Stunning Ragtime piano from Virginia Tichenor

[Larry Kart]

Poking around on the 'Net with thoughts in mind of my recently deceased friend Bob Wright -- the great Ragtime and Stride pianist who also loved the music of Lennie Tristano (Bob claimed to be able to play Tristano's multi-tracked "Turkish Mambo" all by himself; I heard him do it once but couldn't swear he got all the notes in), Ravel, Burt Bacharach, Bud Powell, and others -- I thought of checking out the work of his Ragtime and Stride colleague ( both as a player and a scholar) Trebor Tichenor, only to discover that Tichenor's daughter is one terrific player herself. Check out these two performances (the first of a fine piece by Trebor, the other of a gem by Mae Aufderheide). There are more from Virginia on YouTube. What a swinger she is!

[Larry Kart]

Two more, Joplin's Haunting "Magnetic Rag" and Cow Cow Davenport's "Atlanta Rag":

IMO, Ms. Tichenor has really got that thing.

[Larry Kart]

Clarence St. John's "Cole Smoak" (correct spelling):

[cih]

Love that foot stomping on the last one - I can't tell if she has something under her foot (those heels probably are enough?)

& the left hand halfway through Cow Cow Davenport - it's not hard to believe he was thrown out of the seminary for the way he played marches.

[jostber]

Some hot playing there! Thanks for posting.

[Larry Kart]

Forgot to mention that among Bob Wright's other passions was sheets of sound Coltrane. This is a passion he shared with steeped-in-Pee Wee Russell-but-still-his-own-brilliant-man clarinetist Frank Chace (d. 2007). Back in the day (probably the mid-1980s) I made a cassette tape of Bob and Frank rehearsing in Bob's living room; they played several Coltrane and Dameron tunes. Sadly, the tape seems to have vanished about fiv e years ago after I lent it to a friend to have it digitalized, but his apartment is full of stuff, so I haven't given up hope.