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Elspode · 06-04-2005, 08:45 PM

This is my favorite time of year. First, Pagan Fest culminates over Memorial Day weekend, and then, the following Saturday, the humble Missouri town of Sedalia hosts a gathering of some of the most accomplished musicians on the planet. Although I could only attend one of the two days of Joplin Festival events, my second-ever trip to this amazing event was pleasurable in every way.

If you are not a follower of the march tempo/syncopated/whorehouse inspired musical form known as "ragtime" (allegedly so-called because it was what the piano players in the bawdyhouses played for the girls who were on their...ahem...um...monthly one-week sabbaticals), then you might not know who any of these people are, but they are the absolute best at what they do. Artists such as Jeff Barnhart, Mimi Blais, Brian Holland and many, many others walk amongst we mere mortals, alternating between being "just folk" and then playing the most mind-boggling, stunning piano rags, boogies and cakewalks one can conceive.

But why are such a stellar array of luminaries gathered each year in this old railroad town? They are there to pay homage to Mr. Scott Joplin, without a doubt the greatest and most enduring composer of the genre of ragtime. Scott Joplin only lived for a few short years in Sedalia while he attended the black college there, completing his musical education. While in Sedalia, Joplin worked at The Maple Leaf Club (and probably tickled the ivories in one of the many purpose-built brothels located throughout the bustling railroad town). Indeed, his best known piece is named for the club.

The building which housed the Maple Leaf Club burned to the ground in 1950, leaving the City of Sedalia to place this marker there to commemorate the historical significance of the trackside site. If you had stood in the entrance of the Maple Leaf, the second picture is what you'd have seen across the street...a row of buildings (now abandoned and on the National Historic Buildings register), some dating back to the 1880s, when Sedalia was something of a railroad boom town.

06-04-2005, 08:45 PM	#1
Elspode When Do I Get Virtual Unreality? Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Raytown, Missouri Posts: 12,719	The Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival This is my favorite time of year. First, Pagan Fest culminates over Memorial Day weekend, and then, the following Saturday, the humble Missouri town of Sedalia hosts a gathering of some of the most accomplished musicians on the planet. Although I could only attend one of the two days of Joplin Festival events, my second-ever trip to this amazing event was pleasurable in every way. If you are not a follower of the march tempo/syncopated/whorehouse inspired musical form known as "ragtime" (allegedly so-called because it was what the piano players in the bawdyhouses played for the girls who were on their...ahem...um...monthly one-week sabbaticals), then you might not know who any of these people are, but they are the absolute best at what they do. Artists such as Jeff Barnhart, Mimi Blais, Brian Holland and many, many others walk amongst we mere mortals, alternating between being "just folk" and then playing the most mind-boggling, stunning piano rags, boogies and cakewalks one can conceive. But why are such a stellar array of luminaries gathered each year in this old railroad town? They are there to pay homage to Mr. Scott Joplin, without a doubt the greatest and most enduring composer of the genre of ragtime. Scott Joplin only lived for a few short years in Sedalia while he attended the black college there, completing his musical education. While in Sedalia, Joplin worked at The Maple Leaf Club (and probably tickled the ivories in one of the many purpose-built brothels located throughout the bustling railroad town). Indeed, his best known piece is named for the club. The building which housed the Maple Leaf Club burned to the ground in 1950, leaving the City of Sedalia to place this marker there to commemorate the historical significance of the trackside site. If you had stood in the entrance of the Maple Leaf, the second picture is what you'd have seen across the street...a row of buildings (now abandoned and on the National Historic Buildings register), some dating back to the 1880s, when Sedalia was something of a railroad boom town. Attached Images __________________ "To those of you who are wearing ties, I think my dad would appreciate it if you took them off." - Robert Moog Last edited by Elspode; 06-04-2005 at 09:20 PM.