HAMADA, Takasi, a Japanese ragtime guitarist plays amazing acoustic guitar arrangements of classic rags by Scott Joplin, Joseph Lamb, David Thomas Roberts, as well as his originals.

14 MP3 Songs
JAZZ: Ragtime, BLUES: Acoustic Blues



Details:
Forewords;

This is an album of the ragtime for guitar, same as my previous work "Climax Rag" (1999).
I love ragtime by David Thomas Roberts for several years, and I chose 4 of his works. "Roberto Clemente" is a masterpiece of modern ragtime.
I enjoyed playing rags by Scott Joplin, Joseph Lamb, James Scott, great ragtime composers, as well Blind Blake, king of ragtime blues guitarists, and my favorite traditional "Just A Closer Walk".

I also played my 3 originals. "Fuku-Fuku Rag" is dedicated to a restaurant which was in Otaru and now closed. "Sikuzusi" is the place name in Otaru, and this tune is an appendix of my another album "Akaiwa Suite" (2003). "Jacky Rag" is dedicated to "Jack In The Box", a restarurant in Sapporo.
I hope you enjoy this album.


1. Roberto Clemente (David Thomas Roberts)
David Thomas Roberts is the leading composer of today's Neo-Romantic music, including new ragtime. This well-known masterpiece of new ragtime was composed in 1979, and its title is taken from the name of legendary right-fielder of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

2. Waterloo Girls (David Thomas Roberts)
Composed in 1980. Perhaps all ragtime fans will be very happy to hear it! It is a beautiful example of his side of optimism.

3. The Girl Who Moved Away (David Thomas Roberts)
Composed in 1981-82. Heart-warming and very romantic composition. It is very melodious work, so it was easy for me to imagine it arranged for the guitar.

4. Pinelands Memoir (David Thomas Roberts)
Composed in 1978. It is his early masterpiece, combining quite unique latin elements into folk ragtime. I did my best efforts to arrange it for the guitar, and managed to do it.

5. Paragon Rag (Scott Joplin)
Scott Joplin (1868-1917) is king of ragtime and the composer of "Maple Leaf Rag". "Paragon Rag" is composed in 1909. Left-hand part of the original C part is the monotonic chord, though I simplified it into single bass line.

6. Pine Apple Rag (Scott Joplin)
Composed in 1908. I think it is Joplin's masterpiece of all of his late rags. Ton Van Bergeyk recorded his arrangement on Kicking Mule Records in 1970s.

7. The Alaskan Rag (Joseph Lamb)
Joseph F. Lamb (1887-1960) is also the great ragtime composer. He composed many beautiful ragtime, including "Sensation", "American Beauty" etc. "The Alaskan Rag" is composed in 1959. A masterpiece of his late rags.

8. Ragtime Bobolink (Joseph Lamb)
It is from the sheet book "Ragtime Treasures" (1964, posthumous). Its beautiful melodies remind me Romantic chamber music.

9. Great Scott Rag (James Scott)
Another king of ragtime, James Scott (1886-1938) composed many optimistic ragtime, such as "Frog Legs Rag", "Climax Rag" etc. "Great Scott Rag" is composed in 1909. My arrangement of it is fingerbreaking work!

10. West Coast Blues (Blind Blake)
Authur 'Blind' Blake (1895?-1932) is the foremost guitarist of the ragtime blues. This is one of his famous guitar rags. My arragement is in my original Otarunay tuning, "EbAbCFCEb".

11. Sikuzusi (Takashi Hamada)
I have composed several ragtime-based compositions by solo guitar. On this CD you can hear my 3 originals. "Sikuzusi" [place at the foot of the cliff] is the ancient place name in Ainu, indigenous people in Hokkaido, Japan. Composed in 2004.

12. Fuku Fuku Rag (Takashi Hamada)
Composed in 2003. Relatively authentic classic rag. It is dedicated to a restaurant which was in Otaru and now closed.

13. Jacky Rag (Takashi Hamada)
Composed in 1997. Very optimistic rag. Too many notes to play!

14. Just A Closer Walk With Thee (Traditional)
My favorite Gospel tune. I heard it firstly on the album "Jazz at Vespers / George Lewis".

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Profile of HAMADA, Takasi (same as Takashi, his first name. HAMADA is his family name.)

HAMADA was born in Otaru City, Hokkaido Island, Japan on December 11, 1964. He is all-time guitarist playing on the street, his own live concert, or playing at restaurant as BGM.

And until now, he has composed over 40 classic rag style tunes and several ragtime influenced tunes for guitar. He loves modern ragtime too, such as David Thomas Roberts, Jack Rummel, Tom Shea, Tom McDermott etc. In Japan, few people knows about them, and he hopes that they become more popular in Japan.

He is Japanese, but he is also an editor of "Ainu-Times", which is a quaterly newspaper writing in Ainu language.


His Guitar Tuning;

His guitar style is quite unique. He can play in standard tuning, but more often plays in "Otarunay-Tuning" (EbAbCFCEb : 6 to 1). Using this tuning, he can always play the alternative bass, and can easily play ragtime in Ab key.
It fits to arrange piano rags for the guitar, and when he plays classic rags, it is always used. Also it is very helpful to avoid Russian sailor saying "please let me play your guitar!"