BUNNY FOY with Lino Patruno Jazz Show
"Alexander's Ragtime Band"
Bunny Foy (vocals), Carlo Bagnoli (soprano saxophone), Sante Palumbo (piano), Lino Patruno (guitar), Marco Ratti (bass),
Carlo Sola (drums).
Milan, January 29, 1979
http://www.linopatruno.it
http://www.cambiamusica.it
http://www.michaelsupnick.com
"Alexander's Ragtime Band" is the name of a song by Irving Berlin. It was his first major hit, in 1911. There is some evidence, although inconclusive, that Irving Berlin borrowed the melody from a draft composition submitted by Scott Joplin that had been submitted to a publisher.
"Alexander's Ragtime Band" is not itself an example of the ragtime musical idiom; apart from some mild syncopation, it has almost none of ragtime's characteristic features. Nonetheless, the lyrics clearly refer to the arrival of African-American musicians on the popular scene with their then-new idea of playing standard songs in a more exciting up-tempo style.
This song was played on the decks of the Titanic by the ship's band, as the ship sank beneath the waters on April 15, 1912.
The song has been recorded by many artists, including Al Jolson, Billy Murray, Louis Armstrong, George Formby, Bing Crosby, The Andrews Sisters, Bessie Smith, Ella Fitzgerald, and Ray Charles.
A 1938 film of the same name was loosely based on the song.
A version of the song set to a disco beat was recorded by Ethel Merman for her infamous Ethel Merman Disco Album in 1979.
The song was used in Tennessee politics by Lamar Alexander, a trained pianist, Governor of Tennessee and U.S. Senator, who performed the song for campaign events, including during his 1996 run for the Republican presidential nomination.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander's_Ragtime_Band
