Contact: Maridith Geuder
STARKVILLE, Miss.--World-renowned musicians again will be performing during the 2009 Charles Templeton Ragtime Jazz Festival March 27 and 28 at Mississippi State University.
Now in its third year, the array of public concerts, mini-concerts, lectures, and school-outreach programs all showcase the unique syncopated styles considered distinctly American.
Featuring some of the best-known early 20th century musical genres, the popular series is sponsored each spring by MSU Libraries and their Charles Templeton Sr. Music Museum.
Veteran jazz musician Butch Thompson, a longtime performer on American Public Media's "A Prairie Home Companion" Saturday radio program, will be making his first appearance at the MSU event.
"The series grew out of the unique Templeton collection housed in Mitchell Memorial Library," explained Dean of Libraries Frances Coleman. "With more than 200 self-playing musical instruments, 22,000 pieces of sheet music and thousands of cylinder and flat-disc recordings, it offers a unique glimpse into the times that produced ragtime music."
Museum tours will complement the other parts of the two-day extravaganza, Coleman said, adding, "There's really something for everyone and for every age."
The major evening concerts will take place in historic Lee Hall auditorium, while the mini-concerts are scheduled for the more intimate John Grisham Room, located on the library's third floor.
This year's performers include:
--Mimi Blais, a classically trained Canadian pianist whose enthusiasm and talent have earned her the title of "The Queen of Ragtime." A crowd favorite making her third campus appearance, she will be visiting several Starkville and Oktibbeha County public schools to help introduce young students to the diverse sounds of ragtime piano.
--Brian Holland, a three-time World Old-Time Piano Playing Champion whose repertoire includes ragtime, stride and jazz. Also classically trained, he is making his second MSU appearance.
--British-born Sonny Leyland, an early boogie-woogie enthusiast also recognized as a blues, jazz and ragtime artist. In addition to being a solo performer, he leads the California-based Carl Sonny Leyland Trio that appears at numerous jazz festivals around the country.
--Butch Thompson, also is a writer and teacher who has held residencies at American University in Cairo and New England Conservatory of Music. His recordings include the Grammy-winning "Doc Chatham and Nicholas Peyton" on the Verve label.
To put the period, Templeton collection and music in context, historian and ragtime expert Dave Jasen will serve as 2009 emcee and lead Templeton Museum tours.
In addition to writing a definitive work about ragtime music, Jasen is a major collector of books, recordings, piano rolls, periodicals, catalogs, and sheet music dealing with American popular music.
For festival concert times and tickets, visit http://library.msstate.edu/ragtime/festival/reginfo.html.
For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.