Thursday, August 21, 2008

James P. Johnson Plays on 'Classic Piano Blues', New CD From Smithsonian Folkways




[Classic Piano Blues; Smithsonian Folkways 40196 (2008); Victory Stride: The Symphonic Music of James P. Johnson; The Concordia Orchestra; Marin Alsop, Conductor; Music Masters 67140 (1994)]

Smithsonian lets legends of the ivories out of the vault
Scott Barretta • Special to The Clarion-Ledger • August 21, 2008
“Moses Asch founded the Folkways label in 1948 and the 2,168 albums he issued captured everything from the mating rituals of frogs to the political folk songs of Woody Guthrie. Since acquiring the label in 1987, the Smithsonian Institution has kept these titles available, but also recorded new material and issued compilations such as Classic Piano Blues (Smithsonian Folkways) to highlight the kings and queens of the ivories in its vaults.”

“Katherine Handy sings her father W.C.'s classic Yellow Dog Blues with backing by Harlem stride pianist James P. Johnson, who also contributes his interpretation of Hesitation Blues.” [Full Post][James Price Johnson (1894-1955) was an African American pianist and composer best known as the Father of Stride Piano, an intermediate style between ragtime and jazz. The liner notes for the CD Victory Stride explain: “Despite little recognition and limited encouragement, James P Johnson would write two symphonies, a piano and a clarinet concerto, two ballets, two one-act operas and a number of sonatas, suites, tone poems and a string quartet.” He is profiled at AfriClassical.com]






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