Terry Waldo (born November 26, 1944) is an American pianist, composer, and historian of early jazz, blues, and

stride Stride or STRIDE may refer to: Computing * STRIDE (security), spoofing, tampering, repudiation, information disclosure, denial of service, elevation of privilege * Stride (software), a successor to the cloud-based HipChat, a corporate cloud-based ...

music, and is best known for his contribution to

ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that flourished from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers such as Scott ...

and his role in reviving interest in this form, starting in the 1970s. Says

Wynton Marsalis Wynton Learson Marsalis (born October 18, 1961) is an American trumpeter, composer, teacher, and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. He has promoted classical and jazz music, often to young audiences. Marsalis has won nine Grammy Awar ...

in his introduction to Waldo's book: "He teaches Ragtime, he talks about Ragtime, he plays it, he embodies it, he lives it, and he keeps Ragtime alive." The book, ''This is Ragtime'', published in 1976, grew out of the series of the same title that Waldo produced for NPR in 1974. Waldo is also a theatrical music director, producer, vocalist, and teacher. He is noted for his wit and humor in performance, as "a monologist in the dry, Middle Western tradition."

Eubie Blake James Hubert "Eubie" Blake (February 7, 1887 – February 12, 1983) was an American pianist and composer of ragtime, jazz, and popular music. In 1921, he and his long-time collaborator Noble Sissle wrote ''Shuffle Along'', one of the first Bro ...

describes his first impression of Waldo's performance thus: "I died laughing...that's one of the hardest things to do—make people laugh. Terry's ability to do this, combined with his musicianship, actually reminds me of

Fats Waller Thomas Wright "Fats" Waller (May 21, 1904 – December 15, 1943) was an American jazz pianist, organist, composer, violinist, singer, and comedic entertainer. His innovations in the Harlem stride style laid much of the basis for modern jazz pi ...

Early life

Waldo was born in

Ironton, Ohio Ironton is a city in and the county seat of Lawrence County, Ohio, United States. Located in southernmost Ohio along the Ohio River northwest of Huntington, West Virginia, the city includes the Downtown Ironton Historic District. The populatio ...

. His family moved to

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

when he was about five years old. His neighbor, John Baker, owned a large collection of jazz recordings, piano rolls, and jazz films. Terry spent most of his free time absorbing all this great American music at Baker's. The jazz film collection was eventually acquired by the

American Jazz Museum The American Jazz Museum is a jazz museum in the historic 18th and Vine district of Kansas City, Missouri. The museum preserves the history of American jazz music, with exhibits on Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald ...

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

, and is considered one of the most extensive in the world. As a child, Waldo listened to

Spike Jones Lindley Armstrong "Spike" Jones (December 14, 1911 – May 1, 1965) was an American musician and bandleader specializing in spoof arrangements of popular songs and classical music. Ballads receiving the Jones treatment were punctuated with gun ...

and

Dixieland Dixieland jazz, also referred to as traditional jazz, hot jazz, or simply Dixieland, is a style of jazz based on the music that developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century. The 1917 recordings by the Original Dixieland Jass Band ( ...

records, and became a record collector himself. At around the age of eight he began studying classical piano. The formal lessons continued for three years; in a short time he moved from classical to jazz and ragtime. He also learned how to play trumpet, tuba, string bass, cello, tympani drums, banjo, and organ. By 1961, he had organized his first band: The Fungus Five Plus Two ("our music grows on you"), which appeared on Ted Mack's

Original Amateur Hour ''The Original Amateur Hour'' is an American radio and television program. The show was a continuation of ''Major Bowes Amateur Hour'' which had been a radio staple from 1934 to 1945. Major Edward Bowes, the originator of the program and its mast ...

in 1963, the same year Waldo graduated from high school. In 1969 Waldo met

at the St. Louis Ragtime Festival. Blake became his mentor and lifelong friend. Waldo studied piano with Blake from 1971 through 1983, although Blake qualifies their arrangement: "Now, I'm not going to say I taught Terry how to play, because he already knew his stuff when I met him...He has become not only a fine musician, but an excellent entertainer." Waldo also studied piano with

Roland Hanna Roland Pembroke Hanna (February 10, 1932 – November 13, 2002) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and teacher. Biography Hanna studied classical piano from the age of 11, but was strongly interested in jazz, having been introduced to i ...

