OCRS May 2026

May 2026: Maybe the Most Varied Meet So Far!

OCRS May 16, 2026

The May 2026 OCRS gathering featured a very wide variety of performers, styles and even instruments, with the debut appearance at an OCRS of a singer who accompanied himself on a ukelele! Also debuting at OCRS was 7-year-old prodigy Sebastian Franco, who despite the last name is not related to OCRS newcomer last month (who also appeared in May) Lucy Franco.The notes were taken by OCRS stalwart audience member Laurene Harding - thanks, Laurene!

Set list

John Reed Torres
Rapid Transit (Joseph Lamb, circa 1914?), Fig Leaf Rag (Joplin, 1908), New Era Rag (James Scott, 1919)

Sebastian Franco (see note above)
The Entertainer (Joplin, 1902)

Chris Palmese
Doing What I Please (James P. Johnson, (c) as unp. 1931), Unnamed recent original composition, Lamb Strut (2026, Palmese)

Lucy Franco
Maple Leaf Rag (Joplin, 1899), Charleston (James P. Johnson, before 1923), Jambalaya Rag (Martha Mier [1936-], from "Louisiana Legacies" suite, 2006), California, Here I Come (DeSylva and Meyer, 1924)

Scott Pitzer, (vocals and ukulele, OCRS debut)
I Love A Ukulele (Fields and Hall, 1930), Where Did Robinson Crusoe Go With Friday on Saturday Night? (Words Lewis and Young, music by George W. Meyer, 1916, arranged by lan Whitcomb)

Andrew Barrett
Bolo Rag (Albert Gumble, 1908), Lovin' Sam, The Sheik of Alabam' (Milton Ager, 1922), Mandy And Me (Albert Gumble, 1918)

JRT
Dockstader Rag (Copeland, 1912), Leola (Joplin, 1905), Sunshine Cakewalk (JRT, 2019)

Sebastian Franco
Improvisation on Maple Leaf Rag

Vincent Johnson (set dedicated to his dad, who very recently unexpectedly passed away)
Baltimore Todalo (Eubie Blake, circa 1910?), The Entertainer (Joplin, 1902), Daintiness Rag (James P. Johnson, before 1917), The Nickel In The Slot (Zez Confrey, 1923)

Lucy Franco
Peacherine Rag (Joplin, 1901), Roses of Picardy (Haydn Wood, 1916), Something (George Harrison, 1969, arr. Lucy Franco)

Scott Pitzer
On The Sunny Side Of The Street (nominally McHugh, 1930, but probably actually composed by Fats Waller)

Andrew Barrett (contemporary rag set)
Orange County Rag (Ron Ross, 2007), Audacious Harmonies: A Euphonious Melange (Fred Hoeptner, 2001), Andrew Barrett's Rag (Barrett, recent)

Christian Marino
Maple Leaf Rag (Joplin, 1899)

JRT - (set of original compositions)
Honeydew Rag (2011), The Belle of Los Angeles (2012), Brown Bear Rag (2018), Ethiopia Rag (Lamb, 1909)

Vincent Johnson
The Rocky Mountain Fox (Les Copeland, circa 1917), The Bees and Honey Rag (Les Copeland, circa 1917), Alligator Crawl (Fats Waller, 1927) (birthday month composer)

Andrew Barrett
Love Is King: Waltzes (Charlotte Blake, 1906), Irma: Intermezzo Two Step (Arthur C. Morse, 1913, arr. by A. Barrett), Twenties Medley (improv), including My Blue Heaven and Louise

JRT
Ham And! (Arthur Marshall, 1908), Smokey Mokes (Holtzmann, 1899)

Vincent Johnson
The Storybook Rag (Vincent Johnson, 2017) (birthday month composer)

Totals:
7 performers, 37 selections