Classic-Banjo

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The Yankee Hustler (1902)..Hon.Eugene E. Schmitz, mayor of San Francisco.

The story behind the composer of this tune is more remarkable than the tune itself.

Schmitz was Mayor of San Francisco at the time of the great earth quake. His eventual demise is a story of political corruption, extortion, graft and eventual imprisonment. It's a wonder he had time to compose anything!

http://downfalldictionary.blogspot.co.uk/2008/12/eugene-edward-schm...

This link will take you to the whole sorry tale.

Having said that, it's not a bad march and lends itself well to banjo with a couple of nice bass solos. This was the only published tune I could find by Schmitz, I suppose he hadn't much time to compose anything else, too busy breaking rocks!

The score and midi are in the library...Steve.

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Permalink Reply by Shawn McSweeny on July 13, 2015 at 17:59

Steve : You are producing arrangements faster than a speeding locomotive.

In the context of Schmitz' corrupt administration, the title is self-referencing and the subtitle should more appropriately have been " A Tribute to American Graft".

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Permalink Reply by Steve Harrison on July 13, 2015 at 22:03

Hi Shawn, well said, it reads more like the script from a gangster B movie. I could imagine James Cagney playing Schmitz.

I'm a man that likes to keep busy, I always have an arrangement underway on my desktop and whenever I have a spare few minutes between doing all the family stuff and chasing around after the grand kids, I get a bit more done. I rarely get the chance to do one straight off. I'm not one to sit on my backside gawping at the TV.....Steve.

Shawn McSweeny said:

Steve : You are producing arrangements faster than a speeding locomotive.

In the context of Schmitz' corrupt administration, the title is self-referencing and the subtitle should more appropriately have been " A Tribute to American Graft".