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简介
Hello again, dear Listener. Coots and I have attempted to return (at least in part) to our roots with our fifth recording, “Five.” We each got our start in Ragtime and early traditional jazz, so that’s mostly what you’ll find here. We certainly hope you enjoy this little trip down memory lane. And on this recording, we feature a veritable who’s-who of composers – Joplin, Morton, Waller, Johnson, Smith, Carmichael, Holland (who’s that guy)? We start with Scott Joplin’s New Rag, written by the man himself in 1912. Our treatment here is mostly reverent, playing it as we believe the composer intended. We take a few more liberties on Easy Winners by allowing Danny to set the style and tempo before I come in. We’ve been told that the beginning of this tune sounds a little Mission Impossible-ish … we’ll let you decide. Another luminary represented here is the great Thomas “Fats” Waller. Sitting atop the heap as my favorite personality from the early 20th century, Fats wrote dozens (if not hundreds) of songs, and probably saved even more of other composers from obscurity. The medley presented here includes a) a famous tune he wrote, b) a tune he didn’t write but made famous, and c) a couple of more obscure Fats compositions. And, as an added bonus, we recorded his Honey Hush, written with Ed Kirkeby in 1939. We’re sure you’ll agree that if it had that Waller swing, it was just good music! Of course we have to represent the Stride masters of the day (i.e. James P. Johnson and Willie “The Lion” Smith). However, all too often James P. Johnson is solely acknowledged for his quick-tempo masterpieces like Steeplechase Rag, Carolina Shout, Keep of the Grass, and the like. This is why we’ve included his more moderate tunes, If I Could Be with You (One Hour Tonight), and Snowy Morning (done here with a Latin tinge). As for “The Lion,” we save his appropriately-titled Finger Buster for the final track … not a lot of ways to top that one. Among the more introspective numbers is Ann Ronell’s beautiful Willow Weep for Me, which is said to have been inspired by the willow trees she would see daily on the campus of Radcliffe College in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The other two, He Loves and She Loves, and New Orleans, (George & Ira Gershwin, and Hoagy Carmichael, respectively) are absolutely haunting, and will have you humming their melodies for quite some time. Perhaps my favorite tune to record was Brooksie’s Boogie – dedicated to our great friend and music supporter, Brooks Christensen. Danny and I improvised a version of this at a house party held at Brooks’ place in 2015. We include it here as a way of saying “Thank You” to Brooks for all the house concerts, his friendship, and the gin martinis! Above everything else, Danny and I just hope you all enjoy this recording as much as we enjoyed making it. There’s really nothing like being able to share our love of music with so many wonderful people. Thanks to all our friends and family, and… THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING LIVE MUSIC! Brian Holland March 11, 2016