Customer Reviews

Complete Stark Rags of Joseph F Lamb

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It goes without saying that the music itself is excellent, but the written score means nothing unless the performer can execute it properly. Guido Nielsen does this. He plays these pieces smoothly and he doesn't play them too fast; and I have heard, in listening to this recording, absolutely *no* liberties taken by him to "jazz" up these works. He lets them speak for themselves instead of adding his own embellishments. This recording really is worth five stars and is probably as close as anyone will come to perfect in a ragtime recording. The information in the booklet that comes with this C.D. is also great; full-color reproductions of the covers of the sheet music to these pieces (and descriptions of each piece), and a short (but sweet) biography of Joseph Lamb.

Only the most superlative of superlatives suffice to describe Lamb's rags. His music is melodious, lyrical and enchanting. A friend who heard only two cuts from this album begged me to order him a copy. What more can I say? This album is superb!

I have been a ragtime fan since the 1970s revival. I have not had much exposure to Joseph Lamb, so wanted to fill the gap in my collection. I was in for a very pleasant surprise. I think Lamb is on a par with Joplin, although their styles are somewhat different.I would say Lamb's compositions are closer to those of James Scott than to Scott Joplin. Lamb is rather more of an acquired taste than Joplin, however it is worth the effort.
The playing, by Guido Neilsen, is masterly . Ragtime is often wrongly played too fast and in a honky-tank style but Nielsen never falls into this trap. His playing manages to be pleasing..robust when required, delicate at other times.
My personal favourite is Excelsior Rag.

Nielsen does a splendid job of interpreting the works of Lamb. Neither exceedingly maudlin nor sugary sweet, Nielsen plays Lamb's "Nightingale," "American Beauty," and "Sensation" with a dearth of treacle and swoon. Nice Chris Ware cover too.

But I found this CD infectious. It loses a star only because it is so short (not even 40 minutes) and so pricey. Spectacular sound and splendid playing.

I listened to the hyped performances by the composer mentioned in another review, and found these far more fun. Even if those are more accurate or authentic. No regrets! Solid pleasure.

I am delighted to find a variety of Ragtime composers still being recorded. The Europeans seem to have much more appreciation of the American Jazz heritage than do the Americans.

Tom Oliphant
Los Alamos, NM

Anyone who believes that Nielsen is not playing "too fast" needs to listen to Lamb himself on Smithsonian Folkways. This latter recording, made in 1959 when Lamb was 72 years old, exposes Neilson as a honky tonk tinkler. Nielsen comes close to getting it right on a couple of tunes (Ethiopia, Topliner Rag) but his excessive speed and heavy-handedness is no more apparent than on American Beauty Rag, a beautiful and subtle piece that is made frivolous and grating. If you want to hear Lamb's rags played correctly, go to Perfessor Bill Edward's website, where you can hear them in their entirety for free.

Reading through the various reviews of ragtime albums is seems that Guido Neilsen is a player that people either love or hate, which is, I suppose, the mark of any competent performer with their own personality. And it's a sign of ragtime's durability as a form that people are still arguing over how fast or slow, and how strictly or loosely to play it.

It is worth remembering that -- although many did both -- some people were primarily composers of ragtime, and others primarily performers. Lamb and Joplin did favor slower tempos for their "classic" rags. But while both were regarded as competent players in their day, neither was considered outstanding as a -performer-. It's quite possible that they favored tempos which /they/ were most comfortable playing in. I've written music of my own which more skillful players have performed at faster tempos than I could, and as a result made the music sound much better than I could hope to.

As with many other kinds of music, ragtime has gone through its extremes. From the breakneck race to the end of the tune, characteristic of the 50s and 60s honky-tonkers, to the sometimes nearly comotose interpretations of Joshua Rifkin.
(I know... it's heresy to criticize Rifkin's classic recordings of Joplin. But frankly I think some of his tempos would have put even Joplin to sleep.)

I like Mr. Nielsen's playing. He performs these pieces with great fidelity to what is written in the score, but also with an intelligent sense of what lies within the tasteful probabilities of the style, He doesn't play these rags overly fast, yet he keeps them lively enough to remind us that people used to /dance/ to ragtime, once upon a time. His articulation is clean, and his phrasing light and, again, tasteful.

Also, recordings of Joe Lamb's rags are hard to come by. Any true afficianado of ragtime should welcome this opportunity to hear all of Lamb's 'Stark' rags collected in one place and, if nothing else, perhaps Mr. Nielsen's efforts will inspire others to record Lamb's music.

In the meantime, get it here, while you can.