Scott Joplin Music

I have for a long time owned the LP of the piano rolls created by Joplin.
Piano rolls are music produced by relatively crude machines and are unable to give more than a pale imitation of the player's style.
You are much better off listening to good exponents of ragtime like Joshua Rifkin than thinking that piano rolls are actual music.

This CD shows the beginning of jazz. This is where it all began. Scott Joplin is a great composer of ragtime. It is a fun CD to listen to, but it must be listened to in context of it's historical meaning, or it can become very monotonous. If you're not an avid jazz lover, this probably isn't for you.

These recordings are not re-mastered Scot Joplin works but rather "piano rolls" and as such are very mechanical sounding.At no place on the catalog info does the words"piano roll" appear and therefor this album is a swindle. Tin Ear

The piano rolls featured on this CD date from the turn of last century and the 1960's. The selections are good. Just the right thing to spark some interest in Ragtime music for my 12 year-old son. (It did!) I was hoping the selections would be more faithful to the period. Perhaps they are! But, while purists will enjoy the true-to-the-scoreness of the tracks they will also be disappointed in many of the tempos.

One reviewer noted that the songs sounded mechanical. I agree, some do. The end of Maple Leaf Rag, for instance, culminates in such a frenetic pace I thought I was listening to a hurdy-gurdy race.

We also purchased The Complete Music Of Scott Joplin. This is a 4 CD set. There is a lot of music for the money. John Arpin plays with lots of vituosity and embelishments. But 4 Cds are less convenient.

I do enjoy a liveliness to my ragtime, and this did inspire my son to play a couple of pieces so I am very happy.

What else were you expecting? You think they had 8 track recorders in Joplin's day? You think they had digital or even analogue technology?? Heck, dude, they didn't even have ELECTRICITY! lol

I'm just happy to know that Joplin's original recordings on this CD are the closest thing we have to hearing original recordings from the Classical Masters. I wish the piano roll had existed in Beethoven's day...or Chopin's. I doubt many people would be screaming about the digital conversion quality if it had. ;)

When I bought this album, I was a swinging grad student. The music accompanied me when I was working on my experiments (organic synthesis!). I never got bored, it really got me in the mood! So when I was planning my wedding banquet a few years later, I used some of the tracks (from number 6 onwards) during the event. This album will help me chronicle at least the past 3 years of my life. Buy it, you won't regret it. It will inspire you to move on with your life

These bundle of movie hits are renditions of the original songs.
Some of them fall short of the acceptable target.

This CD has a surprising range of tracks on it. There is for exaple the very jazzy version of "happy birthday" that is just easy listened to, amongst others. On the other hand though, and that is what makes this CD so exceptional, there are these songs that talk of the jewish culture and the very special spirit it has. A spirit of graet pride and joy that always bears a touch of melancholy, even sadness, tells of loss. Fascinating is that Feidman tells us these stories soley through his clarinete, he is truly an exceptional player, not so much playing it but singing through it. Worth every single penny. Singular.

We listened to Ric Louchards 3 recordings over and over through 12 years of childhood. We have twins now 18. Ine a violinist whose just stopped playing, but still keeps her instrument handy in case, and the other a pianist who just won the district competition for the 2nd time. Now she's off to a small liberal arts womens college and will keep her piano going. I do give these recordings credit for being the backbone of our girls music careers and if you keep playing them over and over and over, they become such a part of yourself that when you play a piece from the repatroire it's like riding a bicycle after 10 years . The pieces are played in a beautiful way. Mr. L was a sSuzuki teacher ...maybe still is and the pieces seem to have a shining clarity. We've managed to have classical music be our music we are passionate about in the face of easier listening music for teens. From piano they both moved to Opera as well as violin and all Bass Violin music possible. All his music is a good investment in a childs music career, as a performer or as a listener.

I have owned this CD for several years and we listen to it often. It is pleasant, upbeat and excellent background for company dinners. I buy it for gifts for new parents.