| Performance and CD Reviews |
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Waller’ing Around
Jeff Barnhart, piano
Jeff Barnhart is not only a top stride pianist but a personable singer and a witty personality. Waller'ing Around features him paying tribute to another notable pianist-singer-personality by performing 15 Fats Waller compositions. Barnhart, who takes vocals on some of the numbers including an inventive (and rightfully riotous) version of "The Joint Is Jumpin,'" not only plays some of Waller's hits and famed piano features but such obscurities as "Ev'ry Sweetie That I Get" (which receives its first-ever recording here), "Lonesome Me," "Midnight Stomp" and "Hold My Hand." Barnhart's singing purposely hints strongly at Waller but his piano playing (despite the inclusion of some Wallerisms) is pretty much his own. His heartfelt rendition of "Black And Blue" and extended version of "Clothes Line Ballet" are among the highpoints. Waller'ing Around is highly recommended and available from www.jeffbarnhart.com .
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Rare & Rip-Roarin’ Rags of 1910
Jeff Barnhart, piano
Cleary Centennial Collection, Vol. 1
A Totally Different Rag / That Ticklin’ Rag / That Italian Rag / Star and Garter / Speckled Spider Rag / Sea Weeds Rag / Red Head Rag / Rabbit Foot Rag / Ra! Ra! Ra! / The Pop Corn Man / Pitter Patter Rag / Peroxide / New York Rag / The Jungle Jubilee / The Irish Rag / Haytian Rag / Halifax Rag / The Glide Away Rag / Cotton States Rag / Colonial Glide / Chilli-Billi-Bee Rag / Black Beauty Rag / Alhambra Rag.
Thank goodness for collectors! Whether it be bottle caps, commemorative stamps, matchbook covers, or – in this case – ragtime sheet music, the human instinct to hoard things for a rainy day has helped to preserve many items that might otherwise have been lost to history. Janice Cleary is one such collector and she has quietly and unassumingly amassed one of the finest gatherings of sheet music in the country.
Introduced to Cleary by Ragtime Bob Darch, Jeff Barnhart soon became her close friend and together they have made plans to share her amazing treasure by recording the best of its lesser known works. Thus was born Volume One of the Cleary Centennial Collection in 2010, with a new volume to be issued in each successive year. And what a treasure this first one is!
With over 100 rags to choose from, all bearing the date of 1910, Barnhart and Cleary have selected 23 of the best for this inaugural CD, and the resulting quality certainly reinforces the belief of many ragophiles that there is a ton of great tunes out there (literally, perhaps!) just waiting to be rediscovered. (This recording alone added 10 new composers and 17 new compositions to my library!)
Hewing closely to the disc’s title, up-beat selections are favored, although there is a lovely slower rag (A Totally Different Rag) and a wonderful syncopated waltz (Star and Garter) to break up the pace a bit. Where appropriate, Barnhart’s talented fingers add anywhere from small bits to healthy dollops of improvisation, making these long-dormant gems leap into life. There’s even an added bit of whimsy in The Pop Corn Man, as a steam-powered popping machine wheezes occasionally in the background. The sound quality is first-rate and the liner notes give good insight into the music and into the collection itself.
Jeff Barnhart has struck pay-dirt with this release. He joins the ranks of Tom Brier and Nora Hulse, among those who have each achieved much success by recording rare rags, but unlike Brier and Hulse, whose discoveries involved much sleuthing and patient research, Barnhart has hit a one-stop mother lode in the Janice Cleary Collection. It’s going to be difficult for us to wait a whole year between each future release! (Note: Following the release of the movie "Star Wars" and its sequels, director George Lucas achieved great success with "prequels." Hint, hint...)
