The 15th annual Central Pennsylvania Ragtime and American Music Festival this year continued a change begun last year. This festival is held in mid- to late September in the small communities of Orbisonia and Rockhill, with a kickoff concert in the “metropolis” of Huntingdon (pop. 8000). Rockhill is the home of the East Broad Top Railroad, the only narrow-gauge line east of the Rockies that currently carries tourists on round trips of about nine miles. It is also the home of the Rockhill Trolley Museum which is adjacent to the EBT’s tracks. Thus, an underlying theme of the festival is rail transportation. Orbisonia’s connection lies in the fact that indoor concerts and symposium are held at the Presbyterian church there. The church and train station are only about half a mile apart.
Because of its location, the festival is limited in its ability to grow. That is unfortunate given the caliber of talent that performs here. I happened to speak with a couple from Bedford, PA, about 50 miles away, who came one day to visit the trolley museum. They did not know about the festival and even within five miles of Rockhill did not see any advertising for it. This couple has gone on many Road Scholar trips, one of which was in New Orleans led by clarinetist Pete Fountain. When they happened to see pianist Adam Swanson performing on the platform at the EBT they said he was better than anyone they saw in NOLA. Which suggests that they would be prime candidates to attend the festival next year.
The change I mentioned included a reduction in the number of pianists but an increase in other instrumentalists. This was done for several reasons: to provide a wider variety of music in the concerts (this is, after all, an American music and not just a ragtime festival) and to strengthen the connection between the festival and the railroad. The 11 AM train ride each day featured strolling musicians playing in each coach during the 60-minute trip. That is not easy if all the musicians are pianists. This year the strolling musicians included Dan Levinson on clarinet, festival director Andrew Greene on upright bass, and making their festival premieres, Andy Schumm on cornet and Steve (“Spoons”) Torrico on washboard.
The train rides are not included in the festival fee. I was at the station for Friday’s trip and saw that it was mainly but not entirely populated by non-festival attendees. Hopefully this will entice some of the “outsiders” to come back next year for the music in addition to the train (and trolley). So on the whole I think this was a positive change, although I missed seeing my pianist friends Richard Dowling, Frederick Hodges, and Brian Holland, who were regulars for many years.
The pianists who were on the roster were Adam Swanson, Bryan Wright, and Martin Spitznagel, with Andrew Greene filling in when he wasn’t occupied with railroad or behind-the-scenes festival duties. Danny Coots was also here on drums, and he and Steve accompanied the pianists at times during the concerts (but only once together), as did Dan and Andy. You may be wondering: why two drummers? Their styles are distinctly different. Steve is a quintessential ’20s-style percussionist. He may be equally adept with later music, but I have never seen him performing in that genre. Danny, I know, works with a wider variety of musicians, including rock bands, in his adopted hometown of Nashville and elsewhere. He usually provides a more swinging type of rhythm with a lot of brush and cymbals work.
About Adam, he has been to almost all fifteen festivals. He, along with Bryan and Martin, were recruited by the founder, David Brightbill, for advice on how to set up and run a ragtime festival. Adam was all of 17 years old at the time but had organized a festival in his newly-adopted hometown of Durango, CO.
One other performer, Mark “Hyce” Huber, played a one-hour set at the station Saturday morning, but I did not see it. He stopped by on his way to another event in Pittsburgh. An internet search for him revealed that he works at the Colorado Railroad Museum and has produced over 600 videos about railroading. He’s also a drummer, guitarist and bassist. He evidently is a friend of Andrew, given that they work in a similar industry.
The kickoff concert Thursday evening at the Huntingdon Arts Center drew a near-capacity crowd of mainly locals, but apparently few of them made the 20-mile drive to Orby at any time during the weekend. Attendance at the concerts at the Presbyterian church was mostly about 50. However, Andrew said festival attendance this year was the highest it’s ever been. Each of the four concerts had a different theme. The two on Friday afternoon were called “Friday Follies” and “Classic Ragtime.” Saturday afternoon’s was a “Syncopated Sampler” and Sunday’s was titled “Finale.”
Possibly because there were fewer pianists than in prior years, all the indoor concerts ran less than their scheduled times. Each pianist played three tunes per concert, including those with non-piano accompaniment. I would have liked to see four, or maybe even five, selections by each, which would not have exceeded the allotted times.
