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ivan@stellysee.de
| From | Michael Coxe <audities@sonic.net> |
| Subject | Re: Stride Piano, Silver Sun and American Hi Fi |
| Date | Sat, 20 Nov 2004 22:41:55 -0800 |
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Mike Hodges wrote:
> I just saw "Ray" and learned a little history behind one of my favorite
> Ray Charles tunes, "Mess Around." Didn't know it was written by Ahmet
> Ertegun (sp?) for one. Does anyone know where I could find some more of
> that "stride piano" music that Mess Around embodies? My dad was a huge fan
> of that style and I seem to have inherited his ear.
"Fats" Waller was the most known stride piano practitioner, although James
P. Johnson, Waller's mentor, was probably its King. Back in the early 70's
(maybe this is why I didn't find as much contemporay pop to my liking at
that time, to tie in another thread) when I listened to alot of pre-30's
jazz I had a Johnson lp named "Daddy of the Piano" that was killer. Oh yea,
Johnson wrote a tune called "Charleston" - you may have heard it before;>
If you want more late teens & 20's era jazz music, I suggest starting with
King Oliver, Jelly Roll Morton & of course Louis Armstrong's Hot Five.
All 3 are covered well by the low-priced JSP box sets, lovingly assembled
collections dating from the mid-20's to 1930. For something more in an
orchestral vein, none was better than Fletcher Henderson, who invented
big band jazz.
And then there's the king of clarinet Johnny Dodds...
BTW, this stuff was *very* pop, syncopated & more major than minor.
- michael
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