John Roache

[ISSchwartz]

Our dear friend, John Roache, died suddenly in his home this morning (March 3).
The cause of death is not known at this time; an autopsy will be performed
within the next couple of days.

As you may know, John was a very close friend of mine. Although he was my MIDI
mentor, our friendship transcended music into more personal aspects of life.
His loss to me is irreplaceable.

Funeral arrangements are yet to be made.

In the meantime, if you wish to send a message to John's wife, Judy, please
send them to me via e-mail at issch...@aol.com and I will forward them to
her.

I will miss him.
Regards,
Irwin Schwartz
issch...@aol.com
http://members.aol.com/midimusic

[Don McGrath]

I and my wife, Lidia, were neighbors of John and Judy Roache for many
years before we moved to No. Calif. We were very saddened to hear of
his sudden passing. We, and John and Judy, and other friends, had
mutual interests in music, food, and fine wines, and spent many
evenings together. We shall miss him. When funeral services are
announced, we will make plans to be there, and if any of John's
ragtime friends are in attendance, we would like to meet them.

Judy does not use the computer, so if anyone wishes to send a card or
letter, send it to her at 2852 234th St., Torrance, CA 90505. Also,
if anyone wishes to attend services in John's honor, please contact me
by email or phone to get the details.

I really think it would be a nice tribute if some of his music were
played. If anyone in So Cal can assist in setting it up, please
contact me and I will talk to Judy about it.

Don McGrath , vin...@pobox.com

[ragti...@geocities.com]

Hello all,

I would just like to say that NOBODY did more for ragtime on the internet
than John Roache. He was a constant source of inspiration and help; he
never was too busy to write back or offer advice. I am deeply, deeply
saddened at this news... I pray that all those close to him feel his love
for them as they go through this sad time.

Martin Spitznagel

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[eabe...@fnol.net]

In article <19990304004812...@ng-fb1.aol.com>,

issch...@aol.com (ISSchwartz) wrote:
> Our dear friend, John Roache, died suddenly in his home this morning (March
3).
> The cause of death is not known at this time; an autopsy will be performed
> within the next couple of days.
>
> As you may know, John was a very close friend of mine. Although he was my MIDI
> mentor, our friendship transcended music into more personal aspects of life.
> His loss to me is irreplaceable.

It's a shock to learn this terrible news. I did not know John well, but we
did meet at several festivals and spoke of his MIDIs and the artistry that
went into making them. Afterwards, we communicated by email. He told me of
his frustration as a pianist, of his inability to produce the quality music
that he heard in his mind. Most of us can appreciate this frustration, but
he took the extra step of turning to the computer for a solution. His MIDIs
were not the mere automatic input of notes: for him, that was just the first
step. He told me that he then spent weeks, sometimes months, adjusting the
rhythmic placements and dynamics to create a life-like effect. The results,
as those of you who had sampled his files know, are uncanny. Using his CD
versions, I have fooled - and infuriated - many musicians. Just yesterday, I
included his site in an assignment for my graduate students.

His loss is tragic for his family and friends; it also leaves a gap in the
ragtime community. John will be missed.

Ed Berlin

[Oleg Mezjuev]

Fellow Ragtimers,

I'm deeply saddened by the news that our dear friend, John Roache
has unexpectedly passed away. My first thought at this moment goes
to John's wife, Judy - I share her loss.

Unfortunately, I never met John in real life, I got to know him
via Internet. John was a nice gentleman and a great MIDI musician.
His MIDI files were the best in the world. They could be found on
many other sites, besides John's own.

In 1997 John released his first CD ("Syncopated Odyssey") which
was a compilation of some of his MIDI sequences. A second CD was
released in 1998 ("Hot Kumquats and Other Frosty Treats")
containing 18 Robin Frost compositions. Both CDs received plenty
of critical acclaim and attention. Here is what one of the
listeners wrote about John's first recording:

"Syncopated Odyssey is a testament to the promise of
MIDI. In the hands of a musical genre connoisseur, like
John E. Roache, MIDI can be utilized to overcome
physical limitations. This opens the door of brilliant
musical expression that is otherwise left to the
interpretations of a select few physically gifted
musicians. Not only is Syncopated Odyssey a benchmark
for MIDI technology and a glimpse at rare and beautiful
ragtime/stride piano works, it is on it's own a simply
delightful musical experience."

- Donn Kras, in New England

John was a very ambitious person, which made him a great
ambassador of ragtime music. His Ragtime MIDI Library was
regarded the prime source of high-quality ragtime and stride!
The day after John's death his webpage had been visited by
441.233 music fans since October 5, 1995. The number of visitors
speaks for itself!

Look into John's guestbook and you will find more evidence of
how great he was! His site was the first to be registered within
the "Maple Leaf Rag Webring". The MIDI Library was reviewed on
Sunday, July 6, 1997 in the "Baltimore Sun". You will find the
article at: http://members.aol.com/ragtimers/sunspot.html

Here is (perhaps an incomplete) list of what John Roache has done
for ragtime on the Internet:

John Roache's Ragtime MIDI Library
http://members.aol.com/ragtimers/index.html

The Rose Leaf Ragtime Club Home Page
http://members.aol.com/RoseLfRag/

"SOMETHING DOING" Ragtime Newsletter
http://members.aol.com/RoseLfRag/sd.html

Viridiana Productions
http://members.aol.com/ragtimers/viridiana.html

John Roache's Ragtime Store
http://members.aol.com/ragtimers/store.html

The Ragtimers' Chat Room
http://members.aol.com/ragtimers/chat.html

"In 1997 I was asked to present a seminar at that year's West
Coast Ragtime Festival in Sacramento, California. The subject
of the seminar was the production of ragtime music using MIDI
technology. The seminar was well attended and indicated to me
that the ragtime community is beginning to accept this techno-
logy when properly performed and executed."

-- Excerpt from John Roache's bio --

Indeed, the ragtime community WAS ready for more music from this
MIDI magician, but God had other plans. Now he is gone, leaving
after him a huge black hole impossible to fill, and a feeling that
there was still much to be done - he was a man of great potential.
I will miss him very much.

Oleg Mezjuev
oleg.m...@mailbox.swipnet.se

[Richard Huggins]

I did not know anything about this man until I saw the notices about his
death. I wondered "Who IS John Roache?" Then I went to his web site and
listened to some samples and downloaded others.

Wow!

I've done simple MIDI piano sequencing and I know how hard it is to get
that sort of precision AND realism. His files are amazing. What a
perfectionist.

I can tell that you all have lost someone important to the ragtime
heritage, and yet someone who did more than his share to ensure there would
BE a ragtime heritage of a new sort, through MIDI.

Richard Huggins