It was Sylvester Ossman's birthday yesterday, and I celebrated by playing many of his best records while I worked, and so on.
Well, let's start on Ossman shall we. Well, where do I start with that tornado. Ossman's banjo skills began in 1880, when he was twelve, after years of violin training, he first heard the infectious plunks of the banjo. He immediately wanted to take up the rugged instrument. It was primarilly used in minstrel shows when he found his passion in the instrument, but he wanted to do something more with it, than blackening up and dressing in hideous costumes. So by the mid-80's, he was traveling up and down New York state on the trains, learning to play the banjo and play random melodies he already knew and was hearing around him. In 1885, he got his first engagement for the instrument and began to win the many popular banjo competitions of the area. By 1890, he had earned his place as top banjoist in the entire country, with bragging rights. He had frustrated some of his long-time enemies by this time, such as Ruby Brooks and Harry Denton, seen below:
Ossman probably worked with Glynn for a short time, as that's how it always went with him. Ossman by 1895 had his hands on Frank P. Banta. He was his official accompanist on the stage and on the tours. He loved Banta with all he could, even though he treated him as a secondary character. As he kept on making hundreds of records and dragging Banta around with him all over the place, his time being loyal to Banta was shook by a new name in the "Rag" scene in 1897. Just a little thing, Ossman recorded the first record to mention "Rag" on it in the musical context, it was his "Rag Time Medley" on a Berliner disc, recorded in August of 1897. He was an early one playing "Rags", as early as 1896 in fact, just like Mike Bernard or Ben Harney, it was just with banjo rather than piano. In late-1897 he came in to Columbia's studio just like usual, and there sat a different pianist than George Schweinfest. Who was it he found? Ah yes, Fred Hylands. He did not know him personally, but had heard mutters around of him. Upon first playing with him, Vess probably came up the stairs to the piano chair, and gate Hylands a hearty handshake. Something he probably wouldn't do to very many pianists. He was struck by Hylands' skill and rhythm in "Rag Time". By 1898, Ossman was coming into Columbia twice as more often than Berliner or Edison, because he and Hylands had the same musical mindset, as can be heard on this one by Ossman and Hylands from 1899 this is a later take of his own "A Bunch of Rags" it is the first selection on this video:
Announced by Ossman. You can hear the ringing of the piano just after Ossman finishes. Very good collaborating, as Ossman could be a hard one to make decisions with when records were being made. He was particular about everything, and had to tune exactly between every take. Ossman was soon overtaken by the several other banjoists coming into the recording business by 1906, Fred Van Eps was taking his spot, Olly Oakley(who was considered the British Vess Ossman), and Fred Bacon. Fred Bacon is my absolute favourite Banjoist recorded in this time.
That's Fred Bacon.
Why is he my favourite? Well, hear him here and take a listen:
Yes indeed. Bacon was an amazing banjoist who probably avoided all of those banjo competitions, because he probably would have won over Ossman, as his skills were very quick and smoothe. More so than Ossman's natural ability. Bacon was younger than Ossman, but he had the skills of no other. He only made a handful of records and only three of them were issued, so there's not much different things to listen to when you hear him, but what he left is amazing and still surprises me every time I hear it. He had perfected the banjo better than Ossman ever tried to. When I first heard him, I though I was listening to later Fred Van Eps, but come to find out that is was Fred Bacon, John Reed-Torres and I were blown away. I wish he made at least three more records that were issued. That would make for a little more variety.
Back to Ossman. His popularity just went downhill from 1906 onward, all the way to 1917 when he was kicked out of the Eight Victor artists, as he can be seen here in 1917:
(from denvernightingale.com)
There he is with a great smile on his face...or just an interesting look. That's Vess Ossman alright.
Yep. That's about right.
He didn't live too much longer after he stopped recording in 1917. He moved out to Ohio to lead his own early Jazz/ Ragtime band where apparently arrangements he made for the band still exist somehow(thanks Craig Ventresco!). His son tried to carry on the tradition of the banjo fame, but he just couldn't keep up to it, not like Banta's brilliant son. After he died in 1923, be left a wife and four children(out of eight total!), the few who worked with him recalled him in varying ways. One of the most valuable accounts of Ossman is George N. Dudley's from the 40's. You can read the whole account Here.
Enjoy!
Dudley was a very old man when he died, and he only worked with Ossman for four years of his 88 years of life, but how he recalled them... Four years dealing with Vess L. Ossman was enough to keep permanent memories. If only Banta or Hylands had lived longer to tell those tales.
To close off, here are two Ossman Rag-Time rarities from 1903 and 1899:
Well, Vess, we loved you well. I hope your many descendants admire your skill just as it should be. If only your pianists outlived you.
I hope you enjoyed this!
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