Martin Spitznagel Pianist. Composer. Writer. Filmmaker.

Rosie’s Corner

Early in 2009, I had the privilege of being interviewed by Dr. Rosemary Hallum for her “Rosie’s Corner” article in “The American Rag,” a periodical devoted to traditional jazz and ragtime. Rosemary has interviewed many, many people, including many of my favorite ragtimers, and it was a surprise and an honor when she contacted me and asked if she could profile me for her July column.

What started as a simple interview blossomed into a wonderful dialog about everything from religion and politics to the muses and everything in between. I think we found in each other a fellow traveler and fellow seeker, and our extended conversation, held over the course of a few months via e-mail and phone (and including a few Google searches of me, I think, as some bits of my resume snuck in here!) was one of the most enjoyable parts of 2009.

Here’s the article in its entirety. Warning: This is one of my most self-indulgent posts ever, which is really saying something. You might want to grab a cup of coffee, a pillow, and an in-flight magazine because damn, can I talk, but enjoy! I think she captured my voice very well. Thanks again, Rosemary, for making me feel like a star.

IT’S EASIER TO ENJOY HIS MUSIC THAN TO SPELL HIS LAST NAME: MARTIN SPITZNAGEL
by Dr. Rosemary Hallum

Human beings are remarkable, each one unique and different from the next, from their fingerprints and body structure to their thought processes, talents, and interests. This makes my writing work very intriguing, because I get to interview many diverse people from sports stars to cooks, from composers to performers.

Each interview is different. In one with a very handsome, well-built sports champion with several titles, I’d ask a question and then get either a monosyllabic response — “Yes” or “No” — or else silence, with a shrug of the shoulders indicating “Maybe” or “Who knows?” If I was lucky I got two syllables, such as “Uh huh” or “Later.” Hmm. Tough to build a cohesive article from that!

But luckily at the other end of the spectrum there are outgoing, friendly, articulate people with wide-ranging interests and great talent in their chosen field. Voila! Enter Martin Spitznagel, pianist extraordinaire, center stage.

I had heard glowing advance notices about Martin from Tony Caramia of the Eastman School of Music — a fabulous musician/teacher/researcher and a proven connoisseur of talent. So when he told me to “watch out for Martin” at the West Coast Ragtime Festival, I knew Martin had to be special. An he indeed is, both as a musician and as an interview subject.

I made it a point to hear more than one of Martin’s sets at the WCRF and to introduce myself and talk to him briefly. What a performer! A couple of longtime festival attendees had mentioned that they wondered how Martin, a “newbie” in the lineup of performers, would fit in and be received. Well, they needn’t have been concerned. Martin was a smash hit, drawing full houses of enthusiastic fans.

Fans appreciated his warmth and friendliness as a person, his fabulous musicianship and wide repertoire, and his correct gauging of the audiences in his between-the-tunes patter: a few engaging sound bites of information about the composition or composer, but not a whole bucketful. Comments on his performances ranged from short (“He can play!”) to long (analyses of his performing style, or my favorite, becoming the title of this piece: “It’s easier to enjoy his music than to spell his last name!”) Most of all, fans could tell that he loves ragtime and loves playing it.

Martin’s repertoire at the fest was wide-ranging, satisfying both the longtime habitués of the festival circuit and the newcomers. He offered classic rag, with a good number of Joplin mainstays (including Heliotrope Bouquet, Euphonic Sounds, and Elite Syncopations, plus a killer version of Maple Leaf), several Eubie Blake tunes (Tricky Fingers, Baltimore Todolo, and others), and some Billy Mayerl (Ace of Clubs and Loose Elbows). Martin also included contemporary material from difficult-to-play Robin Frost (Space Shuffle), Next Generation performer Adam Swanson (the aptly titled A Novice Novelty), and his own Red Elephant Rag (a real cutie!) and Theresa Novelette (named after his grandmother).

Did Martin repeat himself in all his different sets? Hardly at all. His repertoire is broad enough that there was only a sprinkling of repeats — for instance, to fulfill a request.

I heard Martin in rooms varying from large to small, and with fans varying from still and quiet to bouncy and exuberant. The man pleased them all! As Tony Caramia aptly observed, Martin approaches ragtime “with the strength, enthusiasm, gusto, and spirit that it deserves.” How true! One fan in his senior years commented that Martin combined the “zest of youth” with the insight and depth “of a much older soul.” Cool, Martin!

Martin’s schedule was so full that it left no interview time, so I contact him later. Our interview turns out to be ongoing, with e-mails and phoning. Martin is invariably upbeat, friendly, and enthusiastic, definitely easy to get along with. We talk about everything from ragtime, piano, and music to literature, reading and writing, philosophy, psychology and religion, plus films, quotations and humor. He sends me to the encyclopedia and search engines a few times, e.g., to look up Origen. Selected highlights follow.

On his early life

I was born in Pittsburgh PA on August 24, 1982, Martin says. I have three siblings: two older sisters and a younger brother. I suppose you could call us a musical family. My grandfather on my father’s side, who passed away before I was born, played ragtime piano in the Colonial Dance Band Orchestra in Brooklyn NY in the teens and ‘20s. I’ve give anything to hear him play, but we don’t have any recordings. The coolest thing is when my father hears something I play and says, “That sounds like my Dad!”