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COMPACT DISC REVIEW
By
Jack Rummel
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Waller’ing Around
Jeff Barnhart, piano JACD1023
It’s not hard to tell by the title of this CD that Jeff Barnhart has recorded a tribute to Fats Waller, and who better to do it? Jeff’s stride credentials are impeccable and his vocal stylings, complete with ad lib asides which pepper the songs, fit Mr. Waller’s persona very well.Probably the biggest hurdle was deciding what to include, for Fats was reputed to have recorded over 500 sides. Barnhart’s playlist ended up being a balanced mix of stride classics (Honeysuckle Rose, Valentine Stomp, Wild Cat Blues) and popular songs (Blue Turning Grey Over You, Keepin’ Out of Mischief Now, Ain’t Misbehavin’), balanced with a nice palate of lesser knowns and rarities (this is apparently the first ever recording of Ev’ry Sweetie That I Get).The opening number is a bit hokey, what with Barnhart’s hot stride almost getting drowned out by a background of dubbed-in speakeasy sounds (“Where’s the gin? It’s in the bathtub!”), but the album quickly gets down to the business of showcasing the genius that Waller really was. Part of this genius was his choice of lyricists, including the likes of Andy Razaf, Clarence Williams, Spencer Williams and J.C. Johnson among others, and Barnhart does a great job delivering all those catchy phrases. (Barnhart himself is no slouch at coming up with the right words, and his soliloquy that precedes his poignant instrumental version of Black and Blue could put a lump in your throat.)The CD also showcases the prodigious talents of Barnhart himself, whose mastery of the stride idiom finds its equal in his sensitivity on the slower numbers. Picking a favorite was almost impossible, but St. Louis Shuffle and Black and Blue were top choices, followed very closely by everything else. Jeff Barnhart possesses a unique combination of skilled musician and zany entertainer, a description that might have been applied to Waller as well. Perhaps Barnhart’s recording engineer summed it up the best when he said, “You’re a natural for this stuff, Jeff. It’ll play itself.” He was right. Highly recommended.
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COMPACT DISC REVIEW
By
Jack Rummel
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SIRIUS|XM Radio calls Jeff Barnhart:
"the premier stride pianist in the USA"
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JEFF BARNHART'S COAST TO COAST ALL STARS
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Jeff Barnhart piano, leader; Jim Fryer trombone; Vince Giordano string bass, tuba, and bass sax. Peter Meijers reeds, Noel Kaletsky reeds, Danny Coots drums, Bob Leary banjo & guitar, Lou Green cornet. Jeff has a knack for combining some of our finest musicians from coast to coast - hence the title. He ended up with a powerhouse front line and with Vince Giordano with all his accouterments, and Danny Coots on drums, a powerhouse rhythm section too!
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| With two reeds on the front line, Pete on clarinet and Noel on alto sax, Chattanooga Stomp was smokin'! |
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| "Yes Indeed. Is It True What They Say About Dixie. Hold the press!" Fred Vigorito, looking for any workable venue, jumps up on stage. Caught between lofty Pete Meijers and Lou Green, diminutive Noel and Fred climb up on chairs to get even, and break everybody up!
Fred took time to thank all the self-sacrificing, supportive volunteers who work year-round to make this a wonderful festival. It wouldn't work without them, they are outstanding!
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With a five-horn front line, they moved to Struttin' With Some Barbecue. Jeff said "This is Noel's 17th session of the weekend! How many times did he play this?" Pete was on tenor sax, Noel on alto sax, Jim trombone, Fred on lead cornet, Lou doing the harmonics. It was fierce!
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Things get really turbulent when you have two aggressive clarinet players like Pieter Meijers and Noel Kaletsky playing breathtaking duets, then trading with the banjo & drum.
They were also featured on 1919 Rag.
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Jeff kicked everybody off the stage, with the exception of Jim Fryer, for the Cole Porter tune, Little One, Jeff's vocal. But, always the comedian, his continuous tempo changes challenged Fryer and drove him crazy!