Dick Wellstood Richard MacQueen Wellstood (November 25, 1927 – July 24, 1987) was an American jazz pianist. Career He was born in Greenwich, Connecticut, United States. Wellstood's mother was a graduate of the Juilliard School who played church organ. Wellst ...

Jaki Byard John Arthur "Jaki" Byard (; June 15, 1922 – February 11, 1999) was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, and arranger. Mainly a pianist, he also played tenor and alto saxophones, among several other instruments. He was known for hi ...

, and Peter Howard.

Career

Waldo's range of expertise (composing, arranging, writing, directing, and performing) has been evidenced across a wide spectrum of media and performing arts. He continues to produce his own shows and recordings with his partner, Janice Lee, through Waldo/Lee Music Productions, Inc. Waldo/Lee recently provided production assistance for the latest revised edition of Waldo's book, ''This Is Ragtime'' for

Jazz at Lincoln Center Jazz at Lincoln Center is part of Lincoln Center in New York City. The organization was founded in 1987 and opened at Time Warner Center in October 2004. Wynton Marsalis is the artistic director and the leader of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orches ...

Library Editions, as well as reissuing the radio series of the same title made for

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

. The company is now developing a new Off-Broadway musical show for Waldo. Meanwhile, he continues a series of live performances in diverse venues including

The Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

Jazz At Lincoln Center Jazz at Lincoln Center is part of Lincoln Center in New York City. The organization was founded in 1987 and opened at Time Warner Center in October 2004. Wynton Marsalis is the artistic director and the leader of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orches ...

, The Smithsonian Institution,

The Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

, Carnegie Hall (as a featured guest with the New York Pops) and The National Gallery of Arts in Washington. Waldo began his professional career in 1963 by working in various restaurants around Columbus, Ohio. Soon, he began playing in several bands including

Gene Mayl In biology, the word gene (from , ; "...Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a ba ...

's Dixieland Rhythm Kings from Dayton, Ohio. Mayl's band was one of a few select hold-outs dotting the country from the traditional jazz revival of the 1940s. The twenty-year-old Waldo then appeared in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

in 1964, playing with such notables as Kid Valentine and

Johnny Wiggs Johnny Wiggs (born John Wigginton Hyman, July 25, 1899 - October 10, 1977) was a jazz musician and band leader. Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, Wiggs started his music career on the violin. He soon adopted the cornet and moved ...

. The Red Garter, home to various banjo bands, was one of his venues. In 1965 and 1966 he played in San Francisco at another Red Garter and at Earthquake Mcgoon's with

West Coast jazz West Coast jazz refers to styles of jazz that developed in Los Angeles and San Francisco during the 1950s. West Coast jazz is often seen as a subgenre of cool jazz, which consisted of a calmer style than bebop or hard bop. The music relied rela ...

revival musicians. Waldo played with

Turk Murphy Melvin Edward Alton "Turk" Murphy (December 16, 1915 – May 30, 1987) was an American trombonist and bandleader, who played traditional and Dixieland jazz. Biography He was born in Palermo, California, United States. Murphy served in the Navy ...

's Jazz Band and studied with other prominent jazz musicians such as

Pops Foster George Murphy "Pops" Foster (May 19, 1892 – October 30, 1969) was an American jazz musician, best known for his vigorous slap bass playing of the string bass. He also played the tuba and trumpet professionally. Biography Foster was born to ...

Lu Watters Lucius Carl Watters (December 19, 1911 – November 5, 1989) was a trumpeter and bandleader of the Yerba Buena Jazz Band. Jazz critic Leonard Feather said, “The Yerba Buena band was perhaps the most vital factor in the reawakening of public int ...

Wally Rose Wally Rose (October 2, 1913, Oakland, California – January 12, 1997, Walnut Creek, California) was an American jazz and ragtime pianist. Career Rose was a mainstay of the jazz scene in San Francisco during the 1940s and 1950s. He was the pianis ...

, and

Clancy Hayes Clarence Leonard Hayes (November 14, 1908 – March 13, 1972) was an American jazz vocalist and banjo player. Early life Hayes was born in Caney, Kansas, on November 14, 1908. As a child, he learned the drums, then switched to guitar and banjo. ...

