[Dixielandjazz] Steeplechase Rag

[Bill Haesler]

  Dan Augustine asked:
>    My question to the list is, has anyone ever heard or played a band 
> arrangement of this piece?  ..............Is it in fact (in your 
> opinion) playable by a band, or is it too pianistic?

Dear Dan,
It certainly is.
You have probably set our clarinetist Jack Wiard off on another of his 
musical paths.
To organise "Steeplechase Rag [Over The Bars]" for our little band for 
next Sunday.
8>)
In the meantime, all I can find is the following band version of this 
James P Johnson tune recorded by a Dick Hyman group:
Ruby Braff (cnt) Vic Dickenson (tb) Bob Wilber (sop) Dick Hyman (p) 
Everett Barksdale (bj) Bob Haggart (sb) Bobby Rosengarden (d)  New 
York, May 21, 1975
It was issued on a CD called 'Jelly and James - Music of Jelly Roll 
Morton & James P Johnson'.
Tunes from both these greats (Jelly & James) are played by (the CD 
description) a big band, small band, jazz band, dance band, theater 
orchestra plus a trio, duet (Braff & Hyman) and piano solos.
My copy (recorded by Columbia) is on Sony Masterworks MDK 52552 and was 
released in 1992.
It is not currently in stock at Worlds Records, but it would be worth 
checking out Amazon CD.
James P's "Steeplechase Rag is not on the indispensible Red Hot Jazz 
Archive site, but his 1944 version, "Over The Bars", is.
Kind regards,
Bill.