FREDERICK HODGES | "MANHATTAN SERENADE" | JAZZ AGE MASTERPIECES | COMPLETE ALBUM

Описание: Frederick Hodges is a California-based concert pianist known for ragtime, stride, and the American popular piano tradition of the early twentieth century. He appears as a soloist and with ensembles such as Don Neely’s Royal Society Jazz Orchestra, and he is a regular accompanist for silent-film screenings. His background includes formal classical training alongside a long record of jazz-era repertory on stage and in the studio. Press bios and presenter notes consistently cite his work across orchestral pops programs, festivals, and film events. That mix of scholarship, historical style, and stage craft sets the frame for this album.

Manhattan Serenade: Piano Masterpieces of the Jazz Age was released in 2011 on Rivermont Records (catalog BSW-2219) and runs roughly 78 minutes. The recording was made at the Piedmont Piano Company in Oakland on January 27, 2010, and the CD issue includes a 24-page color booklet with liner notes by the artist. Production credits list Bryan Wright and Frederick Hodges. Retail and discographic listings confirm a 22-track program, with streaming releases also dated 2011. These details lock in the album’s session date, label, packaging, and runtime.

The repertory is a survey of interwar novelty and stride showpieces anchored by Louis Alter’s “Manhattan Serenade” and rounded out with pieces by Billy Mayerl, Rube Bloom, Dana Suesse, George L. Cobb, and others. Hodges includes Mayerl’s Aquarium Suite miniatures (“Willow Moss,” “Moorish Idol,” “Fantail,” “Whirligig”), a compact take on Morton’s “Shreveport Stomp,” and character pieces such as “The Joker,” “Sweet William,” “Silhouette,” and “Sapphire.” The closer is a seven-minute set of “Variations on ‘Waiting for the Robert E. Lee.’” Album notes describe the concept plainly: a recital of lesser-travelled Jazz-Age piano gems played in period style. That makes the set both a document of the literature and a practical guide to how this music can sound on a modern instrument.

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Tracklist:
0:00 Manhattan Serenade
4:34 Dolly Dimples
8:11 Syncopated Love Song
12:04 Serenade to a Skyscraper
17:19 Shreveport Stomp
21:19 Willow Moss No. 1 From "Aquarium Suite"
24:29 Moorish Idol No. 2 From "Aquarium Suite"
27:39 Fantail No. 3 From "Aquarium Suite"
30:17 Whirligig No. 4 From "Aquarium Suite"
32:43 The Joker (A Further Contribution to "Four Aces")
36:23 Sweet William (A Syncopated Impression)
39:18 Estelle
42:42 Silhouette (A Musical Outline)
45:31 Sapphire (A Musical Gem)
48:35 That Futuristic Rag
51:18 Aunt Jemima's Birthday
54:28 Society Blues
57:56 The Cyclone
1:00:51 Chromatic Capers
1:04:05 Feeding the Kitty
1:06:43 Russianova
1:10:29 Variations on Waiting for the Robert E. Lee

For listeners approaching this as a full-album stream or continuous video, expect an arc that moves from urban lyricism to brisk dance rhythms and back to reflective character sketches. The program sequencing favors contrast: lyrical themes alternate with motor rhythms, and short suite movements break up the larger showpieces. Audio releases on major platforms mirror the CD’s contents and running order. While the playing is crisp and historically grounded, the recording remains studio-clear and free of archival noise, which suits long, uninterrupted listening. Use the timestamps in the video description to jump between suites, rags, and the finale.