It's A Raggy Waltz

Search for images of Dave Brubeck and see him smiling through the ages, all next to music apparatus of some sort. What a man. What a life. What a legacy.

I'll let you learn about him and the specifics of this song on your own. I'll focus on why I chose to sing this song. A goal for my voice students is to have balanced and versatile voices. To promote this, I hold an annual dinner concert with a live band or karaoke and each singer sings four songs, one each in the country, jazz, popular and world genres. I scour through bookshelves of sheet music to find appropriate songs for each singer, sometimes an incredibly time-consuming task. In Ultimate Jazz Showstoppers I found "It's a Raggy Waltz." Bingo! I found a suitable jazz song for a young singer (no tearing heartache or pining over unrequited love.)

We only discovered one recording with vocals, the one on the record with Frederica von Stade. For a solo presentation, it wasn't a thorough guide, but we had fun with it. The notation in the sheet music has additional accents that I don't hear in the recording, so we performed it with our interpretation. The word "raggy" doesn't mean a piece of rag, but of ragtime music. Brubeck is mixing styles, playing around with composites of rags and jazz. Recall the spirit of your favorite Joplin rag and drop that into a triple meter swinging creation.

My student sang beautifully and we put it on YouTube. As a study for other singers, I thought I would do another version. Plus, her grandpa loves this song and what's better than spreading joy though singing and music?

It's a Raggy Waltz

It's a raggy waltz, a raggy waltz, a raggy waltz that I'm gonna dance with you.
Now that you've heard this very funny beat
Let me see if you can feel it in your feet.
Yeah, you've got it! Startin' to swing!
Just forget everything, raggy waltzin' with me.

It's not a waltz that's Viennese,
Johann Strauss 'twould never please.

It's a raggy waltz, a raggy waltz, a raggy waltz and no other dance will do.
And when the dance is through you're gonna say,
"Never stop romancin', dancin' in this way. Makes me love you."
Out on the floor you'll be askin' for more raggy waltzin' with me.
Come dance with me.

Words and music by Dave Brubeck.