smalin | The Charleston Celebrates its 100th Birthday! @smalin | Uploaded January 2024 | Updated October 2024, 3 hours ago.
The Charleston, composed and performed by James P. Johnson, with an animated graphical score.
FAQ
Q: Where can I get the sheet music for this?
A: For this video, I used Paul Marcorelle' transcription as a starting point ...
blueblackjazz.com/en/transcription/84/84-james-p-johnson-charleston-bb-maj-transcription-pdf
Q: Wasn't it composed in 1923?
A: Yes. Sorry for the misleading title. What happened was this: I was listening to the radio, and there was a segment "music that enters the public domain in 2024" and they mentioned the Charleston. I thought, "hey, I ought to celebrate that with a video" and started looking around for recordings/scores/etc. I found several things tying it to 1924 (including a roll recorded by Johnson in that year). I'd previously done a video for Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue (composed in 1924), and I knew that it entered the public domain in 2024, so I assumed that the "enters the public domain" thing I heard on the radio meant that the Charleston was composed in 1924. But you're right, it's definitely 1923, and I believe the recording I'm using is also from 1923. Should I have made the video a year earlier? I guess so. But I missed the opportunity, so I'm celebrating now.
Q: Is this an actual (audio) recording of James P. Johnson's interpretation or is it from a piano roll he might've made?
A: I don't know. The video I got the audio from ( youtube.com/watch?v=4ajtCKLTOiM ) says that it's from "a 1923 recording of Johnson ... playing" which sounds like they mean an audio recording. However, the sound is very clean --- not what I'm used to from 78s of that era. That would make me suspect it was from a roll (and I know that he recorded rolls, e.g. youtube.com/watch?v=NN0z4uXITOw ), except that there are nuances in the dynamics which seem unlike playbacks from rolls. The page selling the transcription says "From the original recording of March 1924," but I haven't found a recording marked "1924" that matches the transcription. There's a 1925 roll ( youtube.com/watch?v=3kJWdUFzL0Y ), but that's not it, either.
Q: I appreciate the fact that you don't have ads on your videos; how can I support your work?
A: There are several ways:
free: like, subscribe, spread the word
donate: click the Thanks button
subscribe: patreon.com/musanim
underwrite: musanim.com/underwriting
Q: Could you please do a video of _______?
A: Please see this:
musanim.com/requests
The Charleston, composed and performed by James P. Johnson, with an animated graphical score.
FAQ
Q: Where can I get the sheet music for this?
A: For this video, I used Paul Marcorelle' transcription as a starting point ...
blueblackjazz.com/en/transcription/84/84-james-p-johnson-charleston-bb-maj-transcription-pdf
Q: Wasn't it composed in 1923?
A: Yes. Sorry for the misleading title. What happened was this: I was listening to the radio, and there was a segment "music that enters the public domain in 2024" and they mentioned the Charleston. I thought, "hey, I ought to celebrate that with a video" and started looking around for recordings/scores/etc. I found several things tying it to 1924 (including a roll recorded by Johnson in that year). I'd previously done a video for Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue (composed in 1924), and I knew that it entered the public domain in 2024, so I assumed that the "enters the public domain" thing I heard on the radio meant that the Charleston was composed in 1924. But you're right, it's definitely 1923, and I believe the recording I'm using is also from 1923. Should I have made the video a year earlier? I guess so. But I missed the opportunity, so I'm celebrating now.
Q: Is this an actual (audio) recording of James P. Johnson's interpretation or is it from a piano roll he might've made?
A: I don't know. The video I got the audio from ( youtube.com/watch?v=4ajtCKLTOiM ) says that it's from "a 1923 recording of Johnson ... playing" which sounds like they mean an audio recording. However, the sound is very clean --- not what I'm used to from 78s of that era. That would make me suspect it was from a roll (and I know that he recorded rolls, e.g. youtube.com/watch?v=NN0z4uXITOw ), except that there are nuances in the dynamics which seem unlike playbacks from rolls. The page selling the transcription says "From the original recording of March 1924," but I haven't found a recording marked "1924" that matches the transcription. There's a 1925 roll ( youtube.com/watch?v=3kJWdUFzL0Y ), but that's not it, either.
Q: I appreciate the fact that you don't have ads on your videos; how can I support your work?
A: There are several ways:
free: like, subscribe, spread the word
donate: click the Thanks button
subscribe: patreon.com/musanim
underwrite: musanim.com/underwriting
Q: Could you please do a video of _______?
A: Please see this:
musanim.com/requests
