We have all heard Fred Hylands on the piano.
His records from the last three years or so at Columbia are a very odd mix of Rag-Time and everything else, much like it was prior to 1900, but more of the popular songs that are known to-day were coming out and many of the songs can be more recognizable. Hylands still recorded quite well and often with J. W Myers after 1900, even if his general popularity was slightly fading, especially by 1903 and 1904. To start with the records, here is a fun one by J. W. Myers and Hylands from 1904:
Hylands is all over the place on this one. Toward the beginning, if you're really playing attention, you can notice that he overestimates Myers' tempo and lags behind pretty noticeably. Especially between 0:18 and 0:22, you can notice that he slows down substantially to keep up with Myers. He doesn't balance so much on this one, that it seems he lags more than once behind Myers, but toward the end, he gets it right. The solo at the end is fun also.
Hear Hylands play a tango! That's what this next one is. This record, also by J. W. Myers, is a fun one where you can hear Hylands play out in Tango time in 1903. This is a real interesting one:
This song was very popular the year it was introduced, 1903. That meant that many would record it, and they did. It's called "Congo Love Song". Hylands plays a better tango than many would think, it must have been related to him possibly playing Gottschalk as a youth. I must remember however, that Hylands recorded the famous:
He recorded this with Len Spencer around 1897 on Columbia no. 7265. This song must have been a fun one for Spencer and Hylands, as it is a fun tune anyway, with a tango beat and Ragged melody, it's often considered the first Rag-Time song, as it was very progressive for 1895. So from this, we know Len Spencer got his hands on it pretty quick, and got it to the phonographs even faster, and just as usual, he recorded it several times over the next two years. When Hylands, came along, you know he was just overjoyed and excited to record it with him. This is a brown cylinder that many people really wish that a copy of it exists somewhere.(I just want to know what key Spencer did it in!)
Hylands was still on their staff by 1903, and still came in about every day of the week they had recording all day, just as he did back in the late-90's. Recording by day, performing to the masses by night, that's the life he lived working at Columbia. It seemed that Hylands made some new friends after 1900, such as Arthur Collins and Bob Roberts. Here is a fun one with Collins and Natus from 1902:
(beware, it's a little messy)
Hylands had not known Collins before 1900, but he DID know his dear friend and long-time partner,
Byron G. Harlan.
Hylands, Spencer, Roger Harding, Burt Green and company had ran into Harlan one time in 1899. Even though he probably saw an add for "Hylands Spencer and Yeager" back in mid-1899, and then when he came to them they must have fallen in love with his unusual and great singing style. Since Harlan owned a stage troupe in 1899, he was a good one to try to pick at for the publisher boys. He was then advertised in the covers of their sheet music by December of 1899. So in this, Hylands had not seen Harlan again until 1901.
It must have been pretty weird to see Harlan again. Hyland would not have expected it, and Harlan wouldn't have known he was Columbia's pianist(or maybe he did know? it's hard to know...) So at this, Hylands befriended his partner Arthur Collins and created some very fun and interesting records with them, here is one from 1903 where you can just see them look behind and almost laugh when they cue Hylands to smash his elbow on the piano!
Such a nasty sound Hylands!
It's hilarious by all means though.
This record can really be intensely jarring if you're not paying too much attention to the piano.
It proves further that Hylands was a VAUDEVILLE PIANIST, this is why he did a lot of these loud and attention-grabbing things all over the piano keys.
To close off, I would like to share one of these great Collins and Harlan with Hylands records from 1902(where he's also playing in tango-time!). So here you go the famous tune "Under the Bamboo Tree" by Collins and Harlan with Fred Hylands on piano:
This one's for you John Reed-Torres!
Enjoy!
I hope you enjoyed this!
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