, while living in a room above Mcgoon's for one dollar per day. Returning to Ohio, Waldo formed the Gutbucket Syncopators in 1969. This traditional jazz group included Frank Powers, Roy Tate, and Jim Snyder, among others. The Syncopators performed at festivals and clubs and made a number of recordings. This band attracted top musicians from Chicago and New York and featured such notable guest performers as George Rock (of Spike Jones fame), Ruth Brisbane, and

Edith Wilson Edith Wilson ( Bolling, formerly Galt; October 15, 1872 – December 28, 1961) was the first lady of the United States from 1915 to 1921 and the second wife of President Woodrow Wilson. She married the widower Wilson in December 1915, during hi ...

. Waldo's twenty-six part NPR series, ''This is Ragtime'', aired in 1974 and helped fuel the 1970s ragtime revival. The book of the same title grew out of that series: first published in 1976, and subsequently republished in 1991 and 2009. Eubie Blake, who wrote the introduction, credits his protégé: "Terry's love of Ragtime goes back a long way, long before its 'rediscovery.' People then were always trying to talk him out of playing that 'corny old stuff.'" In 1975, Waldo met vocalist Susan La Marche, who would be his performing partner for twelve years. Together they performed at the 92nd Street Y, The Jazz Church in NYC, Jacob's Pillow, The Rahway Theatre, Carnegie Hall, and countless clubs, concerts, and festivals. Waldo relocated to New York City in 1984, where he began playing solo at jazz clubs including The Cookery,

The Village Gate The Village Gate was a nightclub at the corner of Thompson and Bleecker Streets in Greenwich Village, New York. Art D'Lugoff opened the club in 1958, on the ground floor and basement of 160 Bleecker Street. The large 1896 Chicago School structu ...

, Hanratty's, The Village Corner, The Carnegie Tavern and The Knickerbocker. He also worked with his own Gotham City band at various venues including Michael's Pub, Cajun, Folk City and The Red Blazer. Waldo continued to support the music scene of his native Ohio, forming Waldo's Ragtime Orchestra in 1980. This group, composed largely of members of Columbus Jazz Arts Group, performed concerts and recorded two albums for

Stomp Off Records Stomp Off is an American jazz record company and label founded in 1980 by Bob Erdos in York, Pennsylvania. The label's first release was ''Feelin' Devilish'' by Waldo's Gutbucket Serenaders. It was described in 1986 as concentrating on "jazz in t ...

, which were later reissued by the classical record labels

Musical Heritage Society Musical Heritage Society was an American mail-order record label founded in New York City in 1962 by Michael "Mischa" Naida (1900–1991), co-founder of Westminster Records, and T. C. Fry Jr. (1926–1996). Background After a small initial group ...

and

Sine Qua Non ''Sine qua non'' (, ) or ''condicio sine qua non'' (plural: ''condiciones sine quibus non'') is an indispensable and essential action, condition, or ingredient. It was originally a Latin legal term for " conditionwithout which it could not be" ...

. In 1984, The Gotham City Band was born. The band remains active through the present day, having recorded several albums, and headlining regularly at festivals, concerts, and venues in New York City, including Michael's Pub,

Symphony Space Symphony Space, founded by Isaiah Sheffer and Allan Miller, is a multi-disciplinary performing arts organization at 2537 Broadway on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Performances take place in the 760-seat Peter Jay Sharp Theatre (also called Pe ...

and

The Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of the ...

Peter Ecklund Peter Ecklund (September 27, 1945 – April 8, 2020) was an American jazz cornetist. Career In 1967, Ecklund received a degree from Yale University. He went on tour with singer Paula Lockheart and started a jazz band, in addition to working with ...

Dan Barrett Dan Barrett is an American musician from Connecticut, New England. He is a member of the rock duo Have a Nice Life. Outside of this, he has released solo work primarily under the names Giles Corey and Black Wing. In 2003, he founded the record labe ...

Howard Alden Howard Vincent Alden (born October 17, 1958) is an American jazz guitarist born in Newport Beach, California. Alden has recorded many albums for Concord Records, including four with seven-string guitar innovator George Van Eps. Early life How ...

, Eddy Davis, Brian Nalepka, Chuck Wilson, and Arnie Kinsella, longtime associates, are but a few of the many superlative jazz and ragtime musicians who have been part of the group in its many incarnations over the years. Notable guests of the band include

Odetta Odetta Holmes (December 31, 1930 – December 2, 2008), known as Odetta, was an American singer, actress, guitarist, lyricist, and a civil rights activist, often referred to as "The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement". Her musical repertoire co ...

