If you are a fan of American music and wish to expand your musical horizons, you may want to consider coming to the Westport Library on Sunday, November 8 at
2:00 p.m. for a fun-loving concert by The Ragtime Evolution Quartet. You may recognize the term ragtime music from the academy award-winning 1973 film The Sting. This movie which featured Paul Newman and Robert Redford as two con artists, was enhanced by Marvin Hamlisch's Academy Award winning orchestrations of the original Scott Joplin rags including Solace, Pineapple Rag, Easy Winners, Gladiolus Rag, Rag Time Dance and The Entertainer.
With the success of the movie soundtrack, ragtime music, an antecedent of jazz that utiilized syncopation in a new way and was popular from 1893 to 1918, underwent a renaissance. Musicians such as Dick Hyman, Max Morath and Joshua Rifkin spread the word with numerous concerts and gigs. The venerable classical composer Gunther Schuller formed the New England Conservatory Ragtime Ensemble; with that group, he recorded Red-Back Book which showcased the compositions of Scott Joplin. It not only was a best seller but a Grammy Award winner in 1973.
The Ragtime Evolution Quartet consists of Lew Green on cornet; Mary Green, on piano; Vince Giordano on string bass, bass saxophone and tuba; and Ken Salvo on banjo. Their performances will not only entertain but educate you about this music and time period of American history.
If you can't make it to the concert or wish to learn more about this unique genre of American music, you may want to consider books and compact discs on ragtime from the library.
