Summer Concert Series: Elite Syncopation with Roy Wiseman
Elizabeth Park Rose Garden
West Hartford
Aug. 1, 2024
After thunderstorms postponed a regularly scheduled Wednesday performance, I rang in August on Thursday evening by going to the Elizabeth Park Rose Garden in West Hartford to hear the musical stylings of Elite Syncopation.
The group, which consists of Liz Smith, on flute, clarinet, and saxophone; Perry Elliot, violin; Julie Ribchinsky, cello; Roy Wiseman, double bass; and Gary Chapman, piano, specializes in performances of early blues, ragtime, and jazz. The concert was a collection of classic American music from 100 years ago, focusing on key musicians of the Harlem Renaissance, including Duke Ellington, Scott Joplin, and Jelly Roll Morton. Perry Elliot was unable to make the concert, so a substitute from the Hartford Symphony Orchestra stepped in.
So I pulled up with my blanket in one hand, a root beer float courtesy of the Snack Shack in the other, and tuned in for some early 20th century music. (Note: I may or may not have had two root beer floats during the evening.)
The concert was also a music lesson. Emcee Roy Wiseman explored the history and context of each piece as he introduced them.
The quintet played the song from which it got its name: Elite Syncopations, written by Scott Joplin. I have a soft spot for Joplin, as I wrote a paper about him in college and became fascinated by his story. Wiseman note that Joplin’s goal was to prove that ragtime was more than just music for dancing. He wanted it to be considered “America’s classical music.”
I’ve said this before, but I’m a sucker for some good ass clarinet, and Liz Smith brought the heat. The clarinet was the featured instrument for most of the songs. Smith was able to coax the full range of sounds out of the woodwind instrument, from playful high notes that danced above the accompaniment to sorrowful lows that mingled with the bass line. She also played the saxophone when the music called for it.
Another song with an interesting backstory is the wordily named “I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate.” Early 20th century violinist Armond Piron is typically given credit for writing the song. However, Louis Armstrong claimed that he wrote it and sold it to Piron for $50 when he was down on his luck.
At times it felt like Smith was making the clarinet talk. I could hear it beckoning me to the dance floor, calling out to forget my inhibitions and just dance. A few members of the crowd heeded the call, waltzing slowly to the music.
The concert was a testament to the timelessness of ragtime music and the skilled professionals who still perform it. Joplin was trying to create an American classical music. He succeeded.
NEXT
The Summer Concert Series hosts the Daniel Salazar Ensemble on Aug. 7.
Jamil is taking the weekend off. See you next week!
