Here is a rare Olly Oakley Recording (c1908)

[thereallyniceman]

Well, for your delectation, here is another rare recording from one of the Classic Banjo greats. I had not heard it before, and possibly you won’t have heard it either?

David Wade tells me that Olly Oakley did not make any recordings in 1908 but made three recordings of Minuet:

March 1912  - Home Sweet Home was on the flip side and a violinist also credited

Jan 1906 - Edison Bell Cylinder

Dec 1905 - Gramophone record not sure of the B side

 

 

An Olly Oakley recording, from 1908, of “Minuet” by Paderewski, and beautiful it is too.

 

OLLY OAKLEY plays MINUET

 

“Classical” Classic Banjo… they are all good :-)

 

I hope that you Enjoy!!!

[Trapdoor2]

Yup. Enjoy, I did. Probably one of the better performances I've heard out of Mr. O. There's some serious technique buried in that one!

[Mike Moss]

Ouch, I remember reading that Olly originally played some classical music in his selections in the 1890s, but that he gave up on those later on... now I know why! It's a valiant effort, but he really mangles Paderewski's minuet, doesn't he?

[thereallyniceman]

A little lacking in light and shade and tempo variation, but not bad for five strings... if only I could play like that I would be happy enough.

I liked it, mangles and all...  but you know we scientists, no appreciation of the finer things in life that you classicists can enjoy.   ;-)

[Jody Stecher]

I just listened to half a dozen pianists play it on youtube, including Mr P-ewski himself and I can't say that that I hear where these alleged mangles take place on the OO recording. His interpretation of the time is literal, he leaves out the multi-octave flourishes, and ignores some ornamental features.  But where is it going really wrong? 

Mike Moss said:

Ouch, I remember reading that Olly originally played some classical music in his selections in the 1890s, but that he gave up on those later on... now I know why! It's a valiant effort, but he really mangles Paderewski's minuet, doesn't he?

[Mike Moss]

The tempo may be right, but the performance just feels aggressive, if that means anything -- very typically Oakley -- it lacks any form of subtleness, and that just kills it to my ears. I don't have a problem with his playing, I just don't think the piece is suited to his style, or to the banjo for that matter.

(Also, the trills sound a bit off, don't they?)

[Steve Harrison]

The recording system in 1908 couldn't have helped. Sitting in front of a gurt big horn and giving it enough wellie to actually make a recording on a master couldn't have been that easy. It always amazes me how good some of these early records are.

Mike Moss said:

The tempo may be right, but the performance just feels aggressive, if that means anything -- very typically Oakley -- it lacks any form of subtleness, and that just kills it to my ears. I don't have a problem with his playing, I just don't think the piece is suited to his style, or to the banjo for that matter.

(Also, the trills sound a bit off, don't they?)

[thereallyniceman]

Hey Steve, it is a darned good job that they only had the horn to stare at and that the video recorder had not been invented otherwise if they had cracked up on camera, like we do

... there wouldn't be any recordings available !!  :-)