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Sandy Harr, Drummer for The Sedalia Ragtime Orchestra, has passed

Sandy Harr, September 27th after complications from heart surgery. He was a drummer with the Sedalia Ragtime Orchestra and frequent attendee of the New Orleans Traditional Jazz Camp.

The Sedalia Ragtime Orchestra, based in Conejo Vally California, utilizes vintage instruments when possible.  Harr constructed from scratch a bass drum using antique tension rods and a drum head resembling the calfskin used 100 years ago. They have regularly appeared at The Scott Joplin memorial Ragtime Festival as well as other Ragtime events around the country.

SunCost

In a statement on Facebook the Sedalia Ragtime Society said:

Sandy was the heart and the heartbeat of our orchestra, always eager to come up with a new sound to augment our performances. We will miss his supreme ability as a musician, his sweet temperament, his puckish sense of humor, and his friendship.

Judy Greenberg Hirsch, representing the New Orleans Traditional Jazz Camp released her own Facebook statement:

WCRF

 “To our New Orleans Trad Jazz Camp Friends. Thursday evening we lost a longtime and very dear friend. Sandy Harr, who attended the last few camps had heart surgery Thursday morning but passed away later that day. We are heartbroken. Sandy was a dear and gentle person. A great drummer who was always there to help out – or crack a corny joke. We will always miss him. Our hearts reach out to his wife Kerry Taffert Harr and his family. The world is now a lesser place.”
Joe Bebco

Joe Bebco is the Associate Editor of The Syncopated Times and Webmaster of SyncopatedTimes.com

November 2025

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