Customer Reviews

Confrey: Piano Music

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Once again, in its "American Classics" series, Naxos has pulled a pleasant surprise rabbit out of the hat. Zez Confrey must be a new name for virtually everyone, unless they are well past my own age, and I don't go back quite that far. The name was certainly new for me, but a few of the pieces on this disc brought memories flooding back, most likely because my parents once had them coupled on an ancient 78 shellac.

Confrey (1895 - 1971) had been relegated pretty much to the dustbin of history before this release. But he did have his days in the sun between the two world wars. Undoubtedly his brightest moment was when he shared billing with George Gershwin and Paul Whiteman on the occasion of the premiere for Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, where Confrey had the stage in the first half of the concert and Gershwin in the second. For the most part, after that February, 1924 "An Experiment in Modern Music" concert of Whiteman's, the paths of Gershwin and Confrey began to diverge; Gershwin was, to put it simply, an overnight success.

All of the music on this album is fun, and virtually all of it demands virtuosic pianistic ability, which Confrey must certainly have possessed. Listening to it is like taking a trip down memory lane, back to the popular music in the first third of the previous century. There are pieces which have clear roots in ragtime, embellished upon and brought forward by a few decades, and at least a selection or two which sound very much like Gershwin preludes in their "bluesy" feel. It's also clear that Confrey was not unaware of the classical music of the period, because a few of the pieces capture the idioms of the piano music of Rachmaninoff and Ravel of that period (although they soon veer off into "Confrey territory"). If you listen carefully, you'll even hear a passing reference or two to Chopin. But, like the Rachmaninoff and Ravel musical allusions, these too are in fact just "passing references."

But most of the album is pure Confrey-style pianistic wizardry: Fleet fingers, crossing hands, syncopations and rhythmic "irregularities" with the colorfully descriptive titles of "Meandering", "Coaxing the Piano" and "Stumbling." And his two most famous pieces (which, probably, many of us have never heard), "Kitten on the Keys" and "Dizzy Fingers." (In fact, it was "Dizzy Fingers" and "Stumbling" which must have been the coupling on that ancient 78, because they were immediately recognizable.)

Eteri Andjaparidze is an excellent technician in this work, which can be very demanding of technique if it is to be pulled off properly. By and large, she does very well by it. In particular, she succeeds in capturing the passing allusions to the classical piano music of the time. If I had my druthers, I might ask for a little more panache, or insouciance, if you like, in the Confrey specialities noted in the previous paragraph. But who can quibble, especially at the Naxos price, without appearing to be a piker?

Neat stuff for a refreshing change of pace, with an opportunity to hear an hour's worth of music by someone who had been ignored for too long. That's a "get it" recommendation!

Bob Zeidler

I have no idea what Jason Verlinde meant by saying that Eteri Andjaparidze sounds "a tad robotic" on certain pieces on her new Zez Confrey album; indeed, the Republic of Georgia pianist sounds absolutely marvelously free in her interpretations. I cannot hear anything "robotic" at all in her playing. She approaches the intricate syncopations of Confrey's music with dazzling style. She is technically proficient enough to take Confrey's tempi at a furious pace, when necessary, in pieces such as "Kitten on the Keys" and "Dizzy Fingers," and to create a sustained, beautiful flow to the music in such "impressionistic" pieces as "Sparkling Waters" and "Mighty Lackawana." The selections which will remind the listener of Art Deco New York in the 1920's and 1930's, are taken at exactly the right tempo, and Ms. Andjaparidze syncopates the rhythms in a sparkling manner. I was utterly amazed at how a pianist, trained in the Republic of Georgia, could evoke the rhythms and style of American music of this type. But she does! In addition, the piano has been recorded beautifully, with sparkling tone at the treble end, and a rich, full bass. I purchased this CD a few hours after reading Frank Behrens' review. It is a wonderful addition to my collection of American music. I urge you to hear this excellent release. Naxos is to be commended for making it available.

First of all, the name in the title of the Naxos release <Zez Confrey Piano Music> (8.559016) is not a typo. This latest addition to the fabulous American Classics series has been nominated for a top award and I have lost track how many times I've played it since it arrived. Noted mostly for his "Kitten on the Keys," which Paul Whiteman immortalized in that famous concert that gave birth to "Rhapsody in Blue," Confrey led a musical life nicely outlined in the liner notes provided by Naxos.

