Ragtime spectacular served up in Newlin

By EMILY TOADVINE
Staff Writer

Americans marched off to World War I to it and it's still heard as the ice cream trucks roll by. Ragtime music, which originated in the 1890s, is a part of American culture and should not be forgotten.

The brass band festival will make sure it isn't with a ragtime spectacular titled ``Ragtime: America's Music'' at 2 p.m. Saturday in Newlin Hall.

``The idea has been stewing in my head for several years,'' said George Foreman, festival organizer. ``I wanted to present a concert using several different groups to do a history of ragtime.''

Of all the many events he has dreamed of and pulled off during the nine years of band festivals, Foreman ranks this one at the top.

``This is probably the most ambitious as far as creating an event,'' he says.

He started working on it in November and expects it to last about an hour and a half.

The spectacular will use different groups to perform the ragtime and use a narrator to tell the story. Groups involved are the New Columbian Brass Band, Scott Kirby on piano and the New Walnut Street Orchestra. Two dancers, Renee Camus and Edward Stanford, both of Baltimore, Md., will demonstrate ragtime dances.

Foreman also is excited about having singer Topsy Chapman of New Orleans perform. She has sung throughout Europe and in Canada, Singapore and Malaysia. Foreman first saw her perform about 15 years ago when she had the lead in ``One Mo' Time,'' the story of the black vaudeville circuit. She has performed for the Queen of England and the Duke of Edinburgh.

Edward L. Berlin of New York City has written the narration.

``He's probably the best-known writer on the history of ragtime. A couple of years ago he wrote a wonderful book on Scott Joplin,'' Foreman said.

Nick Lawrence of WUKY will act as narrator.

Dick Domek, a University of Kentucky professor, has written a new rag that will be played for the first time by the New Walnut Street All-Stars. It is titled ``The New Walnut Street Rag.''

The program, which will trace the history of ragtime music, may be a launching pad for a road show. Foreman points out that The New Columbian Band plans to tour Florida this fall.

``I'm sort of hopeful that it might become the model for a program that we could do some touring with,'' Foreman said.