Hello All,

Dave Geissinger's post about Rollos Mexico brought back some memories.

First, when I was about ten years old, I spent the summer in Mexico City
with family friends.  This would have been around 1966.  While driving
through the city one day, we happened upon an accident scene.  A driver
had lost control of his car and careened into a building, which was
ripped open.  Visible through the hole was a wall of piano rolls,
including some that had spilled out onto the street.  I have a dim
memory of a smashed box label reading "Rollo Mexico."  Of course, it
would not have been the right time to make inquiries, and I was never
able to find my way back to that location.

Fast forward to 1985.  Living in Los Angeles, I bought a bunch of piano
rolls from a respondent to an ad I had placed in a local paper.  The
couple selling the rolls had already gotten rid of the piano and had 100
or so rolls left.  Amongst them were a group of local recuts, but made
by whom or when, the owners didn't recall.  The name on the custom label
was PianoRecord, also listed as PianOdeons Recordings.  Perhaps some
other collectors might know the story of this recutting effort.

Mixed in with the PianoRecord recuts was a copy of "Hoja de Maple," the
Mexican "Maple Leaf Rag."  On one end the roll sported the PianoRecord
label stating "Mexican Maple Leaf Rag"; but on the other end was a Rollo
Mexico label, with the name J. Coria and a typed number "1205."  The
roll itself is on a beautiful glossy, waxy paper, with a crudely
stenciled set of now-unreadable playing instructions.  But the coolest
parts of the roll are the end flanges.  They are marbleized purple, with
flashes of blue and green in them!  By far the most psychedelic spool
ends I've ever encountered.  I understand that the tango-inspired
version of Joplin's work has been recut in the past.  But what a fun
discovery.

Marc J. Sachnoff