Ricky Alexander

Ragology

Turtle Bay

Every so often, we’ll see a ragtime album from a pianist or banjoist, but it is rare to hear one from a woodwind player. Clarinetist and saxophonist Ricky Alexander breaks that mold with Ragology.  This is Alexander’s third album as a leader, but the first to dive deeply into this music form that paved the way for jazz. Alexander has been a featured soloist on over 30 albums and has played in numerous TV commercials, films, and television productions. Flanking Alexander are two ragtime authorities, Grammy-winning pianist Conal Fowkes and banjo great Jerron Paxton, representing two vital instruments in ragtime. Joining also are Alexander’s frequent collaborators, bassist Rob Adkins and drummer Kevin Dorn. Needless to say, they are all versatile and traditional players, performing often at NYC’s Times Square’s Rum House. Notably, the liner notes come courtesy of another traditionalist, Colin Hancock, to whom we are indebted for the background of these songs.

 The opener, “Wild Cat Blues,” is the first issued recording for saxophone pioneer Sidney Bechet.  The song captures the musical heartbeat of Harlem in the 1920s, with swinging clarinet and piano conversations, prodded on by Dorn’s drumming. Paxton mostly plays rhythm here, ceding the solos to Alexander and Fowkes. “Slidin’” is a mashup of ragtime and Brazilian dance music, rendered again mostly by Alexander and Fowkes. Adkins plucks vigorously while Dorn’s snare work impresses. ‘Dizzy Fingers’ is often misconstrued as ragtime, although it is a form of piano playing in the ‘20s that was an offshoot of ragtime. Alexander and Fowkes navigate the blazing tempo, pushed forward by Paxton’s banjo.

Paxton brought in “Buffalo Rag” and “Nola,” both parts of his repertoire. Ragtime orchestras played the former in the 1910s, as the horn, banjo, and piano traded the melody just as the quintet does here. Paxton switches to a five-string banjo to better articulate the melody. Felix Arndt’s “Nola” is another ragtime-meets-novelty piano tune. Alexander and Paxton converse brilliantly on the melody, underpinned by a steady, uncluttered rhythm section.

“Blackstick’ is another Sidney Bechet classic. Alexander boils Bechet’s style to its essence, cruising through the chorus and verse before passing to Fowkes for a rollicking solo, before Alexander re-enters, channeling Barney Bigard.  Often referred to as an “Edwardian romance,” Emile Grimshaw’s 1928 banjo quartet tune, “You and a Canoe,” is a haunting, chamber music-like ballad that begins with Paxton before Alexander slowly picks up the melody. It’s Adkins’ arco bass that delivers the chamber music feel.

In Marble Falls, TX, there’s a coffee shop/vintage music venue called the Ragtime Oriole, named after the tune of the same name by James Sylvester Scott. Scott is considered one of the three most important composers of classic ragtime.  This is one of the strongest features for Paxton, a tune he has played globally. After a mellow beginning, the ragtime ensues with banjo and feisty, soaring clarinet. Jimmy Blythe’s 20’s “Little Bits” is not pure ragtime but a nod to clarinetist Johnny Dodds. The swinging tune is infused with tinges of Chicago’s South Side and Jimmie Noone. Call it early ‘stomp” music.

Invariably, the quintet turns to Jelly Roll Morton for the final two tracks. “Shreveport Stomp” is complex, but Alexander deftly navigates it, with Fowkes’ spot-on counterpoint. Dorn wings on the ride cymbal, employing the toms for the backbeats. The lone vocal tune is Morton/’s “Sweetheart O Mine,” also known as “Froggie Moore” or “Frog-I-More Rag.”  After the lyrics, Alexander commands the swinging melody, as Adkins thumping bass and Fowkes percussive piano enter the fray. The stomping double ending is the perfect exclamation point for this trip down memory lane; some of the pieces are 110 years old. This is a fresh take on the origins of jazz.  You won’t hear better players of this form anywhere.

 

– Jim Hynes

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