Van Eps' "Dixie Medley"

[Trapdoor2]

I can't recall if we've looked for these dots or not...and naturally, my collection is packed away.

I was listening to "Dixie Medley" today at lunch and marvelling at Mr. Eps facility with the jigs and reels. I know he recorded a wide variety of versions, some with "Suwanee River" done in tremelo fashion and some not.

Anyone have the dots to this ? I would like to see how it was arranged, esp. in comparison to today's methods. Would be a fun one to trot out in front of the bluegrassers, esp. since they all think they invented this stuff. ;-)

[Joel Hooks]

Um, I read through the manuscript version this morning. Though it was written front and back, it seems incomplete or something.

[Joel Hooks]

I do have one other manuscript.  Published in the winter 1984 issue of the 5-Stringer no. 155 is a handwritten copy from Zarh Bickford.  This goes with the republication of his article from B.M.G. "Advanced Technique on the Banjo."  

I plan on closely reading the article for bedtime reading this evening.

Cool stuff like this is just another reason to join the ABF!

[Texican65]

Wow....that was unreal. Never would I have thought I'd ever hear Van Eps voice. He mentioned an automatic banjo...and a player named Tommy Glenn I think...that Ossman got all his stuff from. Is anybody familiar with Glenn's works? Thanks for sharing that Ian! Any luck finding the '55 interview?

 

And many thanks Jody for sharing that link. Very informative and interesting. I would have thought info. like that is long gone by to-day....I was very happy to read about Van Eps in his own words, and I especially liked hearing him talk about Vess Ossman. How he looked up to him and learned all Vess' songs by listening to them on wax cylinders over and over....but then how Vess' playing deteriorated over the years because he didnt keep up with it. Love hearing this stuff....thanks again!

Joel, I was borned a raised in Grand Prairie!

 

Pick on!  Dow

[Jody Stecher]

That's Tommy Glynn, Dow. He and Vess L played together. There are photos of them together.  Here's one.

[Texican65]

WOW thats neat Jody...look how young they were! What happened to Glynn, and are there any recordings of his available? I dont see any of his stuff on the juke box. I just listened to Ossman's A MEDLEY OF OLD TIMERS....its the same as TURKEY IN THE STRAW MEDLEY.....all the same songs anyways...but played slightly different by him, and the piano also slightly different, I think at a later time of course.

What kind of banjos are those?

 

Dow

[Jody Stecher]

My best guess is that these are Morrison banjos but don't take my word for it. The peg heads look like Morrison. Maybe.

Here's a discussion about Tommy Glynn

http://classic-banjo.ning.com/forum/topics/fred-bacon-plays-west-la...

[Trapdoor2]

Most of Glynn's stuff was published by Lincoln Gatcomb. I have: Glynn's Grand March, Queen of the Forest, Blushing Rose, Glorianna Waltz, Old Homestead Polka, West Lawn Polka and Under The Roses. Maybe a few more I haven't yet cataloged.

And yes, those look like Morrison banjos. Go here: http://www.billsbanjos.com/Morrison2.htm 

[Trapdoor2]

Oh, and I forgot. Here's the TAB and FVE's 1923-published dots for "Dixie Medley". I've already sent them via PM to Dow, but if anyone else is interested...

[Texican65]

A thousand thanks Marc! I just attempted to plunk through it...and it made me smile. I'm not as familiar with the FVE version as the Ossman version...so it sounds a little different than what I am used to, but still...I am amazed after all these years that I'm finally seeing what they were doing...it is definately different than what I had come up with on my own. Thanks for making my day good buddy! Which recording of Fred's should I listen to to hear this proper?

 

Dow

[Trapdoor2]

Heck, I don't know. FVE cut lots of these and they're all just a little bit different. I'm quite sure professionals like FVE and Ossman threw these together on the fly during recording sessions...and they show up with a bunch of different names and sometimes different melodies stuffed in there.

Here's the MIDI just for fun. Now...back to TABbing "Hoop-e-Kack"!

[Richard William Ineson]

Tommy Glynn caught diptheria and died at the age of 25.
Texican65 said:

WOW thats neat Jody...look how young they were! What happened to Glynn, and are there any recordings of his available? I dont see any of his stuff on the juke box. I just listened to Ossman's A MEDLEY OF OLD TIMERS....its the same as TURKEY IN THE STRAW MEDLEY.....all the same songs anyways...but played slightly different by him, and the piano also slightly different, I think at a later time of course.

What kind of banjos are those?

 

Dow

[Gatcomb]

I reckon it was actually Typhoid Fever. Legend has it that in his final hours, “...realizing that death was at hand, he called for pencil and paper that he might compose a funeral march for his beloved banjo.”

Richard William Ineson said:

Tommy Glynn caught diptheria and died at the age of 25.