Customer Reviews

Greatest Ragtime Of The Century - Classic Ragtime, Blues and Stomps from Rare Piano Rolls

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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."

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.

This is a very well recorded CD of jazz greats and little known piano roll artists. The piano sound jumps out and sounds live. The piano rolls reproduce the artistry despite their mechanical artifacts. It is one of the best sounding of the Biograph recordings (I've owned the LP as well).