Ragtime Music

I FOUND A NEW BABY
SWEET GEORGIA BROWN
BILL BAILEY PLEASE COME HOME
FIVE FOOT TWO
SAINT LOUIS BLUES
BACK HOME AGAIN IN INDIANA
YES SIR THAT'S MY BABY
AT SUNDOWN
I'M LOOKING OVER A 4 LEAF CLOVER
RED RED ROBIN COMES BOB BOB BOBBIN'
TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME
ALEXANDER'S RAGTIME BAND
RAGTIME COWBOY JOE
WHEN THE SAINTS GO MARCHING IN
total time 46;37

excellent compilation of ragtime piano performances by some of the most famous and important artists of the 1910's-20's including Jelly Roll Morton, Scott Joplin, Eubie Blake, Fats Waller, and others. These performances were taken from piano rolls, which were used in player pianos, and they recordings are fantastic, they sound as if they were recorded yesterday.

Before the advent of electric recording in the 1920s, the one musical instrument that it was almost impossible to record was the piano. This meant that during the heyday of ragtime piano, most ragtime composers concentrated on sheet music and most performers concentrated on touring. The closest thing we have to a record of what ragtime originally sounded like are piano rolls like these, most of them recorded in the late 1910s and ealry 1920s, just as piano rolls were building to their peak at the end of the pre-electric era. Oddly enough, because these are rolls rather than acoustic recordings, they are subject to a sort of monkeying that you just couldn't do with a record back then. They were adjusted for pacing and "rough" phrasing was made smoother as the roll was copied to the model from which all subsequent recordings would come. Consequently, pianists of very different generations (e.g., Scott Joplin and James Johnson) sound too much alike on this recording, because the companies that issued their rolls were aiming at an aggregate "rag piano" style. Nevertheless, this is the closest you will get to hearing what ragtime originally sounded like. As you listen, you will understand why Joplin in particular saw close connections between his compositions and those of more "classical" composers. You will also understand why he told people again and again: "You must never play ragtime fast."

A superb performance DVD, with Ernie's jawdropping picking showcased to full effect. Camerawork of interest to all players and the range of material is fabulous. Loads of interesting bio-info, much about Hawkins first meeting with Rev Gary Davis, and his friendship with that late guitar master. A highly recommended audio-visual treat.