Arranged
and Interpreted for The Duo-Art Pianola by L. Douglas Henderson - $45.00
Arranged and Interpreted for the Player-Piano by L. Douglas Henderson -
$45.00
If you only had
one ARTCRAFT
Interpretive Arrangement in your
music roll collection,
THE CARIOCA
should be that roll, for it would show you the limitless potential of
the Pianola ... and them some!
THE CARIOCA probably represents
the most work ever lavished on a player roll, which began in 1986 in a
modest way, but was shelved from time to time as Mr. Henderson studied
the audio from a VHS tape of the famous RKO musical, which launched the
careers of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.
(While they had minor roles, compared to
the 'stars' of the day — Gene Raymond and Dolores Del Rio — this effervescent Brazilian number
"stole the picture" ... and the dancing duo became box office
attractions in their own right!)
If you have never seen this memorable RKO picture, our roll of
THE CARIOCA stands on its own feet
as a musical extravaganza of the highest order. However, if you know
the visual elements of this long, long musical sequence, the roll
— believe
it or not! — conveys,
through creative arranging, all the action on the motion picture screen.
The roll begins with simulations of a few native instruments, with
Ginger Rogers
making snide comments, such as "They call this quartet a 'band'?" Our
roll of
THE CARIOCA has rubber
stamps for
some of this breezy dialogue, along with thumbnail descriptions of the
soundtrack/visuals.
Once the orchestral version of
THE
CARIOCA begins, the roll "takes off" and never lets the
listener down, even for a moment. You hear "The Squeaky Photophone
Girls" in the balcony ... Etta Motten giving her sultry vocal refrain
... the talented Negro tap dancers who seem to 'float above the dance
floor' and all the exciting elements, including Fred & Ginger tap
dancing on
"7 fake revolving grand pianos" (with approximately 2 pianos in the
Photophone soundrack!) ... plus a finale which has to be heard to be
believed.
Each repetition of the music is a variation, a creation of its own ...
and the music builds as it repeats itself. Not until you approach the
later variations do the higher/lower notes of the piano scale come into
play, retaining the element of surprise which the film possessed, in
its own special way.
There was a tandem droning, boring, muted version of
THE CARIOCA for Ampico and Duo-Art
in 1933, a Duo-Art version which appears, here :
Note that this FAKE "Arden & Ohman" roll, a 'graph paper with
pencils special' by Frank C. Milne looks like ORGAN MUSIC. On a piano,
especially where staccato and sensual Latin rhythms are required —
as in this infectious piece! —
the last thing the listener wants is "connected notes and organlike
playing" on a piano keyboard!
(Note:
at this writing, we have an "Arden & Ohman" style roll in progress,
inspired by their Victor Record of 1930, and it sounds like them, being
bouncy and sparkling in performance ... just like THE CARIOCA illustrated below.)
You don't need to hear the following roll of
THE CARIOCA on a player or
'reproducing' piano to realize the difference that
Interpretive Arranging makes.
Compare these staccato notes (graduated down to a 128th of a beat) with
the lackluster perforations, shown above:
Here's where Fred and Ginger dance on a
circle of ostensible pianos: