FOLIO REVIEW

By

Jack Rummel

Ragtime Rendezvous

Piano Rags and Songs by Jim Andris

(Self-published)

Euclid Avenue Rag / Forest Park Stroll / The Barwick Apartments Romp / Shaw’s Gardens Rag / St. Louis Zoo Rag / The UFO Rag / Ragtime Rendezvous / Silky Mississippi Rag / Colleen’s Rag / Microcomputer Blues* / The Stand Up For Jesus Rag* / Ragtime Girl*.  (*Songs)

            Jim Andris has been a fan of ragtime for many years and is currently the president of the Friends of Scott Joplin, a group which works to sponsor festivals, youth competitions and home concerts in the St. Louis area, including programs at the Scott Joplin House, a Missouri Historical Site.  In 1994 he began writing rags and, at the encouragement of his friends, has released this folio, with half of the proceeds earmarked for the FOSJ.

            It is a very professional package, spiral bound with a colorful cover containing photos pertaining to each of the rags and all compositions professionally typeset.  Many rags have descriptive titles to their sections, such as Euclid Avenue Rag, where each section depicts a street that intersects with Euclid, or Colleen’s Rag, which chronicles musically a stormy marriage, a divorce and her ultimate triumph.

            All selections are either in 2/4 or cut time, key signatures run the gamut of sharps and flats and occasional fingering suggestions are offered.  The rags are nostalgic of earlier eras, yet contain unique characteristics that elevate them out of the realm of slavish copies.  Andris is not bound by traditional key shifts and sectional signatures may jump from sharps to flats, for example, within the same composition.  Melody is always in the forefront and the left hand offers much interest beyond the typical octave-and-chord accompaniment.

            Euclid Avenue Rag was my favorite, with its delightful A-section, but many others also stand out.  Forest Park Stroll is full of rich, romantic chords, Shaw’s Gardens Rag is quite descriptive (including a Japanese-sounding trio) and The UFO Rag opens busily in a minor chord creating an intended creepy feeling.  The folio closes with three songs, including The Microcomputer Blues, which many computer owners are sure to identify with.

            The rags should be well within the abilities of the intermediate pianist, with only occasional passages that might provide speed bumps.  Jim Andris has an excellent grasp of the ragtime genre and has produced an enjoyable collection of pieces that bears investigating by anyone seeking new material to study.  I’ll not be surprised if I hear other pianists playing these rags before long.

            Available for $17.50 postpaid from Friends of Scott Joplin, c/o Jim Andris, 2852 Accomac St ., St. Louis, MO 63104-2238, telephone (314) 776-5796 or at http://stlouis.missouri.org/fsjoplin/sales.htm on the Web.