“Ragtime’ Jack Radcliffe

“Ragtime Jack” came to Primavera solo for the first time, to give us a history and samples of Ragtime Piano, but interjected many fabulous tunes of the 1920’s.

He began with a vocal on W.C. Handy’s St. Louis Blues.

He said that noted musicologist and Morton biographer Alan Lomax first wrote that Jelly Roll Morton claimed to invent jazz.

“JRM played at Tipitina’s in New Orleans.  He wrote Sweet Substitute, “ Jack’s fingers floating over the keyboard. He just returned from New Orleans and said “Tipitina’s has reopened”.  http://www.tipitinas.com/

He began Up a Lazy River in a slow tempo, moving into triple time, then back to slow.

“Andy Razaf wrote lyrics for Fats.  S’posin’ he wrote himself. “  Radcliffe interjected a ‘vocal trombone’ into the piece.

Jack talked about Andy Razaff when he was here previously, backing Bonnie.

He continues:
“Billy Strayhorn was a 19 year old country boy, living in Iowa, when he was asked to join Duke Ellington.  On his way to New York, he wrote the lyrics to Take The A Train. “

Jack wanted to do something in French, adding some French lyrics (in a perfect accent ) to Do You Know What it Means to Miss New Orleans.
Going back to ragtime, he played Scott Joplin’s Easy Winners, one of Joplin’s most  popular works.

He explained the fingering on Boogie Woogie, saying “The left hand played the rhythmic  ‘Boogie’, while the right hand played ‘the Woogie’. “

He sang the verse to Georgia, holding an elongated note on vocal that seemed to take forever!

Back Home Again in Indiana was played instrumental  – making the keyboard yell for Help!

“Richmond, Indiana was the birthplace of Glenn Miller. “  Radcliffe gave us his beautiful version of Sentimental Journey.

“Lazy Bones was written at a time when it was too, too hot to go fishing. “

“James P. Johnson wrote stride piano“.  Jack has his Hungry Blues on one of his Wepecket Island CDs.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avs20g901Fs

He closed with the 1924 Andy Razaf’s Porter’s Love Song to a Chamber Maid.  

This was an interesting evening, filling in blanks on our knowledge of Jazz History, and backing it up with fine playing.  Then he got away back to Newport, where he moved recently.

You can learn more about “Ragtime” Jack Radcliffe at http://www.wepecket.com/radcliffe.htm