Ragtime music, like “Fig Leaf Rag” and “The Entertainer” by Scott Joplin,  could be heard being played through the open bookshop doors of Half  Off Books, located at 141 W. Wilshire Avenue in downtown Fullerton, on a Saturday afternoon in mid-May. The source of these pieces was a wooden piano positioned in the front of the store, where professional musicians from the Orange County Ragtime Society (OCRS) gathered in front of four rows of seats to perform compositions, either written by themselves or by classic ragtime composers. Once every month, the Society of Musicians meets here in Fullerton and performs for members of the public perusing the store’s bookshelves.
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Following a suggestion from Judy Berg, an Observer reader, I decided to learn more about the Orange County Ragtime Society and meet a few of its members at their free monthly performance on May 16, which lasted from 2 to 5:00 pm. Around 19 to 20 music-loving members of the public gathered to hear these musicians perform ragtime compositions and discuss the history of the musical medium.
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When I asked OCRS member John Reed-Torres, a professional ragtime  pianist and composer, about how the  Society began, he said, “It was started by our good friend Eric Marchese long before I started attending…it’s a monthly meeting space for musicians of all levels to come and play for each other, learning from each other, as well as building new friendships and repertoire under the umbrella of ragtime and ragtime adjacent musical styles.”
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Vincent Johnson, another member of OCRS, added, “It was founded in November 2001, as a monthly meeting branch-off from RagFest, which operated every year in Fullerton and Orange County up until 2019.”

​According to Orange County Ragtime Society’s website, over the years, the group has performed at local venues including: the  Muckenthaler Cultural Center, the Nixon Library, the historic Bradford House in Placentia, Steamers Jazz Club, Mo’s Fullerton Music Center,  Rutabegorz Restaurant and Rockin’ Taco Cantina.

“Our group has met at several different locations. Most recently, we were at a restaurant nearby, but I honestly enjoy Half Off Books much more… Off the top of my head, I feel like we’ve been at Half Off Books for at least two years now,” said Reed-Torres.
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However, one of the bookstore’s longtime employees recalled that OCRS has been performing monthly at the store for at least the past three years. Vincent Johnson later confirmed via email that the group has been meeting and performing at Half Off Books since 2023.
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As to why he decided to join OCRS, Reed-Torres explained, “Well, taking it back to when I graduated high school in 2009, I didn’t really know many people who were passionate about ragtime and also performed it. Being a South Central L.A. native, there were no local places that featured ragtime, nor live piano, but through their social media, I became acquainted with Vincent Johnson, who was also in college at the time. I attended Pasadena City College, which was near his home, and we’d carpool together to the OCRS meetings. This was my introduction to this community of musicians whom I now consider dear friends and colleagues.”
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When I asked Reed-Torres what he finds personally fulfilling about playing ragtime music, he said, “Ever since childhood, I’ve always liked syncopated musical rhythms; therefore, ragtime really rooted itself within my musical preferences (as ragtime is heavily syncopated). Being mixed-race, of African and Mexican descent, I’m fascinated by the deep roots of Afro-American musical heritage, in which ragtime played a huge part.

“You see, ragtime music is a product of the late 19th and early 20th-century black diaspora. Its syncopated rhythms drew from Black folk music traditions of the South and Midwest, while also incorporating European-influenced popular musical forms of the time, such as marches and waltzes. Together, these influences created an entirely new and uniquely domestic musical genre. Playing and composing this music brings me joy, and I feel a connection to the artists of 120 years ago.”
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He’s not alone, as all members of OCRS share a passion for ragtime composers and compositions. The Society’s musicales feature pianists, ragtime musicians and vocalists from all over Southern California.

The group’s next free bookstore performance will take place on Saturday, June 20, from 2 to 5:00 pm. Half  Off Books is located at 141 W. Wilshire Avenue in downtown Fullerton.