Maple Leaf Rag, by Aaron Jonah Lewis & Ragtime Banjo Revival

Maple Leaf Rag

by Aaron Jonah Lewis & Ragtime Banjo Revival

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Includes high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more. Paying supporters also get unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app.

Also includes high quality printable 8.5"x11" PDF downloads for AJL's original banjo arrangement in standard notation and five-string banjo tablature. Liner notes and album credits included on back cover.

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	1.	Maple Leaf Rag 03:21		buy track
	2.	Maple Leaf Rag Rehearsal (Bonus Track) 03:35		buy track

about

“When you want a real syncopated rag, well done with plenty of gravy, have it served hot on a banjo.” — Thomas Armstrong (1859-1932)

For decades around the turn of the 20th century classic finger-style banjo was the most popular kind of music in the English-speaking world, although today it is all but forgotten. This music comes from African-American music that was appropriated for minstrel shows and mingled with other popular styles of European and distinctly American origin. It gave rise to ragtime (for example, both of Scott Joplin’s parents played three-finger banjo), which fed into the development of jazz. Classic banjo provides a missing link between the banjo of minstrel shows and the banjo of early jazz and country music.

Ragtime music represents the first music and dance movement of free Black people in the US. Its composers intended to create a music that would entertain and elevate, a music both lighthearted and dignified that could respond to Western European traditions and form a foundation for American popular and art music to come. Ragtime also represents the pinnacle of popular music before the widespread adoption of audio recording technology. These were the last days that the only way a person could hear music was by being within earshot of someone playing or singing, or by creating music themselves.

My primary interest and challenge in this project is to find ways to make a near-dead form of music compelling and engaging in an environment where many people regard looking to the past as out-of-touch or moving backward. For me this music provides a missing link in our shared cultural history. It opens doors to discussion and understanding of how we got to where we are now.
— AJL

Scott Joplin (1868–1917) was an American composer and pianist. Dubbed the "King of Ragtime,” he composed more than 40 ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, and two operas. One of his first and most popular pieces, the "Maple Leaf Rag", became the genre's first and most influential hit, later being recognized as the quintessential rag. Joplin considered ragtime to be a form of classical music meant to be played in concert halls and largely disdained the performance of ragtime as honky tonk music most common in saloons.
— Wikipedia

www.ragtimebanjo.com

credits

released April 26, 2024

Banjo - Aaron Jonah Lewis
Cello - Abby Alwin
Guitar - Alex Belhaj
Piano - Cami Celestia
Uke - Grace van’t Hof

Recorded at Abby’s place in Ann Arbor by Ben Solomon, Thin Air Audio thinairaudio.com
Mixed and Mastered by Dave Schall Acoustic daveschallsound.com
Artwork by River Honey riverhoneystudios.com
Agilest Music 2024

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Aaron Jonah Lewis Detroit, Michigan

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