Craig Ventresco & Meredith Axelrod, "Buffalo Rag"

Craig Ventresco & Meredith Axelrod play "Buffalo Rag" on November 22, 2008 at the 22nd annual West Coast Ragtime Festival in Sacramento CA.
Visit their websites at:
www.craigventre...
www.myspace.com...

[@0276boy]

Listen to his "ragged" fingering. A perfect interpretation of the melody. Absolutely fantastic. As a ragtime fanatic I have to agree. This is one of the best.

[@ddanze]

I have a 1937 Gibson just like the one Craig is playing, still under restoration. Nice to see one played in this style~!

[@briansinclair4961]

perfect. couldn't be better

[@KawhackitaRag]

This is one of the best things I've EVER seen on TH-cam!
This is definitely based upon Vess Ossman's recording, rather than the sheet music. Still a fantastic performance!
I agree that Craig Ventresco and Meredith Axelrod are different than 95% of the acoustic guitarists out there... I like them better, I've had enough of all the singer-songwriters with their mostly same-sounding crap (although I have heard a few good ones).

[@ddanze]

this is FABULOUS! you picked a great tune to arrange here and had the sense to break it up in 2 guitars.

[@KawhackitaRag]

By the way, this rag was composed by Tom Turpin, and published in 1904. It is very interesting, since (like Turpin's seminal "Harlem Rag" of 1897) it has variations on the themes written-out, indicating that perhaps the first version of a theme is Turpin's original idea, with the subsequent (usually more syncopated) variations being, perhaps, his improvisations on them, captured by the person who notated the music.
This would make these rags possibly early written examples of improvisation!