Frederick Hodges, here with Karen Simons, provided entertaining sets solo and in duets with other pianists.

Continued: Blind Boone Festival

Tucker opened with a set of solid ragtime. Swanson, who had just turned 16, showed the prowess that had won him top prize a week earlier in this year's World Championship Old Time Piano Playing Contest. Bostick charmed us with selections connected in some way or another with her "great-uncle Charlie" (Charles N. Daniels). Majchrzak (call him "Dr. Dave" -- he's a veterinarian) was his usual effervescent, entertaining self, and Poirer & Bourque, billed as "Two Pianos Alive," left the audience begging for more.

A quieter but no less exciting set was provided by Ventresco, Axelrod and Ault, who provided some great string band ragtime. Axelrod had the audience eating out of her hand with vocals on some zany lyrics from early ragtime tunes. Hodges and Blais, always show-stoppers, lived up to their advance billing, capping a three-hour marathon of incredible music.

Frank Hennessey has supplied quality pianos pro bono to the festival since its inception in 1991

Daytime activities on Monday and Tuesday included open piano performances, a tour of Boone landmarks and an in-depth seminar on his life and his music. Steve Standiford, the ever-capable emcee, kept the piano bench warm each day with amateurs and professionals alike. It would be interesting to learn what percentage of the audience also played ragtime piano, for it seemed he had no trouble recruiting on-the-spot entertainment.

Monday evening's concert added Paul Asaro, Terry Waldo and Reginald Robinson to the already staggering list of top-flight performers, all three of whom knew how to keep an audience entertained. The surprise hit of the evening, however, was classical pianist John Davis who had just released an entire CD of Boone's music. Salerno had wisely dedicated the second half of the concert to Davis, and his performance was nothing less than astounding.

It's safe to say that almost all of the audience knew only of Boone's ragtime compositions, of which there are two. However, Boone's concerts mostly featured classical music, including many of his own works, and Davis regaled the listeners with what Boone might have played 100 years ago. Davis had previously recorded the music of "Blind Tom" Wiggins, whose career intersected with Boone's, and he skillfully wove the history and the music of the two musicians together in a mesmerizing performance.

Ragtime pianist/scholar Terry Waldo, center, conversed with Bob and Nancy Ginn Martin, two volunteers who have been generous sponsors of the  festival.

August 2008 issue | © 2008 The Mississippi Rag

P.O. Box 19068, Minneapolis, MN 55419.