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.

I've been compiling musical "anthologies" for 30 years (i.e., collecting recordings and rearranging them into programs for my own amusement), one of which was a celebration of ragtime. I also often mixed rags into other genres just to spice things up.

Admittedly, I usually became so fond of the first rendition of each rag that I heard that I rarely preferred to hear that rag as recorded by some other artist. The thought of looking for contemporary rags, however, never occurred to me, though after buying this CD and doing some research, I now understand there are lots contemporary rags (though I have not yet researched whether there are commercially available recordings of them). Hearing new rags played in a new style is a chance to start over, and hear the genre as though for the first time.

For example, when I popped this CD into the car player, I settled in for what I thought was going to be routine program. But a brief way into the second track (see next paragraph), I knew the original tracks were going to be the real treat. If, like the artist, you think the whole point of a rag is to have a bit of fun, then you are likely to appreciate these new rags; they are sometimes a rag "with a twist."

Laramie Rag is my favorite. It is the first original on the CD (the second track described earlier) and it has just enough, well, anomolies, for lack of a better term, that I knew, on the first listening, that it could not be a classic, even though, most of the time, it sounded just like one. And that's why it is so much fun.

The recording quality is also excellent. Overall, this was a really fine purchase.

My love for Joplin's rags goes way back to my childhood; 'Maple Leaf Rag' and 'Gladiolus Rag' were two that I frequently played in public and always got a positive response, even from musically unsophisticated audiences. On this CD we have 'Gladiolus Rag' and in his notes pianist/composer Gary Smart calls it his favorite Joplin rag; mine, too. There is only one other Joplin piece here, 'Solace (A Mexican Serenade)', one I'd never heard before. It's a slow, dreamy piece which is underpinned by a Hispanic rhythm. Smart plays it with feeling, a creamy legato and a loose-limbed rubato. A winner.

The other rag composers represented here are Joseph Lamb ('Ragtime Nightingale', 'American Beauty'), James Scott ('Grace and Beauty'), Clarence Woods ('Sleepy Hollow Rag'), Robert Hampton ('Cataract Rag'), and best of all there are seven originals by Gary Smart himself: 'Laramie Rag', 'Two Flowers Rag', 'Cracker Rag', 'Peanut Butter Rag', 'Soirees de Vienne (Ragtime rondo)', 'Harlequin Rag' and 'Bell Rag.'

First, let me say that Smart plays these rags with close attention to the scores, not least Joplin's own imperative instruction not to play his rags too fast. Hurray for that. He has an interesting way with rubato; at times it seems wayward, but mostly it feels 'right.' He also plays with a minimum of pedal, which I quite like. He has a fairly well-regulated piano and the recorded sound is good.

Some musical high points: Smart's slithery 'Laramie Rag', written when he was teaching at the University of Wyoming in Laramie; it slyly quotes 'Home of the Range'. James Scott's 'Grace and Beauty' which has both title qualities in abundance; again, Smart's slightly restrained manner fits this elegant rag perfectly. Smart's 'Peanut Butter Rag', although written only last year, has its fair share of 1920s 'eccentric rag' licks. 'Gladiolus Rag' is played broadly and unhurriedly; I love Smart's way with the chromatic upsweeps in the left hand. Hampton's 'Cataract Rag', one that I can only recall hearing once before, is ragtime tone-painting at its best; the 'cataract' of the title is a waterfall, imitated with lacy downward chromatic figures.

But my favorites of the whole CD are the last two cuts, both rags by Smart himself. Smart says, in his handsome booklet notes, that 'Harlequin' is operatic and indeed it is, but not like any Italian opera you've heard, perhaps Joplin's own 'Treemonisha' is conjured up. It is harmonically adventurous and expands the usual AABBACCDD rag format. Musically it describes the Arlequino character from Italian commedia dell'arte (not the series of romance novels!) and has much the same kind of impish humor as in, say, Strauss's 'Till Eulenspiegel.' Finally, 'Bell Rag' (1986) is a joyous up-tempo rag, written on commission from Mountain Bell Telephone, and it humorously quotes that sentimental old pop song from 1901, 'Hello, Central, Give Me Heaven'. It is harmonically complicated, uses various kinds of 'bell' sounds, sometimes goes into some bop figurations and ends with, to quote the composer, 'a ringing coda.' Yowzah!

Worth a listen, for sure.

Scott Morrison

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.