More tracks from Fred Van Eps to delight us!

[thereallyniceman]

Here are two more tracks, again kindly sent to me by Rainier Lanselle, from the very last record made by Van Eps in the late 1950s.

His skill and artistry are truly breathtaking. The crispness of his playing and subtle use of passing notes, along with slight changes of rhythm, in Neil Moret’s composition “Silverheels” is amazing to me. I hope that you will agree.

 

… I can feel the “WOW” inside when listen to him play this piece.

SILVERHEELS played by Fred Van Eps

 

The second track is of Ted Snyder’s "Ramshackle Rag", another ragtime piece that I had not heard before, so I asked Steve if he could have a go at doing an arrangement and, sure enough in the blink of an eye, he did.

I have added his score to the MUSIC LIBRARY.

 

Of course, Van Eps adds plenty of his own twiddly bits to the piece :-)

ENJOY !

RAMSHACKLE RAG by Fred Van Eps

[Jody Stecher]

Thanks again for this. This is so interesting to me. I've long thought Van Eps's 1919 recording of Silver Heels to be one of the greatest pieces of recorded banjo playing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXtXIBHNvfA

 

This LP version sounds more like a human being playing an actual banjo. I can hear how he's doing everything. The fifth string in particular is more audibly the sound of an open string than on the early recording. The piano playing here makes more musical sense to me than Frank Banta's accompaniment (just this record, I'm not dissing Banta), it's closer in timing to VFE and it brings out the "Indian" theme. (see images below)

I have not seen or heard the words. Has anyone here? I bet they're horrible doggerel along the lines of 

Little Sil-Ver-Heels

Pretty Sil-Ver-Heels

She was an Indian Maid

Who in her tipi stayed

Untilonenightshemetabravewhostoleherheartaway

 

etc

 

 

 

[Jody Stecher]

It seems that Daniels as Moret specialized in Indian themed musical compositions.

[Jody Stecher]

I found the words. They are worse than I feared. "Cook my meals" is the first rhyme for Silver Heels. How romantic.

Silverheels
Words by Jas Odea; music by Neil Moret
Published 1905

Where the corn-flo'rs wave once an Indian brave,
All unfettered by the white man's law,
Loved a pretty little crow-foot squaw
Just the sweetest and neatest little girl he ever saw.
She was always coy to this Indian boy,
To his heart she didn't do a thing.
When the moon-beams on the river set
the shadows all a quiver,
then he'd sing:

[chorus]
I love you and you love me,
Pretty little Silver Heels
I'll build you a big tee-pee,
If you will come and cook my meals.
Young Chief's blue and all for you,
Plenty heap he love-sick feels
Don't be missing,
heap much kissing,
Silver Heels

When the summer goes and the north-wind blows,
In a cozy little wig-wam we,
"Will be always right at home" said he
"With a hubby and a chubby little papoose on your knee."
But the maiden shy only dropped her eye,
As a tender little sigh she sighed.
While her copper colored lover
'neath the silv'ry stars above her,
once more cried:

I love you and you love me,
Pretty little Silver Heels
I'll build you a big tee-pee,
If you will come and cook my meals.
Young Chief's blue and all for you,
Plenty heap he love-sick feels
Don't be missing,
heap much kissing,
Silver Heels

[Mike Moss]

Finally got a moment to listen to these new Van Eps tracks -- and my thoughts about Van Eps' talent have been confirmed! Whereas some players decline over time, Fred's talent matured like a fine wine. I find his later recordings from the 1940s/50s to be much more subtle and musical than his earlier works. They all have an added swing, a jazzed up flair that his earlier recordings lacked, combined with his amazing trademark tone. Just amazing music, overall. Thanks Ian and Rainier for sharing this.

[thereallyniceman]

Rainier has been searching through his pile of goodies again and has sent me an original manuscript of  Fred Van Eps' arrangement of Ramshackle Rag.

He also found another transcription done by Wayne Adams (His name seems to appear quite regularly on hand written transcription scores... does anyone know anything about him?)

So along with Steve Harrison's arrangement, we now have THREE versions of the score.

I have added all the versions to the MUSIC LIBRARY for FREE download as a PDF file, so there can be no excuses now!    ;-)

[Shawn McSweeny]

Wayne Adams is an elderly gent living in Toronto, Canada. He has had a lifelong passion for the banjo and was quite a player in younger days. He was adept at transcribing from recordings. He is still a member of the ABF, but stopped attending rallies in recent years.

thereallyniceman said:

He also found another transcription done by Wayne Adams (His name seems to appear quite regularly on hand written transcription scores... does anyone know anything about him?)

[steve leuschner]

Wayne was my first banjo teacher . He Taught classic banjo . He also played flamenco very well and piano . Last I saw him before I spent 21 years in Asia he was doing transcriptions from old cylinder recordings for first and second banjo . I don't know if he is still in Toronto , love to say hi . Thank you

[thereallyniceman]

Hi Steve,

Welcome to Classic Banjo Ning. Wayne Adams certainly did produce some accurate transcriptions of Van Eps' playing, I have a few, but if anyone has any I would love to add them to the MUSIC LIBRARY for all to share. Please contact me or post them in the discussion forum if you are able to help.

Sorry to bring bad news but I have been told that Wayne died last year.