Roger Waring asked about hot piano rolls that can make an impact on an
audience.  In my years of collecting, I've come across a number of hot
rolls that continue to get me excited and hopefully they'll have the
same effect on others.

I personally enjoy John Farrell's rolls and he does some tremendously
hot things.  John has a true gift for being able to make a roll sound
like the original artist.  Here are some of my personal favorites that
he's cut in the last 10 or 15 years:

  Nothin, as played by the composer, Luckey Roberts
  Honky Tonk, as played by the composer, Billy Mayerl
  Freshman Hop, as played by John
  Charlie's Straight, as played by the composer, Terry Parish
  The Jazz Master, composed by Billy Mayerl and as played by John
  Atlanta Rag, as played by the composer, Cow, Cow Davenport
  Jingles, as played by the composer, James P. Johnson
  Stompin 'Em Down, as played by the composer Alex Taylor

I should add to this list one by Robbie Rhodes that is a personal
favorite as well:

  You've Gotta Be Modernistic, as played by the composer, James P. Johnson

Since John has cut, by my best recollection, around 500 rolls by now,
I could go on and on but that's a good start.  He's the principle
artist cutting hot performances these days but by no means the only
one.

What I enjoy about his rolls is that he has such a genius for
capturing a performer's true style.  Some of the best hot jazz talent
of the 20's and 30's didn't always get the benefit of the best
recording technology or skilled roll editing, producing results that
can sometimes be jerky or have added embellishments that detract from
the original performance.

Also, as things progressed in the roll business in the twenties, the
focus moved to producing a product that could be sung to or danced to.
While there were exceptions, many times their primary function was not
to stand alone as a hot jazz solo piano performance.  For example,
while Fats Waller was one of the great masters of stride piano, you
hear precious little of the really hard driving stride style on his
recordings for QRS.  However, its all over the place in his recordings
for Victor, and thus captured by John in his roll performances.

Don't get me wrong, there's still plenty of vintage roll recordings
that can singe the ivory on any piano.  Some of my recommendations to
Roger would include:

  You're Always Messin' 'Round With My Man, played by Clarence Johnson
  Miss Annabelle Lee, played by Vee Lawnhurst
  Shreveport Stomp, played by the composer, Jelly Roll Morton
  Shake That Thing, played by Paul Loraine
  San, played by Armand Muth (if anyone out there has a copy to loan for
                              recut, I'm interested)
  Knockout Drops Rag, played by Zema Randale
  Trilby Rag, played by Gertrude Baum
  Fizz Water (Rag), played by Gertrude Baum
  Ragged Reminiscences, arranged by Mae Brown
  Spring Fever, played by the composer, Rube Bloom
  Magnolia, played by R. Shoemaker

There's tons more but, that's a good start.

How can you get some of this great stuff?  Well, for starters, John
Farrell currently produces two lines of rolls, Hot Piano Classics and
JAM.  JAM is sold through a subscription series and you agree to take
all of the rolls produced for each list.  More importantly, the list
is limited to a set number of subscribers so it's kind of like great
season tickets for a football game; someone has to relinquish their
seat and very few do.

We carry the Hot Piano Classics line which are available on a limited
edition basis.  I can help anyone who is interested in either of the
above two lines.  Also, our auction frequently includes past rolls cut
by John.

Rob Deland always offers a fine selection of ragtime, jazz and blues
on his BluesTone label, including recordings by contemporary ragtime
performers.  He has just released a catalog in the last few months.

Our auctions also regularly feature fixed price, limited edition
recuts of some very nice ragtime, jazz and blues.  Also featured are
now out of print recuts produced on labels such as Piano Record, Jazz
Classics, Hollywood Vintage, Collectors Classics, Golden Age, Echoes,
BluesTone and a host of others.  Rare originals of ragtime, jazz,
blues and hot popular rolls are featured along with a healthy dose of
Ampico, Duo-Art and Welte reproducing rolls.

If it's still available, Roger should pick up a copy of Richard
Riley's Hot Piano Rollography.  It compiles all of the ragtime, jazz,
blues and hot popular rolls recut in the last 25 years.  Its a major
work and a lot of fun just to browse.

I'll probably think of another 50 great rolls immediately after
pressing "send" on this, but hopefully I've helped Roger a bit.

Paul Johnson
The Piano Roll Shop
mailto:pianoroll@compuserve.com