Andy Schumm has played half a dozen instruments in the nearly 20 years I’ve known him, starting with the late lamented West End Jazz Band: cornet, trumpet, clarinet, alto, piano, and drums. During Friday’s first concert I heard a new one. He, Dan, and Adam reprised Fats Waller’s and James P. Johnson’s 1927 duet on “Persian Rug.” Andy took Fats’ organ part, using the small organ in the church. I learned Andy also plays banjo, but I don’t recall having seen him do it.
Another highlight: Martin Spitznagel, whom I’ve seen numerous times, mostly at the Scott Joplin festival, is also a notable composer. He played several of his pieces during the weekend, including “Smoky Rose,” “Milk Dance,” and “Newbie Eubie,” an effort to feature Eubie Blake’s unique (and difficult) runs. There was also “To the Max,” for the competition initiated by the late Max Morath’s wife for his 95th birthday. (The winner was decided by Max not knowing who wrote any of the entries, and Martin’s won.)
On Saturday morning Dr. Scott Brown, biographer of stride pianist and composer James P. Johnson, presented an excellent symposium on Johnson. Scott’s first biography came out many years ago, but he is working on an updated edition that should be finished about a year from now. His initial contacts with Johnson’s family were met with some skepticism, but more recently a grandson has become more involved and has provided Scott was access to James P’s personal items that he did not have before. In case you didn’t know, Johnson composed the “national anthem” of the ’20s, “The Charleston” and was Fats Waller’s teacher as well. It’s unfortunate that only about 20 people attended this seminar.
There are several free events at the festival. The piano sets on the EBT station platform run from 10 AM to 1 PM daily, with a different pianist each hour. On Friday evening there is an outdoor silent movie with piano accompaniment. This year’s features were “Liberty” (1929) with Laurel and Hardy, and the 75-minute Harold Lloyd 1925 film “The Freshman.” For the latter, Andrew brought a violinist and cellist from his Peacherine Ragtime Society Orchestra to supplement his own piano-ing. Adam accompanied the first feature. A crowd of well over 100 was on hand on a beautifully warm evening. In fact, the weather was warm and dry the entire weekend, unlike last year when it was cold and rainy almost half the time.
On Saturday evening there is a dinner train (included with an all-events pass), which takes patrons on a 20-minute ride to the Colgate picnic grove at the (current) end of the line where the dinner is served and where all the musicians play, but not all together. This event is open to the public and usually sells out, as it did this year. The train then returns to the station.
The Finale concert Sunday afternoon pulled out all the stops. For the last number, “Roll On, Mississippi, Roll On,” all the musicians were included. I was wondering how this would come off with two drummers. Here’s how they did it: Steve used one cymbal, and, along with Dan, took the vocal. All three pianists played, using two pianos, although Adam, on the larger one, overshadowed Bryan and Andrew with his heavier hand (and a more powerful instrument).
But there was another special feature. The Peacherine Orchestra has recorded compositions by Mel B. Kaufman on a Rivermont CD. Mel’s grandson, Roger Kaufman, came down from Connecticut and presented Bryan Wright an award that he called the “Kaufy.” The award was a square pillow with a cat embroidered on it, commemorating Mel’s biggest hit “Meow.” Roger never knew his grandfather, who died in 1932, and until he was contacted by Andrew was totally unaware of his legacy. Roger has attended several other festivals, and gave Andrew the award in 2023. This year, Bryan Wright was given the award for keeping Mel Kaufman’s music alive through recordings on the Rivermont Records label.
Tentative dates for next year’s festival have been announced: September 18-21. Don’t wait too long to make your plans.
Bill Hoffman is a travel writer, an avid jazz fan and a supporter of musicians keeping traditional jazz alive in performance. He is the concert booker for the Tri-State Jazz Society in greater Philadelphia. Bill lives in Lancaster, PA. He is the author of Going Dutch: A Visitors Guide to the Pennsylvania Dutch Country, Unique and Unusual Places in the Mid-Atlantic Region, and The New York Bicycle Touring Guide. Bill lives in Lancaster, PA.