Leon Redbone Leon Redbone (born Dickran Gobalian; August 26, 1949 – May 30, 2019) was a singer-songwriter and musician specializing in jazz, blues, and Tin Pan Alley classics. Recognized by his hat (often a Panama hat), dark sunglasses, and black tie, Red ...

Maurice Hines Maurice Robert Hines Jr. (born December 13, 1943) is an American actor, director, singer, and choreographer. He is the older brother of dancer Gregory Hines. Life and career Hines was born in 1943 in New York City to a Catholic couple, Alma Iola ( ...

, Susan La Marche, and Colleen Hawks. In 2021, the band with

Tatiana Eva-Marie Tatiana Eva-Marie is a Swiss-born vocalist based in Brooklyn who sings 1930s-style swing and gypsy jazz. She moved from Paris to New York City in 2011, and formed the Avalon Jazz Band in 2014 with violinist Adrien Chevalier. Her singing has been ...

released a new album titled I Double Dare You on the new Turtle Bay Records label. To date, Waldo has produced and arranged more than 40 albums for many labels including

Sony BMG Sony BMG Music Entertainment was an American record company owned as a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann. The venture's successor, the revived Sony Music, is wholly owned by Sony, following their buyout o ...

, Blackbird, GHB, Stomp Off, Musical Heritage Society, Sine Qua Non, Metronome, and Delmark. Television and film work include performances and compositions on ''

The Tonight Show ''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. The show has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2009 and 201 ...

'', the PBS documentary ''Storyville: The Naked Dance'', and

Ken Burns Kenneth Lauren Burns (born July 29, 1953) is an American filmmaker known for his documentary film, documentary films and television series, many of which chronicle United States, American History of the United States, history and Culture of the ...

's PBS documentary, '' Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson''. Waldo has also worked as a composer for a number of his own albums as well as others, including Leon Redbone. He has also composed the scores for a number of Off-Broadway shows including Warren G, Shake That Thing!, Sex, Drugs and Ukuleles, and Trophy Wife. His TV work has included a year as music director, talent and producer for the two-way television operation Warner Qube in 1978. His work in New York City theatre includes credits as music director for shows such as ''Mr. Jelly Lord'' (directed by Vernel Bagneris), Playwrights Horizons production of ''Heliotrope Bouquet'' (directed by Joe Morton), ''Ambassador Satch'' (directed by

André DeShields André — sometimes transliterated as Andre — is the French and Portuguese form of the name Andrew, and is now also used in the English-speaking world. It used in France, Quebec, Canada and other French-speaking countries. It is a variation o ...

), and ''Warren G'' (directed by

Tom O'Horgan Tom O'Horgan (May 3, 1924 – January 11, 2009) was an American theatre and film director, composer, actor and musician. He is best known for his Broadway work as director of the hit musicals ''Hair'' and ''Jesus Christ Superstar''. During his ca ...

), the Off-Broadway production of ''Shake That Thing!'', ''The Leon Redbone Christmas Show at Town Hall'', and ''Waldo's 1927 Revue''. He has also been music director for shows with famous dancers such as The Nicholas Brothers, Bunny Briggs, Sandman Sims, and Maurice Hines as well as famous choreographers including Anna Sokolow, Danny Daniels, Donald Byrd and Mercedes Ellington. He has written and starred in several Off-Broadway one-man shows: ''Eubie and Me'', and ''The Naked Dance: The Music of Storyville''. Waldo's work as a teacher began in Ohio at

Denison University Denison University is a private liberal arts college in Granville, Ohio. One of the earliest colleges established in the former Northwest Territory, Denison University was founded in 1831. The college was first called the Granville Literary and ...

in the 1970s, with courses in jazz and ragtime history and in film, and continues to the present day with ragtime courses for Swing University at

in 2009. Waldo/Lee Music in conjunction with The 34th Street Partnership started in 2021 a series of performances with Waldo's Gotham City Band that plays two times a day, Spring, Summer and Fall, at various locations in Midtown New York. The company is now developing a new Off-Broadway musical show for Waldo. Waldo and Lee along with Charles Hobson and William Nix formed TIR, LLC in 2013 to produce a new documentary on Ragtime music. In popular culture, his playing appears in the 2018

Rockstar Rock Star or Rockstar may refer to: Films * ''Rock Star'' (2001 film), an American film starring Mark Wahlberg * ''Rockstar'' (2011 film), an Indian Hindi-language film by Imtiaz Ali * ''Rockstar'' (2015 film), an Indian Malayalam-language fi ...

video game

Red Dead Redemption 2 ''Red Dead Redemption 2'' is a 2018 action-adventure game developed and published by Rockstar Games. The game is the third entry in the ''Red Dead'' series and a prequel to the 2010 game ''Red Dead Redemption''. The story is set in 1899 and f ...