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| It was great to see and hear Lou Green again, leader of The Original Salty Dogs. Green subbed for Randy Reinhart who had to drop out at the last minute. |
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| With an extended band, there was some difficulty finding a tune where everyone could take a solo. Jeff shouts "We’ll play Panama – all 87 parts, even if we have to be here until 11am tomorrow morning." They almost were, with everyone taking another chorus, it took some time to bring this raucous tune to a suitable, satisfactory to every-one, conclusion! |
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| Jeff Barnhart is all over the world lately, leading the Titan Hot Seven, two UK bands, the Fryer-Barnhart International Jazz Band, (hot music of the 20's) and Jeff Barnhart's British Band (1930's,) as well as in Ivory & Gold, with wife Anne on flute (classical, jazz, ragtime). And Dan Levinson said, "There are Jazz Festivals going on all over this country - and Jeff Barnhart is in every one of them!" |
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COMPACT DISC REVIEW
By
Jack Rummel
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Ivory&Gold® : Autumn Leaves
Anne Barnhart, flute; Jeff Barnhart, piano
Featuring: Danny Coots, percussion
JACD-1018
Ain’t Misbehavin’* / Evangeline / Pine Apple Rag / Black Orpheus / Louisiana Fairytale* / Rubber Plant Rag / Emily; Alice in Wonderland / Ain’tcha Glad* / The Shadow of Your Smile / Gasoline Rag / Autumn Leaves / As Time Goes By* / Chega De Saudade (No More Blues) / Pennies from Heaven* / Water from an Ancient Well / I’ve (sic) Got Rhythm* / Blue Autumn / Kansas City Rag. (*Vocals)
The popularity of Anne Barnhart on flute and husband Jeff Barnhart on piano has resulted in the release of several CDs, some of ragtime and some of popular tunes. This latest disc combines the two genres and adds some percussion from Danny Coots. The result is 71 minutes of artful music that should appeal to both sides of the aisle.
Anne’s flute provides wonderful melody lines with occasional flights of improvisation; Jeff’s piano adds unobtrusive accompaniment that’s often in harmony, with solos of “jazz lite.” The percussion offers an added dimension of enjoyable, understated rhythm with solos now and then that are never overpowering. The playlist mixes the rare with the familiar and there is such variation in the tempos – fast, slow, waltz, two-step, Latin – that the listener is never bored.
Six numbers feature vocals by Jeff, who spices a couple of them up with corny asides, and while there’s no “velvet fog” in his voice he certainly knows how to deliver a convincing result. The four rags are all showpieces. Scott Joplin’s Pine Apple Rag is decisively presented; Louis Mentel’s Gasoline Rag is done with comic narration and sound effects reminiscent of Spike Jones; and James Scott’s Kansas City Rag is fast with really good harmony. But it’s George Cobb’s Rubber Plant Rag that takes top honors as it becomes a tour de force for Anne on the flute, playing more npm (notes per minute) than I ever though possible. (Note to Anne: Watch out for the flute police hiding behind the next billboard!)
While the other fourteen numbers aren’t ragtime, they’re all good choices and work well in this trio format. (There’s even a family connection here, as Louisiana Fairytale was written by J.Fred Coots, Danny Coots’ great-uncle!) The sound quality is crisp and well-balanced, the liner notes are homey and informative, and the graphics bespeak the quality that’s inside. Anne and Jeff Barnhart’s Ivory & Gold series has always had first-rate recordings and this latest disc is no exception. It would even be great music for a low-lit, romantic locale – but with an occasional pepper-upper in case the mood descends a bit too much…
Available for $17.00 postpaid from Anne and Jeff Barnhart, 7 Edgemont Street , Mystic , CT 06355 .
