Scott Joplin Music

Since I'd never heard of Richard Dowling, I had modest expectations, but I like to listen to all the ragtime pianists. (Years ago I borrowed pianos to play "closet" ragtime myself, just to get at those gorgeous chords of Joplin and Joe Lamb). Well, Dowling surprised me with his lyrical, lovely playing! He's a real discovery, and a favorite, along with Dick Hyman. I like also Max Morath for his bouncy and congenial playing & singing. So you give Dowling a chance, and I hope he records more tunes from the large ragtime repertory.

This is a great collection of rags of various styles. The Graceful Ghost is just a wonderful flowing rag bordering on classical, and at the other end is the very fun Entertainer's Rag. Richard Bowling plays them all well. The three Zez Confrey cuts are not to my liking so much, but the rest is a set of play over and over things.

When people think of great piano music, they most likely think of European composers such as Beethoven, Chopin, Schumann, Rachmaninoff, Liszt and Debussy. I don't know if American composers of piano music quite measure up to those giants, but to me, they sure are interesting. This CD provides a basic "who's who" of American piano music.

Edward MacDowall is quite precious, as he comes closest in this collection to sounding like his European ounterparts; his "New England Idyls" at times sound very bard-like as if closely related to something by Grieg or Schumann. George Gershwin, of course, is classic in that when you hear his music, it just evokes a mental picture of jazzy New York City life. Scott Joplin's piano miniatures are masterful, and even though they could technically be considered to be "ragtime", they are just as entertaining to me as many of our European piano classics. Gottschalk is another very creative American composer who draws upon Carribean themes and images. While Samuel Barber is very sentimental, John Cage goes completely off the deep end.

There is much to offer here, and even if these American composers seem a little less mighty than a man like Beethoven or Chopin; what they do give us is what is the essence of America: variety, creativity, originality, and the unique rhythms of the American melting pot; be it African, Native-American, jazz, ragtime, blues or boogie-woogie.

The CD contains informative liner notes. The only drawback is the mysterious ommission of Charles Ives who certainly wrote enough interesting piano music to be included.

THIS CD IS A LOT OF FUN! IF YOU LIKE MELODIES...AND SUPER VIOLIN VIRTUOSITY, THIS IS ONE TO BUY! boland7214@aol.

....with so many gorgeous girls who play the violin so beautifully...I first noticed Leila's albums because she shares the same unusual first name with my wife. [Arabic name, though neither girl is]. And ONE of the Leilas can REALLY play the fiddle.....

This is an album of old, familiar, encore pieces, with John Novacek on the piano. It is 63' of pure joy. These aren't heavy, intellectual, numbers, and Leila doesn't treat them that way. Not that they're easy; far from it...Perlman's arrangements of Scott Joplin require ALL of any violinist's skill. Several of Heifetz' arrangements are included...the Gershwin pieces, "Deep River", and "Jeanie With The Light Brown Hair" really stay in your ear....and the "Porgy and Bess Suite" is worth the price of the record.

Leila MAY be the most gorgeous violinist ever [I said the same about Sarah Chang; my hero Thomas Jefferson was inconsistent, too]. One thing for sure; you'll love this album...the girl is fabulous. Promise.

Leila Josefowicz has shown us, through her previous recordings, that she can play all the "heavies" of the violin repertoire with the best of them. Now she's back, with a catchy, fun recording of jazzy American showpieces. Don't let the cover of the cd fool you into thinking this is a pop princess album, it's not. True, the pieces on here are not heavy, they're purely fun, but she still pulls them off with the same flair and panache as she does in her more serious albums. As Leila states in the liner notes, this album WILL bring a smile to your face! Go out and buy this recording--it's wonderful to listen to when your spirits need a lift.

Ms. Josefowicz has created an amazing recording. Her style is incredibly spirited and one can tell she is having great fun with the music. These are pieces familiar to many and yet her performance leaves one feeling they are hearing them for the first time. She is to be commended for producing and replicating the enthusiasm of the American musical tradition. The Gershwin pieces are masterpieces in their own right. I would love to see her produce a Gershwin recording. I think you will find yourself listening many times to this amaizing recording.

I have enjoyed most of Leila Josefowicz's recordings very much, but this is my favorite. The songs are mostly in a style more or less like rag-time, and they are a lot of fun besides being impressive.
The most amazing piece on this disc is the delightful Yankee Doodle Variations by Vieuxtemps. A fun and virtuosic set of, you guessed right, variations on the song Yankee Doodle. Her perfomence on this piece in particular makes it worth the cost of the entire disc.
Ms. Josefowicz's technique is flawless and her tone is gorgeous. The accompaniment equally good, and the recording quality leaves little to be desired.

My wife was looking for piano and violins...this CD had a pleasant music and tied you to the tragedy...

This recording is a must for the eclectic music lover. The artistic skills are first class. The sound in magnificent. The feeling and passion of presentation are tops. The selections are excellent. My personal favorite presentation is the use of a concert grand piano to play bass scores. Just Awesome.

You can almost hear the great ship sail, the passengers whisper as I Salonisti gives the heart of a full orchestra in their small ensemble. If you don't fall in love with 'Destiny', you don't have a heart. There is an ethereal echo in the recording that gives it a concert-hall sound, which only adds to the beauty of each song. The only (miniscule) improvement they could have made was to put the version of 'Nearer My God to Thee' they played in the movie--it had a melancholy bareness that is missing from the version on this album. Still, this is wonderful music for afternoon teas and romantic dinners--really, any time you want to escape modern life. These guys get it.