Alexander’s Ragtime Band

This imaginative setting of Irving Berlin’s 1911 hit (see below) was written in 1989 by Jeffrey Taylor (see also below).

Despite its title, the song is a march as opposed to a rag and contains little syncopation. The song is a sequel to Berlin’s 1910 composition “Alexander and His Clarinet’, recounting the reconciliation between an African-American musician, Alexander Adams, and his flame Eliza Johnson as well as highlighting Alexander's innovative musical style. Berlin’s friend Jack Alexander, a cornet-playing African-American bandleader, inspired the title character.

Emma Carus, a vaudeville contralto renowned for her impressive lung power, introduced Berlin’s song to the public in the spring of 1911. Carus’ brassy performance of the song at the American Music Hall in Chicago on April 19, 1911 electrified the audience and she toured other metropolises such as Detroit and New York City with acclaimed performances that featured the catchy tune. Carus’ tour showcased the song in the United States and contributed to its immense popularity.

Amid the success of Carus’ national tour, the comedic duo of Arthur Collins and Byron G. Harlan released a phonograph recording of the song on May 23, 1911, which became the best-selling record in the United States for ten consecutive weeks. Berlin’s jaunty melody “sold a million copies of sheet music in 1911, then another million in 1912, and continued to sell for years afterwards” and it became “the number one song from October 1911 through January 1912”.

Although not a traditional ragtime song, Berlin’s composition kickstarted a ragtime jubilee—a belated celebration of the music which African-Americans had originated a decade prior in the 1890s. The positive international reception of “Alexander's Ragtime Band” led to a musical and dance revival known as “the ragtime craze”.

Bessie Smith recorded a cover in 1927 which became one of the hit songs of that year, fifteen years after its first surge of popularity. It was popular again in 1934 with the release of a close harmony cover by the Boswell Sisters, and in 1938 with a musical film of the same name starring Tyrone Power and Alice Faye. A variety of artists have since covered the song, including Al Jolson, Billy Murray, Louis Armstrong, Bing Crosby, and others; there were at least a dozen hit covers within fifty years of its release.

In this exciting and uniquely creative arrangement, a three-note melodic fragment begins the entire arrangement and creates some interesting tensions before launching into the “hip” swing-march treatment. A “written-out” dixieland treatment features four of our “jazziest” players. The arrangement ends with a strong, straight-ahead shout chorus which should leave the audience asking for more!

Arranger Jeff Taylor has composed and arranged numerous jazz and popular music pieces, many published by Barnhouse Music. His catalog includes arrangements of classics such as Alexander’s Ragtime Band, Basin Street Parade, Big Swing Face, Blues ‘N Bop, Dancing Men, Don’t Push It!, Eclipse, and 1812 Overture.

Taylor is a former member of the United States Navy Band and a retired master chief musician. He is also co-owner of the publishing company, William Allen Music, which published this arrangement.

The music for Alexander’s Ragtime Band was provided for the band by Barb Murray “for the love of music”.