Then I have a great aunt who plays standards from the ‘40s by ear, with a beautiful flowing left hand style. My sister Anna took piano lessons for years when she was younger, and I’d sit next to her on the piano bench as she practiced. When she got up, I’d try to sound out what she’d just played.

Even though I showed some signs of musical interest when I was a kid, I was a terrible piano student. When I was eight, I studied for six months with Rita Gorman. She had taught both of my sisters, and Lord knows she tried her best to give me the fundamentals. She wanted me to learn scales, but I wanted to play Bumble Boogie. I couldn’t see the connection between technique and theory and the ability to play fun pieces. I just wanted to jump straight to the fun stuff. So I quit.

But later, when I was 12, I got serious about piano. I had played songs from Disney movies like Aladdin and The Lion King, and then I heard a kid in my General Music class at school play a piece of ragtime. I was hooked! I asked what it was, and he said it was by Scott Joplin. So I rushed out and bought a book of Joplin rags, without knowing who he was, and proceeded to spend five hours a day for the next five years trying to teach myself how to play and compose ragtime.

And then . . .

Two years later I won a piano in Calliope Media’s Crazy for Ragtime contest, for arranging a piece of ragtime. By then, ragtime had become my life. But being self-taught has both upsides (like discovering things on your own and playing what you want) and downsides (like being without guidance and playing notes rather than music).

On meeting Tony Caramia

About that time I met Prof. Tony Caramia. He changed my life, musical and otherwise. When you’re self-taught, it’s slow going, and you need somebody to set you straight. Tony did.

When I first played for him, I played some hard pieces — fast, with lots of notes. But that didn’t fool him. He sat there, looked at me, and said, “You’re not ready to play that.” Ouch. Then like twisting the knife in the wound, he said my playing lacked testosterone and cajones, feeling and emotion. Oh!

But I needed that. He’s an excellent instructor and a major influence on me and my playing.

On his college years

I attended the University of Pittsburgh from 2002-2007, majoring in Creative Writing and Religious Studies. I continued playing piano every day — it’s my constant companion! — even though I wasn’t performing or majoring in music.

I didn’t choose those majors for the money, that’s for sure! But I didn’t know what I wanted to be, much less have a life plan. I envy those who do! So I figured that I’d follow what was interesting to me, and that eventually I’d find out what it is I’m on this planet to do.

I chose Writing because I love it. I can spend two hours writing a single e?mail. I enjoy crafting the words, the self-discovery involved with a blank page. I enjoy writing fiction and poetry, blogging, and any writing connected with my day job. I feel very comfortable in that medium.

I chose Religious Studies from pure intellectual selfishness. I’m fascinated by the myriad ways we as human beings seek to define our role and position in the universe. It’s the field that most closely mirrors my own desire to find out what my “meaning” is on this planet.

The challenge, of course, is trying to balance these interests with the pesky need to feed and clothe myself. Not easy!

I did take 1½ years of Jazz Performance courses, a little outside my comfort zone of ragtime and stride. The teacher kept chiding me for playing “church chords.” I had no concept of how to play modern jazz or use modern harmony and voicing, so the course really helped expand my ear.

In some respects, playing jazz is like learning a whole different language. I thought at first that I had to unlearn what I knew and start over. But that’s not true. It’s more like expanding what you do know and being able to incorporate new things. Now I find some jazz chords and ideas sneaking in when I play ragtime and stride — for instance, into my version of The Entertainer. People seem to enjoy it. I think my experience in this respect has mirrored the development of the music: ragtime, blues, and jazz. I think it’s a very natural progression.

And his day job . . .

When I’m not at the keyboard, I have a day job as a writer and filmmaker. I love that too! I’m presently an Instructional Designer at Perform Tech Inc. in the Washington DC metropolitan area, developing instructor-led and web-based training solutions. (He chuckles, adding That’s a fancy way of saying that I duel with Microsoft Word and Power Point daily in order to create training courses and e-learning for the government. Previously I was a Mac Specialist at Apple Inc. and Avid Editor at 1905 Productions.

My technical specialties include Avid Xpress Pro and Final Cut Studio 2, Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Suite, Sibelius 5, and Logic Pro 7. One business sources described me as a “multi-talented young professional with a diverse skill set that includes writing, instructional design, film and video production, video editing and post-production, music composition and piano performance, web design, and graphic design.” You can see a sample of my independent filmmaking at huntfortheholocron.com.

On surrounding himself with the finest

That started with my parents and family and goes on with my wife Jessica, who is also my best friend. She also answers to Jess and Jessie. We got married June 28, 2008. It was so much fun!

Musically I have studied piano with the best: Tony Caramia, fine teacher and jazz pianist from the Eastman School of Music, whom we’ve already talked about, and also with Grammy-nominated pianist Brian Holland and stride/early jazz pianist Tom Roberts.