The music itself spans the years 1921-35, then jumps to a 1959 piece that makes us want more of the works that came in between. You will instantly recognize the influence of Joplin and Gershwin in many of these pieces, not to mention Jelly Roll Morton here and there. Indeed one of the pieces (you listen for it yourself) comes very close to Gershwin's homage to Chopin, the "Prelude No. 2." But Confrey has his own voice and pianist Eteri Andjaparidze, from the far off Republic of Georgia, is a fine interpreter. Finally at the Naxos budget price, you can purchase several to give as thoughtful gifts to anyone you know who loves good music.

If you thought an album of Zez Confrey music would be track after track like Dizzy Fingers or Kitten On the Keys, you are in a for a pleasant surprise with this superb CD.

The performances of the said party pieces are fast, furious and fun, but there are also some great blues renditions, and some lyrical, reflective pieces.

I would have preferred if the CD had included a few more of the well-known pieces like My Pet, Poor Buttermilk and You Tell 'Em, Ivories, but the many pieces I had never heard of are interesting, and are played beautifully.

This fairly well recorded collection of Zez Confrey compositions has its share of delights and discoveries, but it also has its disappointments as well. The interpretations of later, less well known pieces is decent and interesting - especially in the ways in which Confrey grew over time as a composer, even after his primary popularity had ended. However, the performer's interpretation of his true classics - "Dizzy Fingers" and "Kitten on the Keys" - is a real disappointment. It almost seems as though she wants to prove her proficiency by playing the pieces as quickly as she can, which eliminates all of the delightful syncopation and sublety in favor of sheer speed. Personally, once I had heard these cuts on the CD, I was so annoyed by them that I never wanted to hear them again.

There are relatively few of Zez Confrey's works available in recorded form these days - this CD and one offering a variety of his piano rolls seem the easiest to find. It's clearly time for a definitive collection -- and this, alas, just ain't it.

First of all, the name in the title of the Naxos release <Zez Confrey Piano Music> (8.559016) is not a typo. This latest addition to the fabulous American Classics series has been nominated for a top award and I have lost track how many times I've played it since it arrived. Noted mostly for his "Kitten on the Keys," which Paul Whiteman immortalized in that famous concert that gave birth to "Rhapsody in Blue," Confrey led a musical life nicely outlined in the liner notes provided by Naxos.

The music itself spans the years 1921-35, then jumping to a 1959 piece that makes us want more of the works that came in between. You will instantly recognize the influence of Joplin and Gershwin in many of these pieces, not to mention Jelly Roll Morton here and there. Indeed one of the pieces (you listen for it yourself) comes very close to Gershwin's homage to Chopin, the "Prelude No. 2." But Confrey has his own voice and pianist Eteri Andjaparidze, from the far off Republic of Georgia, is a fine interpreter. Finally at the Naxos budget price, you can purchase several to give as thoughtful gifts to anyone you know who loves good music.

I wonder, the way, what the composer would think to find this CD listed by Amazon.com under "Classical"?

I heard one song from this CD on a public radio station and was so taken with it I sought out their website to figure out what the song was. I am delighted with this varied collection of songs. What a forgotten talent- apparently a contemporary of Gershwin, I somehow had never been exposed to this music. I highly recommend it!

brilliant. wonderful collection of confrey rags, and the performance is stunning.

i tried to give it "5 stars", but for whatever reason it will only let me give it two.

All I had ever heard about Zez Confery was "Kitten on the Keys" and "Dizzey Fingers". It was a revelation to hear the other items on this disk. My one quibble is that "Dizzy Fingers" is a tad too fast. Buy this cd, you will not be disapointed. We really need to be more aware of American music. It's far more than Gershwin, Copeland and Bernstein. I would suggest you also explore Gottschalk, Joplin and Foster.

This is a superb Naxos release that is an absolute steal for the asking price - a recording you'll turn to time and again.

Kitten on the Keys alone makes it worth adding to anyone's piano music collection.

The pianist Eteri Andjaparidze is a delight to listen to. Her playing has a crispness similar to Glenn Gould (only she's playing works that Gould would never have considered).