Aaron Jonah Lewis - The Ragtime Dance - Ragtime Banjo Revival Live at New England Conservatory

"When you want a real syncopated rag, well done with plenty of gravy, have it served hot on a banjo." -- Thomas Armstrong (1859-1932)
"The Ragtime Dance," by Scott Joplin from the sixth annual Gunther Schuller Legacy Concert; a joint presentation of New England Conservatory and the Gunther Schuller Society at NEC's Jordan Hall, Nov 21, 2023.
Aaron Jonah Lewis, banjo
Honor Hickman, flute
Corinne Foley, oboe
Evan Chu, clarinet
Abigail Heyrich, bassoon
Graham Lovely, French horn
Ethan Shen, bass saxophone
Arranged for banjo by Chris Sands
Original wind ensemble arrangement by Aaron Jonah Lewis with French horn part by Hankus Netsky.
For decades around the turn of the 20th century classic finger-style banjo was the most popular kind of music in the English-speaking world, although today it is all but forgotten. This music comes from African-American music that was appropriated for minstrel shows and mingled with other popular styles of European and distinctly American origin. It gave rise to ragtime (for example, both of Scott Joplin’s parents played classic banjo), which fed into the development of jazz, etc. Classic banjo provides a missing link between the banjo of minstrel shows and the banjo of early jazz and country music.
Ragtime music represents the first music and dance movement of free Black people in the US. Its composers intended to create a music that would entertain and elevate, a music both lighthearted and dignified that could respond to Western European traditions and form a foundation for American popular and art music to come. Ragtime also represents the pinnacle of popular music before the widespread adoption of audio recording technology. These were the last days that the only way a person could hear music was by being within earshot of someone playing or singing, or by creating music themselves.
My primary interest and challenge in this project is to find ways to make a near-dead form of music compelling and engaging in an environment where many people regard any activity involving history or looking to the past as out-of-touch or moving backward. For me this music provides a missing link in our shared cultural history. It opens doors to discussion and understanding of how we got to where we are now.
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