Palm Court ‘Makin’ Whoopie’
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The Palm Court Light Orchestra will harken back to a time of boogie woogie fun with its upcoming Alexander’s Ragtime Band; a show that will kick off with the Irving Berlin piece it’s titled for. It’s a bit of a break from the tea-time music they often play, admits conductor Charles Job.
“We’re kind of kicking it up a notch,” he said of the season-opener Tuesday afternoon. “One of our board members of our society discovered this pianist on YouTube called Frederick Hodges. He’s a character who’s sort of a time-warp in a sense.”
Classically trained as a concert pianist, Hodges has established a worldwide reputation as a ragtime pianist and singer. He has appeared at festivals all across America including the Sacramento and El Segundo festivals in California, the Templeton Festival in Mississippi and the Blind Boone Festival in Missouri. He has recorded and released four solo CDs and has appeared in Hollywood films, radio, and television. Apart from his ragtime appearances, Hodges also presents himself as a “society pianist” playing the music of the American Song Book for high society, the rich and famous, and in the restaurants of the grand hotels.
Hodges is the real deal, he behaves, dresses and plays like a man from the ‘20s.
“Frederick’s one of these people who’s a classical pianist who discovered the music in his grandmother’s piano bench and went from there,” Job said. “Then I discovered this library of 1920s dance music in Oakland, California, and the two sort of came together.”
For his performance with the Palm Court Light Orchestra, Hodges will perform Eyes of Blue, and Makin’ Whoopee, in addition to the music of Noel Coward and Scott Joplin. The concert ends with a special performance of selections from Jerome Kern’s Showboat in its original 1927 orchestration. Alexander’s Ragtime Band by the Palm Court Light Orchestra is Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 2:30 p.m. in the Charlie White Theatre. Tickets are available at the box office 250-656-0275.
reporter@peninsulanewsreview.com
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