Review: MISS MAYBELL & HER RAGTIME ROMEOS Celebrate New Album at Birdland Jazz

Miss Maybell & Her Ragtime Romeos is a tight-sounding “vintage” band consisting of singer/multi-instrumentalist Miss Maybell (Lauren Sansariq) and her husband, ragtime pianist extraordinaire Charlie Judkins, along with various other “Romeos.” (They have previously appeared as the “Jazz Age Artistes.”) This New York City-based band plays a large repertoire of early jazz and blues from more than a century ago. 

Judkins occasionally took to the mic to relate the fascinating history of the project and how they acquired the material.

At Birdland Jazz on July 6, the band appeared for its album release event. Their new album, Under the Midnight Moon, is a collection of never-recorded songs the couple found in rare sheet music dating from the 1890s to the 1920s and brought to life by these brilliant musicians. These lost gems made up much of the performance.

At this performance, the band also consisted of Brian Nalepka on bass and tuba, Andy Stein on violin, Dan Levinson on clarinet and saxophone, Mike Davis on cornet and trombone, and Gavin Rice on banjo, alto sax, and trumpet. Notably, Levinson made his first (and triumphant) appearance after a long recovery from extensive jaw surgery.

The band opened with a fun number, “Do It the Right Way” (Will A. Heelan & Seymour Furth, 1910), with Miss Maybell supplying rhythm with a wearable washboard. She played the banjo on the next tune, “Mountain Blues” (Big Bill Broonzy, 1935), a song not on the new album, and did some Cliff Edwards-style “eefing” (a form of scat singing).

The instrumental “Saturday Night in New Orleans” (William Kinder, 1900) had a very Tejano vibe that felt like a lost movie soundtrack, while “The Unknown Blues” (Clarence Williams & Freddie Johnson, 1923) paid homage to Clarence Williams, the monumental pianist, composer, publisher, and producer who helped define early jazz and blues. It was an excellent song for Miss Maybell’s unique voice. Mike Davis supplied some fine cornet obligatos as well as a lively solo.

Bassist Brian Nalepka supplied the vocals on “How Ya Gonna Keep 'Em Down on the Farm” (Walter Donaldson, 1919), a song not on the album, with Miss Maybell’s percussion. This number would have made a good Eddie Cantor record.

One of the top set highlights was “New York, I’m All For You” (Edwin Weber, 1917), with Miss Maybell stepping away from her instruments to sing, Judkins providing fast stride work, Davis on trombone, and Rice on trumpet. Judkins then took a largely solo number on “Jungle Jamboree” (Chris Smith, 1913), which is not on the album. Judkins’ ragtime chops are top-notch, and at times it seemed like he must have more than two hands.

Chris Smith was known for comedic ragtime-era songs. The band played Smith’s (still unrecorded) “After All That I've Been to You,” written in 1913. For the verse, Rice played the banjo as if it were a mandolin, picking the melody to Judkins’s chords in 16th notes. This song had the rhythm of one of those early cartoons where the characters bounce up and down in rhythm to the music. It was especially great to hear Dan Levinson playing a solo here and showing that his embouchure is just fine.

Andy Stein had his turn on the mic for “Do the Hula Lou” (Jack Yellen, Milton Charles and Wayne King, 1924), played in the Hawaiian tradition of the 1920s. This is not a previously unrecorded song - Milton Brown and his Musical Brownies once recorded a hillbilly version - here, Stein played his violin like a country fiddle.

The self-published song “Tennessee” (Hugh Norton, 1918) was found in tatters. This proved to be one of the best vocals of the set for Miss Maybell.

After the well-recorded toe-tapper instrumental “Happy Feet” (Milton Ager, Jack Yellen, 1930), Miss Maybell and the band finished up with a rousing “Down in Honky Tonk Town” (Chris Smith, 1916), with Miss Maybell now on guitar, and featuring solos by Levinson and Stein.

After a sustained standing ovation, Birdland’s club owner Gianni Valenti himself asked for one more song. The band delivered a well-deserved encore, the previously recorded “Warm it Up to Me” (Blind Willie McTell, 1933).

This was a terrific set by Miss Maybell, with great support from Judkins and the “Ragtime Romeos.” Though most of the songs had never previously been recorded, the arrangements and performances made them sound as though they had stood the test of time.

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Under the Midnight Moon can be found for purchase in all formats HERE, including vinyl, as well as on the usual streaming services.

For more information about Miss Maybell & Her Ragtime Romeos, visit www.missmaybell.com.

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