Cherry & Jerry at the Rock Island Public Library Watts-Midtown Branch -- June 25.
Tuesday, June 25, 1 p.m.
Rock Island Public Library Watts-Midtown Branch, 2715 30th Street, Rock Island IL
On June 25, the Rock Island Public Library's Watts-Midtown Branch invites patrons to step back in time as the delightful touring duo Cherry & Jerry enchant audiences with hit tunes and rarely played gems from the ragtime era, delivering an hour of great songs that they've dusted off and brought back to life, and treating listeners of all ages to a bit of history, as well.
With Isaac Cherry on percussion and Jerry Rabushka on piano, the Cherry & Jerry duo focuses primarily on music from 1900 to 1920: ragtime, early blues and jazz, and popular songs from back in the day. Their performances include well-known tunes such as "The Entertainer," "St. Louis Blues," "Georgia on My Mind," and "Stormy Weather," as well as rarely played music from the era, for a unique take on America’s first pop music that delivers fun for all ages. The St. Louis-based musicians have toured music of the ragtime era throughout the region, appearing at libraries, museums, pubs and restaurants, special events, senior communities, and more. Their recent appearances, meanwhile, include sets at the Illinois State Fair; DuQuoin State Fair; George Washington Carver National Monument; the DuSable Black History Museum in Chicago; the Missouri History Museum in St. Louis; and the Big River Steampunk Festival in Hannibal, Missouri.
As a musical genre, Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers such as Scott Joplin, James Scott, and Joseph Lamb, and ragtime pieces (often called "rags") are typically composed for and performed on piano, though the genre has been adapted for a variety of instruments. The style originated within African-American communities in the late 19th century and became a distinctly American form of popular music closely related to marches. Ragtime pieces usually contain several distinct themes, often arranged in patterns of repeats and reprises, and Joplin, known as the "King of Ragtime," gained fame through compositions such as "Maple Leaf Rag" and "The Entertainer."
Additionally, ragtime influenced early jazz, Harlem stride piano, Piedmont blues, and European classical composers such as Erik Satie, Claude Debussy, and Igor Stravinsky. Despite being overshadowed by jazz in the 1920s, ragtime has experienced several revivals, notably in the 1950s and 1970s, the latter renaissance due in large part to the use of "The Entertainer" in the Oscar-winning Best Picture The Sting.
Cherry & Jerry perform at the Rock Island Public Library's Watts-Midtown Branch on June 25, participation in the 1 p.m. event is free, and more information is available by calling (309)732-7350 and visiting RockIslandLibrary.org.
