Eau Claire Ragtime Festival Performers

Martin Spitznagel (Virgina)

In the years since he has been an active composer and performer, studying with noted jazz pianist and pedagogue Tony Caramia and Grammy-nominated pianist Brian Holland. He has been a featured performer at music festivals across the country including the Scott Joplin International Ragtime Festival in Sedalia, MO, and the West Coast Ragtime Festival in Sacramento, CA.

In October 2007, in association with Rivermont Records, he released his debut album, “Tricky Fingers,” which music legend Max Morath declared “a stunning piece of work.”

When he is not at the piano, Martin works as an instructional designer, writer, and filmmaker. He lives in Alexandria, VA, with his wife, Jessica.Also see http://spitzfire.com

Bill Edwards (Virginia)

Bill Edwards learned half the Scott Joplin catalog and most of Elton John’s by the age of 15 and spent the majority of his secondary school years in front of a piano.  After college, Bill moved to Durango, CO, and had a six year career at the Diamond Belle, playing with  Molly Kaufman, Jim Rowe, and many other talented pianists who helped shape his style and repertoire. Bill still considers Mr. Kroeckel as his mentor, for the invaluable advice and time given to him over those years. As an added benefit, Dick had learned much of his craft directly from the inimitable Johnny Maddox.  The name "Perfessor" was adopted on his behalf in reference to early ragtime piano players. Their official title was often "Professor", but pronunciations routinely aberrated the word into "Perfessor."  Someone called Bill a "Professor" of ragtime one evening, and with the slight alteration in spelling, the name stuck instantly.

Bill then earned a music degree in Durango from Fort Lewis College. He moved east to the Washington D.C. area in late 1986. Bill ended up spending eight years playing for the Fish Market restaurant and entertainment venue, and has played everything from Jazz to Classical to Rock in other venues around the Nation’s Capitol. This includes a Christmas performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Mr. Edwards has also performed with many prestigious traditional jazz bands, and worked with or opened for a variety of well-known artists, including Dave Brubeck, Al Hirt, Mel Tillis and Jo-Ann Castle.

In the mid 1980’s, the "Perfessor" started making appearances at the World Championship of Old-Time Piano Playing, which now takes place over each Memorial Day Weekend in Peoria, Illinois. He has consistently placed in the top five, winning the title in 1991. His continued enthusiasm for this great forum for performers of all ages and abilities has kept him involved in many facets of the contest, including providing some of the definitions used in the rules as well as leading seminars one year. Bill has also made appearances at a variety of other traditional jazz and ragtime events around the country, appearing as a guest, a contestant, or a judge. He was also involved in some live overseas broadcasts to Europe and South America for U.S. Government-sponsored shows on American Musical History.

Since 1984, Mr. Edwards has amassed an impressive repertoire of recordings, most of which are still currently available. They cover everything from traditional classic ragtime to early popular song, and even a blues collection. There are always more recordings in the works, and a number of them have been driven and formulated by listener requests, including those generated by his Ragtime MIDI and Sheet Music Covers page. He has also amassed a collection of original ragtime compositions, including an award winning rag in 2001 titled The Necromancer (used with other pieces of Bill's in the 2004 feature Ghosts of Edendale), his 2002 award winner The Wiener Schnitzel Rag, and his first original syncopated piece from 1985, The Hanon Rag, which premiered while he was still at Fort Lewis College. The future holds more ragtime for the "Perfessor" and his fans!  See his website at www.perfessorbill.com.

Meredith Axelrod and Craig Ventresco (California)

Vocalist Meredith Axelrod has been performing in the San Francisco Bay Area for several years, interpreting songs from America’s great age of popular music, the 1890’s-1920’s.   Acoustic string virtuoso Craig Ventresco’s style is influenced by ragtime, rural blues, early jazz guitar and traditional string band music.  His playing is at once fiery, melodic and inventive. His solo guitar playing was featured on the soundtrack albums for the films “Crumb” and “Ghost World.” Also see www.myspace.com/craigventrescoandmeredithaxelrod.