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Leeds Beckett academic organising a ‘recontextualising ragtime’ symposium
Dr Sue Miller, Senior Lecturer in Music at Leeds Beckett University, in collaboration with Professor Rachel Cowgill at Huddersfield University, present a symposium entitled ‘Recontextualising Ragtime: Connections, Influences, Perspectives’ at Huddersfield’s ‘Heritage Quay’ on 6-7 May 2017.
Dr Miller will be also be presenting her own research on the so-called ‘Spanish Tinge’ in early jazz, looking at the relationship between the Cuban orquesta típica and charanga bands and the American syncopated orchestras and ragtime brass bands.
A collection of invited talks, round-table discussions, performances, workshops and events, the symposium will bring together specialists in musicology and cultural history to examine the culture-specific meanings around the term ‘ragtime’ in music and dance.
Speaking about the symposium, Dr Sue Miller said: “The conference came about as a result of an informal conversation with Professor Cowgill from the University of Huddersfield in late 2014 in Cambridge on the fascinating similarities between early Cuban music styles such as the contradanza and danzón and the ragtime idiom.
For us to be able to have organised this conference, and for Leeds Beckett’s school of film, music and performing arts to be able to part-fund this is a huge privilege.
The aim of Saturday night’s Speakeasy event is to get people learning the old ragtime animal dances, such as the squirrel, the grizzly bear, the turkey trot, and the fox, as well as making sure that everyone has 'a jolly good time.'”
On Saturday 6 May, the Speakeasy, which is free to attend and open to the public, will be held at Heritage Quay as a part of the symposium. Featuring Shellac DJ Greg Butler of the Edison Brothers, ragtime and jazz pianist Bruce Boardman and ragtime dance re-enactor Charlotte Ewart, the night promises great entertainment.
The symposium is part-funded by Leeds Beckett University’s school of film, music and performing arts and the organisers are grateful for the support from the school for the workshops and performances, reflecting the school’s emphasis and expertise in music performance.