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Excerpt from Cam Miller's review of
Ivory&Gold® CD
Reflections of Love
The American Rag -- February 2007
Quality melodies played with classic simplicity by exceptional musicians works every time. The latest to make that point is the husband and wife team of versatile pianist Jeff Barnhart and spouse Anne, a classically-trained flutist, who perform as Ivory & Gold.It is plain that the musicians inspire each other. Anne's disciplined approach to her music serves to keep the adventuresome Titan Hot Seven pianist in line while Jeff's natural inclination to expand on a melody tends to free Anne from classical constraints.As the title implies, the entire album is devoted to romantic ballads that come from a variety of sources - Tin Pan Alley, television specials, the jazz genre, andpop tunesmiths. In short, anywhere and anywhere. Some are familiar and others are not. But all are memorable.Fittingly, the opening track is a splendid take of Rodgers' and Hart's "My Romance" followed in no particular order by an especially appealing renderings of "Skylark," "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" and the infrequently heard "What I Did For Love."The scope of the pair's repertoire is reflected by the inclusion of John Denver's lilting "Annie's Song," the theme from the flick, "Schindler's List," jazz pianist Bill Evans' masterpiece, "Waltz For Debby," and a medley of Chopin's "Raindrop Prelude" and the Irish folk song, "Danny Boy." To each, Jeff and Anne add their own personal touches.While each tune is a highlight in itself, several are a notch or two above the others. That super-elite list includes a heart-wrenching performance of "Every Time We Say Goodbye," from the Broadway show, The Seven Lively Arts;" the melancholy "Akoshan Farewell" a melody based on a Hungarian folk song that surfaced during Ken Burns' monumental The Civil War television series and Stevie Wonder's "All In Love Is Fair" that deserves more exposure than it gets.A warm "Never, Never Land" brings the session to a close. Too bad it isn't "Ever, Ever Land" and the talented team would continue playing into the night.(For orders or information: e-mail: mysticrag@aol.com; internet - www.jeffbarnhart.com; U.S. mail - Jeff & Anne Barnhart,7 Edgemont St, Mystic, CT 06355)GRADE: A +
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COMPACT DISC REVIEW
By
Jack Rummel
Romances in Ragtime
Anne and Jeff Barnhart, flute and
piano-JACD 1014
Bethena / Aura of Indigo / Ragtime Betty / Mimi Ma Biche /
Niantic By the Sea /A Real Slow Drag / Gladiolus Rag / Anastanza / Mystic
Memories / Ragtime Nightingale / Echoes From The Snowball Club / American Beauty
/ Aspens On the River / Annie’s Ragtime Flute.
Building
upon the success of their first collaboration (“Ivory and Gold,” JACD 1010),
which proved to be a “best seller” for them, Anne and Jeff Barnhart have
released a companion CD and how delightful it is! The title says it all, so if you are seeking
flashy fireworks you will need to look elsewhere.
Jeff’s
touch – always appropriate here – runs the gamut from delicate to firm and,
while he often shares solo spots to give contrast, the main melodic emphasis is
still on Anne’s silky flute. He even
solos totally on his rag Mystic
Memories, creating a sound that hearkens back to an earlier century. Arrangements are well thought-out and
feature, among others, call and response patterns, trading fours, and – the most
charming of all – the piano crafting a deliberate harmony line with the flute’s
melody (of which I would have welcomed even more!).
Two of the
selections (Bethena and Mimi Ma Biche) become studies in varying
tempos and it was unfortunate that one was chosen to be the album’s opener, as
it leaves the listener somewhat “at sea” before becoming “grounded” rhythmically
with subsequent steadier selections. By
contrast, the liner notes are solid and quite informative, exposing a highly
literate side of Jeff’s persona that, up to now, has been kept hidden under his
zany public façade.
Applause is
due to the Barnharts for selecting contemporary compositions to comprise 50% of
the repertoire, which should prove to any possible skeptics that there is a
wealth of introspective music to be found in today’s ragtime. As in their first album, a Hal Isbitz work
again is the highlight of the disc. His
tango, Anastanzia, which they
commissioned especially for flute and piano, reaches new heights of reflection
and romance, although Jeff’s original tango Aspens On the River is not far behind,
with its intriguing B-section which, when they added the deliberate harmony in
the repeat, almost took my breath away.
Other favorites were Fred Hoeptner’s Aura of Indigo, Galen Wilkes’ Niantic By the Sea, and two classics
from ragtime’s early days, Gladiolus
RagEchoes From the Snowball
Club. and
But be
assured that there are no losers here, and each listener is certain to have
personal favorites. Jeff and Anne
Barnhart have created a second mother lode of what they did so well on their
first album and I expect it to be equally well received.
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