AMICA Convention - St. Louis - Day 3
By Terry Smythe
OOPS! in my report last night, I credited "John" Bogatko as the composer of a new player piano roll - "There will be no new tunes on this old piano." As I bought a copy of his roll at the Mart earlier this evening, I realized I made an error. I should credited "George" Bogatko as the composer. My apologies George, the roll is outstanding!
Today, Day 3, we had an early start with our choice of 3 tours - Highland, Joplin House/Garden, Landmarks, or stay in hotel for an in-depth seminar on Ampico expression system. I chose the Joplin tour.
The Joplin tour began with a tour of the Fox Theatre, very similar to the Fox Theatre in Detroit and Atlanta. It still has its original Wurlitzer pipe organ, and we were treated to a few selections. The tour took us through many of the hidden features of the theatre, and standing in awe of its opulence. A neat feature was the autographed walls backstage proving attendance by many contemporary artists.
As we entered Joplin House, the first thing to hit my eye was a neat surprise. On the reception counter was a current June 1996 copy of the Mississippi Rag, the voice of traditional jazz and ragtime. Who is on the cover in full page splendor, followed by a 7 page profile, but our own Robbie Rhodes. The article is "Reminiscing with Robbie Rhodes", written by Bill Mitchell. Great article, Robbie!
The "Professor" of last night, J. Douglas Hamilton, turns out to be Jay Douglas, Director of Scott Joplin House, who could charm an eskimo into buying a refrigerator. The depth and strength of his conviction and commitment are quite remarkable. Under his leadership and vision, St. Louis will be certain to have a major tribute to not only Scott Joplin, but to the birth and evolution of ragtime.
The persona we saw last night was of an aging minstrel who personally knew and worked with Scott Joplin. The persona we saw today is of an exciting, enthused visionary committed to the growth and expansion of not only Scott Joplin House, but also of ragtime itself as a uniquely American musical form. Jay is an immense storehouse of knowledge about the parental artists who gave us ragtime, and is a talented musician who enthralled us with a number of wonderful ragtime pieces.
Under Jay's vision, a new "Rosebud Cafe" will emerge next door, but he needs support. I believe this is a worthwhile cause, and I encourage support and contributions in any way you can to:
Scott Joplin House State Historic Site
2658 Delmar Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63103
(314) 533-1003
The tour concluded with a 2 1/2 hour visit to the Missouri Botanical Garden, a gorgeous place to roam, particularly on yet another day with flawless weather. Visitors to the Gardens are served by an internal tramway that circulates every 20 minutes, making it possible for people to stop and go as slaves to their whim. I chose to take in the geodesic dome "Climatron" conservatory and the Shaw House Tour, home of Henry Shaw, the owner of the original Garden.
This evening, the Mart opened up for 2 hours 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. I believe it was a great success, but then I did not have a booth, so I can't speak for the vendors. However, I did note many people, myself included, walking out laden down with boxes and bags of goodies. With regrets I had to be cautious in my purchases relative to available luggage space.
Among the rolls available for sale was the Laclede's Landing Rag, composed by Eric Bernhoft. I bought a copy and am delighted with his performance. Eric also puts out a series of other ragtime piano rolls, many which are his own amazing arrangements from old sheet music, some never before published as a music roll. Those rolls based on old sheet music include a color leader replicating the original cover of the sheet music. Ask him to put you on his mailing list:
Eric Bernhoft
PO Box 421101
San Francisco, CA 94142
(415) 563-3135
(415) 885-3335 (fax)
The "Table Favor" this year was once again manufactured by Past International President, Ron Connor, from Rogers, Arkansas. This year, it was a fine quality ceramic representation of a fairground organ. It is yet another outstanding souvenir which will take its position of honor on top of my Cremona nickelodeon at home, along with all the others I've acquired over the years as I attended various AMICA Conventions. Some may recall that Ron manufactured the Wurlitzer Harp table favor for the Kansas City AMICA Convention in 1984.
Ron also included a display of his handiwork, showing this table favor in each of its major production stages, commencing with conception, planning, and drawing; through the various moulding, firing and glazing steps required to come up with a quality finished product. What makes this so unique is that Ron had never done any kind of ceramic work previously. Amazing! Ron is to be commended for his commitment to AMICA.
Following the Mart, we were treated to another concert from a different Barber Shop Quartet. These guys are great, and thoroughly entertaining! Dick Merchant was once again invited to play the piano for all present, and proved once again that he is a not only a great sport, but also a competent pianist.
Stay tuned for tomorrow's report which should focus on the Band Organ Rally at Laclede's Landing, followed by the annual pumper contest, followed by a "Fox Orchestra Dance".
Regards to all from beautiful downtown St. Louis.
Terry
Terry Smythe (204) 832-3982 (voice/fax)
55 Rowand Avenue smythe@mts.net
Winnipeg, MB, Canada R3J 2n6 smythe@freenet.mb.ca
Home page: http://www.mts.net/~smythe |
(Message sent Sat 29 Jun 1996, 06:11:46 GMT, from time zone GMT-0500.) |
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