Partial Discography

* 1969 ''Waldo's Gutbucket Syncopators'' (GHB) * 1971 ''Jazz in the Afternoon'' (Blackbird) * 1974 Waldo's Gutbucket Syncopators, Ohio Theater Concert * 1974 Snookums Rag (Dirty Shame Records) * 1974 Jazz Babies - Terry Waldo & Susan LaMarche (Dirty Shame) * 1974 Sounds of Ragtime & Vaudeville - Terry Waldo (Fat Cat Jazz) * 1979 Harlem Style Hot Jazz (Dirty Shame) * 1979 ''Feelin' Devilish'' (

Stomp Off Stomp Off is an American jazz record company and label founded in 1980 by Bob Erdos in York, Pennsylvania. The label's first release was ''Feelin' Devilish'' by Waldo's Gutbucket Serenaders. It was described in 1986 as concentrating on "jazz in t ...

) * 1980 Terry Waldo - Wizard of the Keyboard (Stomp Off Records) * 1981 Waldo's Gutbucket Syncopators - Special Edition * 1981 Smiles & Chuckles - Waldo's Ragtime Orchestra (Stomp Off) * 1981 Waldo's Gutbucket Syncopators Presents (Stomp Off) * 1982 Vamp ‘til Ready - Susan LaMarche/Waldo’s Gutbucket Syncopators * 1982 Terry Waldo - Ragtime/Jazz (Sine Qua Non) * 1983 Ragtime Vamp - Terry Waldo & Susan LaMarche (Sine Qua Non) * 1984 Terry Waldo and the Gotham City Band (Stomp Off Records) * 1984 Spectacular Ragtime - Waldo’s Ragtime Orchestra (Stomp Off) * 1988 Ragtime Classics Volume 1 (Musical Heritage Society) * 1988 Ragtime Classics Volume 2 (Musical Heritage Society) * 1989 Masters of the Jazz Age (Musical Heritage Society) * 1989 Footlight Varieties - Waldo’s Gotham City Band (Stomp Off) * 1989 ''Waldo's Gutbucket Syncopators, Waldo's Gotham City Band – New Orleans Jazz Echoes'' (

) * 1990 Vaudeville & Hot Jazz Songs - Terry Waldo & Susan LaMarche (Musical Heritage Society) * 1994 American Ragtime Orchestra w Mas Ikemiya (BMG) * 1997 ''Classic Waldo – Ragtime & Blues'' (

Metronome A metronome, from ancient Greek μέτρον (''métron'', "measure") and νομός (nomós, "custom", "melody") is a device that produces an audible click or other sound at a regular interval that can be set by the user, typically in beats pe ...

) * 1997 ''Jass and Blues'' (Metronome) * 1998 ''Kinky & Sweet'' (Stomp Off) * 2003 ''Sounds of Ragtime & Vaudeville Vol. 1'' (Waldo/Lee Music) * 2003 ''Sounds of Ragtime & Vaudeville Vol. 2'' (Waldo/Lee) * 2003 ''Just a Little While to Stay Here'' (Waldo/Lee) * 2003 ''Let It Shine'' (Stomp Off) * 2004 ''Hot House Rag'' ( Delmark) * 2009 ''Ohio Theater Concert Featuring Edith Wilson'' (Delmark) * 2010 ''Ragtime: The Best of Terry Waldo Sampler'' (Waldo/Lee) * 2014 ''The Soul of Ragtime'' (

Tompkins Square Tompkins Square Park is a public park in the Alphabet City portion of East Village, Manhattan, New York City. The square-shaped park, bounded on the north by East 10th Street, on the east by Avenue B, on the south by East 7th Street, and on ...

) * 2021 I Double Dare You - Terry Waldo’s Gotham City Band & Tatiana Eva-Marie (Turtle Bay Records)

References

Bibliography

* Waldo, Terry. ''This is Ragtime''. New York: Jazz at Lincoln Center Library Editions, 2009.

External links