Customer Reviews

Black Manhattan: Members of Legendary Clef Club

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This CD captures all the energy and optimism of the early Harlem Renaissance...you'll think you've been transported back in time.

Ragtime music is probably most familiar to people through two contemporary movies: The Sting, which brought Scott Joplin's "The Entertainer" to public awareness, and Ragtime, with a score by Randy Newman. In my opinion, Newman's score pales in comparison with these originals. The Paragon Ragtime Orchestra faithfully interprets original orchestral scores of composers like James Reese Europe and Will Marion Cook so if, like me, you're used to hearing this music on scratchy old mono recordings, you're in for a real treat.

It's easy to see why this music took the country by storm at the turn of the century...I played this CD three times the first night I got it, because it captivated me. There's not a song here I don't like and there's such a good mixture of styles that it doesn't become repetitive.

As with all releases from New World Records, this one includes a booklet packed with historical and biographical information. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Curator, AfroAmericanHeritage dot com

Yes, why is it so difficult to find this outstanding record when I look under Paragon Ragtime Orchestra"... it's another gem of those 1900-maniacs! Well, SPECIALISTS sounds maybe a little more polite. And I love those extensive liner notes: we get lots of entertainment and information at the same time! All of a sudden, the efforts of today's popular musicians to mess around with heavy and sempre out-of-balance P.A. equipment seem so useless... hahaha!

The title of the CD indicates that these are recordings made by such greats as James Reese Europe--they are actually rather bland modern re-recordings. Look for the originals--they do exist--and bypass this flat second-generation rehashing.