As a child in 1949, I had a routine of surreptitiously going into the living room after everyone was asleep to listen to late night
When Joe Bebco forwarded an inquiry about Max Morath from Anne Phillips recently, I anxiously responded. Anne and her husband, bassist Bill Phillips, were neighbors
Memorial Day weekend this year was once again the occasion for live performances at the World Championship Old Time Piano Playing Contest and Festival in
Have you ever immersed yourself in a trivial pursuit while important tasks needed your immediate attention? Well, a friend recently added six inches of sheet
I must begin by congratulating the esteemed editor of this publication on his election as a 2022 Jazz Hero by the Jazz Journalists Association. It
This is a pleasant article for me to write, though it resurrects a reminder of unpleasant times. I hope readers will find the healing nature
The City of Sedalia and the Furnell Family Companies previously announced the beginning of construction on a large Pavilion in downtown Sedalia to be used
I have been fighting several bold infections since Thanksgiving that have left me feeling lethargic as a petrified sloth. As a result, I have quite
A few days ago, Chris Robinson sent me a YouTube website address to watch the 2021 Christmas Parade in Sedalia, Missouri, featuring the Scott Joplin
I surprised myself when I placed the phone back on its port and just sat to let the inspiring emotion of the previous conversation mellow.
The intrepid West Coast Ragtime Society has announced the overwhelming success of their 2021 virtual 35th annual Ragtime Festival. For the second year, the all-video
I recently made a connection that has been in front of me for 40 plus years and which has nearly bowled me over. I spent
I was writing an autumn poem for our local nature reserve newsletter this morning describing family trips I remember as a kid. I grew up
As Max Morath celebrates his 95th birthday on October 1st this year, we are reminded of his career that spanned eight decades and included nearly
The emergence of music festivals in America during the last century contributed greatly to the preservation and appreciation of the nation’s musical heritage. I have
I came to the Internet’s social media late but have benefitted immensely from the discovery. It can be unnervingly controversial, or thought provoking, and informative
When Peter sent his latest CD, I was intrigued that he had been working with Jeff Barnhart. Jeff’s novelty ragtime is as unique and wonderfully
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Max Morath often credits “Lady Luck” with at least part of his success. However, listening to his stories and reading accounts of his long life
I have been thinking a lot about our ragtime community these past months in forced isolation. Not that I have been unaware of the other
Many of us have not heard from Matthew de Lacey Davidson for some time. Though he is now retired from performing, his ragtime recordings are
I am blowing off the dust this month with Max Morath. There are so many stories from his long career, but I am beginning with
The weekend of June 4-5 belonged to the virtual concerts and symposia of the Scott Joplin International Ragtime Festival Foundation. That would ordinarily have been
Dr. Ian Hominick at the University of Mississippi in Oxford produced a fine 2021 virtual program to keep the Old Time Piano Playing Contest at
