![]() After a lengthly hiatus, aul returned to the Ragtime scene in 2015, bringing more pizzazz than ever. He's probably best known as a Disneyland Coke Corner pianist, a platform he enjoyed from 1983-1992. Paul has participated in the global competition for the last several years and brought home to the West Coast the 2019 world championship.Ī ragtime aficionado since the 1970s revival sparked by "The Sting." Paul began professionally performing at age 13 at pizza parlors in the Los Angeles area and has been wowing audiences throughout Southern California ever since with his high energy ragtime style. Due to the current Covid19 pandemic, the 2020 Festival was postponed until May 27-30, 2021. Paul Orsi arrives at the Historic Sutter Creek Ragtime Festival fresh from having captured the world championship of the 2019 Old-Time Piano Playing Contest, held annually over Memorial Day Weekend in Oxford, Mississippi. Records, cassettes and published music followed. Taylor began playing at festivals from the first festival in Sedalia to the West Coast festivals. The annual "Ragtime In Review" program was initiated at this time. Other performers were enlisted to play ragtime orchestrations and sing ragtime songs. This rag was quickly copied and two more rags, Maple Leaf and Alexander's Ragtime Band were memorized. The major turning point in his career was in 1972 when Eubie Blake played the Stars and Stripes by Sousa. Teaching provided the money and the time to pursue his real interest, composing and playing piano. The following years were spent teaching public school music in Oregon and California. Taylor received his Master's degree in Composition in 1964 and did additional graduate study in Paris, France. Further graduate study included music composition at the University of Oregon and with Halsey Stevens at USC. Taylor returned to Oregon to study music at Willamette University and eventually received a B.M. During the summers he worked in sawmills, making enough money to go to college. The records of Crazy Otto and Joe Fingers Carr were very influential in his developing piano style. While in high school he played piano on Creek Street, in the heart of the red-light district. At that time the town was still a wide-open Western town with plank streets and swinging doors on the saloons. In the early fifties, the Taylor family moved to Ketchikan, Alaska where Keith went to high school. ![]() Taylor began piano lessons at five years of age and was performing and composing music when he was ten. His parents lived in rural sections of Oregon (his father worked in sawmills) they provided for his musical education. Keith Taylor was born and raised in Oregon. Keith Resides in Haines Oregon where he is the music scene in town. We started the Festival in the summer of 1998, moving two or three pianosĪround town ourselves and having a fantastic time making music. It is an honor to welcome back my good friend and ![]()
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