playing inspired me to pick up the pace! Tablature

04

2017.   Nothing like some gospel tunes to speak to the soul. Here are two classic tunes inspired by Duck Baker open tuning arrangement’s which to my ears evoke a lone pianist playing their heart out after closing time.   

05

1998 This may be the best known ragtime piece of all time and there are probably dozens of guitar arrangements out there. I arranged this from Scott Joplin’s manuscript and tried to keep in in the low register to bring out the syncopation. Still working on sections three and four.

06

1995 A Jelly Roll Morton classic. This is a case where I modified a wonderful Ton Van Bergeyk arrangement by adding walking base, syncopation, slippery slides and a revised middle section inspired by the crackling recordings of Mr. Morton himself.

07

1970s.   This quirky Scott Joplin rag was arranged by the brilliant Dave Laibman one of the founders of modern ragtime guitar and still one of the most creative and authentic arrangers. I started working on it in high school when I almost ruined my record player needle working out how it was played. I still cant improve upon it, let alone play it up to speed.   

08

1980’s This catchy 1915 Felix Arndt piece is sometime considered the first novelty rag. Very popular with guitarists, after hearing arrangements by Muriel Anderson, Dave Laibman, and John James. I arranged my own version straight from the sheet music and the brisk tinkling Sue Keller recording.

09

1970’s The dazzling Dave Laibman Dropped D arrangement of this Jelly Roll Morton tune changed my life. Here I have modified it slightly for standard tuning, adding a walking base to compensate for the loss of the alternating thump.