Alexander's Ragtime Band

A couple of months after my first son Alexander was born in June 1989, I asked Uncle Harvey to do a version of Irving Berlin's classic Alexander's Ragtime Band. With the generosity that marked his every act, Harvey took the time and trouble (though I sometimes think composing was no trouble for him at all!) to record his rendition of that song on a cassette. Upon receiving and playing it, I was, of course, entranced, and thought what a lovely, personal gift it would be for Alexander when he was old enough to appreciate it. We have played that cassette many times; I believe it is the only extant copy. Though the sound on the aging cassette transfer isn't perfect, it's a nice reminder of how valuable creations can be when they are "rescued" from oblivion by the presence of an old recording tucked away in a closet somewhere.

Paul Epply-Schmidt, Princeton NJ — December 2021