At the turn of the 20th century, America’s popular music was dominated by a syncopated style known as “Ragtime,” famously promoted by Scott Joplin, the “King of Ragtime.” This musical phenomenon began in 1899 with Joplin’s “Maple Leaf Rag” and continued until his death in 1917. Maine musicologist Aaron Robinson notes, “Ragtime was music that people danced to—not just played on the piano.” Eventually, a new genre, Jazz, began to take over dance halls, shifting the focus from syncopation to swing.
Ragtime was largely forgotten for nearly 50 years until Marvin Hamlisch revived it through the film “The Sting,” starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford. “Instead of composing original music for the movie, Hamlisch realized there was all this wonderful music already written that was just waiting to be heard,” Robinson explains. This revival in the 1970s led to Joplin being awarded a posthumous Pulitzer Prize and Grammy awards for his music.
Among the composers contributing to this revival was Maine’s Glenn Jenks, who moved to Camden in 1972 and became a prominent figure in local pubs and Ragtime festivals. He founded the Harvest Ragtime Revue, which ran for 11 seasons, composing nearly 40 rags before his untimely death in 2016.
Jenks’s legacy continues through the Glenn Jenks Ragtime Revue and the “Future in Music” prize, awarded annually by the Bay Chamber’s “Young Stars of Maine” program. Aaron Robinson, a long-time friend of Jenks, oversees these initiatives as Artistic Director of the Ragtime Revue. Robinson also formed a nonprofit organization to present an annual event featuring top ragtime performers, with proceeds benefiting scholarships for young musicians in Maine.
This year’s Ragtime Revue on October 12 will showcase three-time world champion and Grammy-nominated Jazz-Ragtime pianist Brian Holland, along with Grammy-winning drummer Danny Coots. Robinson expressed his excitement, saying, “I’ve been trying to book these guys since the beginning of the Revue. They are so in demand.” Coots has historical ties to Maine, with family connections dating back to the 70s.
Also featured is Corte Swearingen, an archival ragtime pianist who will perform duets with Robinson, playing pieces by Jenks. “This is my first time performing in Maine,” Swearingen shared. “Music truly is the universal language, and coming together to honor an American original like Glenn Jenks is inspiring!”
Special guests include the song-and-dance duo Jones & Boyce, who have been part of the “New Vaudeville” movement since 1979. They recall their fond memories of collaborating with Jenks at various festivals. Susan Boyce will receive the 2024 Glenn Jenks Ragtime Emeritus Award, joining previous winners such as ragtime pianist Sue Keller and Joplin biographer Edward A. Berlin.
Additionally, ragtime author Larry Melton will be honored with the 2024 Glenn Jenks Lifetime Achievement Award, while Michael Bostock from Falmouth will receive this year’s “Future in Music” award, as he studies abroad at the Royal Northern College of Music.
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