Here is "The Baltimore Todolo" written about 1909 by Eubie Blake. Until recently, I had thought this piece was named "The Baltimore-Toledo" thinking it was named after some railroad. It is actually named after an obscure dance called a TODOLO. Blake was a very creative composer. His compositions demonstrate a unique style not shared with other ragtime composers of his era. In this music you will hear the "rolling" or "walking" bass line which evolved 20 years later into the popular "boogie woogie" piano style.
I must admit that I was not initially impressed with Eubie Blake's music. I first heard it played by the composer on Columbia's recording, "The Eighty-Six Years of Eubie Blake", recorded when he was 86 years old and in my opinion, way past his prime. Age had taken it's toll on his technique and the performance was very muddled and inconsistent. Hearing recent performances by contemporary pianists has rekindled my interest in Eubie Blake's music. This MIDI sequence is based on Scott Kirby's swinging interpretation of the piece. I hope you enjoy it! I think Eubie would if he were alive today.
========================================================================= ABOUT THE PERFORMER: My name is John Roache. I am an amateur ragtime enthusiast living in Torrance California. I have been playing piano and keyboards for almost 50 years. I began creating ragtime computer music in the mid- '80s on the Commodore-64 using the SIDPLAYER music composition program. In 1994, I discovered the power of MIDI and have been sequencing ragtime, stride and swing music since then.