Then in my recording — one CD so far, Tricky Fingers — I’ve had the good fortune to work with the absolute best: Bryan Wright. He’s one of the nicest, most talented people I know, musically fearless and a great keeper of this music. His record label, Rivermont Records, produces one thrilling album after another. If Tricky Fingers succeeds, it’s because of him. [Author’s note: There’s so much to say about this great CD that it will be covered in a later article. It’s a fine achievement.]

On ragtime performers he enjoys and admires

Among the oldtimers, definitely Eubie, Billy Mayerl, Bob Zurke, and Fats Waller. I like Jelly Roll Morton’s music but don’t play it well. Lately I’ve added Dick Wellstood and Ralph Sutton, so you could say I’m all over the place! The beauty of this music is that there’s so much good stuff out there that it’s impossible to consume it all. But I try to listen to as much as I can and to learn something from everyone.

It’s impossible to name a favorite present-day performer. It’s like being asked to pick a favorite family member — it can’t be done.

That being said, I’ve made no secret of the fact that Prof. Tony Caramia is the musician I have most directly sought to emulate: his quality, technique, understanding and experience are astonishing.

You also have to understand that when I first got into ragtime, Brian Holland, John Arpin, and the other star performers were like mythological creatures to me. I only knew them from their CDs, and to finally meet them was like walking in the Canyon of the Giants! I met Brian and Jeff Barnhart when I was 16, and they were 26. Now I’m 26, and there’s a bumper crop of scarily talented teenagers coming up. It’s surreal!

I had a beer with Morten Gunnar Larsen last fall and in the middle of a sentence thought, “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe he’s actually talking to me!” I’m FaceBook friends with Mimi Blais. It’s all great!

On playing with ease, as Fred Astaire danced

I think there’s magic in a performance that appears effortless. Watching Astaire dance is like watching clouds pass overhead or raindrops fall. It looks so natural and easy. It allows us to dance along, in a way, because it appears so free and unselfconscious. But the fact of the matter is that there’s no way he could have done what he did if he wasn’t practicing all the time.

I consider it my job as a pianist and entertainer to make my music look easy. What nobody sees or hears, of course, are the hours and hours I devote to practicing. All they hear when I perform are the results of that hard work.

I remember when a kindly audience member told my wife Jessica after a performance that she was “so lucky to get a private concert every night!” My wife smiled and nodded, and I had to laugh. It’s a minor miracle that she hasn’t yet tossed me out the window of our small apartment! After about the 20th time through one measure of music at quarter tempo, calling that a “private concert” is a real stretch!

On liking to think and use his mind

I do love to think! My friends make fun of me for thinking too much. I also love ideas and the world of ideas. I love having a deep conversation with a close friend, about creativity and expression, about the search for meaning. I love conversations that feel like they’ve changed or influenced something. A good conversation for me is like finding a piece of a puzzle, reclaiming a small piece of what feels like a forgotten wholeness.

Many of the big conversations in my life have happened over a milkshake at an Eat ‘n Park family restaurant. I’d go there at 11 PM with my friends from high school and college and leave at 3 or 4 in the morning. I remember one particular night when my friend Mat and I started discussing the projects we were working on. Then the conversation soon turned to the very meaning of existence, of God and the creation of the universe. It’s hard to be brief about it, but our main conclusion — revelation, if you will — was that whether or not we were created by a loving Creator or manifested out of the chaos of the universe, either way it was a miracle!

[Author’s note: Martin and I also talked about Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, Origen, Akhnaten, Satan, and Peter Brown’s book The Body and Society. Great fun, but all of that wouldn’t fit in here!]

Summarizing the music milestones

Looking back over my musical life so far, I can say that I’ve been busy since the age of 14 as a pianist and composer. As far as noting milestones, I’d have to include:

• Winning a Yamaha Disklavier piano at 14 in the Calliope Media nationwide Crazy for Ragtime competition.
• Being a featured youth performer at the Scott Joplin Festival in 1999, then returning in 2006 and 2007.
• Winning the 2007 World Old Time Piano Playing Championship “Best New Rag” competition with my composition Red Elephant Rag.
• Releasing my debut CD Tricky Fingers in 2007 with Rivermont Records.
• Performing at the West Coast Ragtime Festival in 2009.
• Getting invitations to perform at other festivals here and abroad.

And what’s next?

[Laughing] Both philosophically and practically, one can never be 100% sure! But to venture a guess, it might include several things:

• Having more fun with my wife and family and friends
• More work and filmmaking
• Another CD with Bryan Wright, already in the planning stages
• Transcribing more compositions and having them available for sale
• Enlarging my website, which should have an online store by the time of publication of this article. Check it out at www.spitzfire.com
• Playing at more ragtime festivals. I love them! They’re a gathering of people who love and enjoy ragtime, so the ambience and camaraderie are great. It’s wonderful to meet and talk with the people and hear their comments and stories.
• Playing more and getting better. The wonderful thing about music, as with any art, is that there’s no limit! You can always learn more, improve, get more enjoyment from your art, and hopefully give more enjoyment to your listeners.

Many thanks, American Rag, for your interest in me, and here’s to good times ahead!