The Heroes of Parlor Town - Volume 1

Brent Watkins | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 1, 2005)
• Original Release Date: March 1, 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Rivermedia.TV
• ASIN: B0007W4N6S
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #254,432 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

The Mississippi Rag, June 2005

"Watkins plays with a great sense of the ragtime and stride styles..."

About the Artist

Brent Watkins has studied piano since the age of 8. Trained in the classics, as a young teenager, Brent fell in love with ragtime piano in the early 70’s, when music from the motion picture "The Sting" was played on a local radio station.

Acquiring a substantial collection of piano and ensemble ragtime recordings and sheet music, Brent expanded his repertoire and became eager to share his new found love of the music.

He began his piano career by performing at the 2nd Annual Sedalia Ragtime Festival in 1975 while only 13. At age 15, he studied at the University Of Missouri Conservatory Of Music in Kansas City. He had the privilege to meet and study with renowned second generation ragtime composer Bill Krenz, who retired in Brent’s hometown of Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Although discouraged from pursuing ragtime and jazz piano by his classical University piano instructors, Brent continued to perform in coffee houses and restaurants in Kansas City, Missouri through the early 1980’s.

Throughout his life, Brent has been passionate in his study of African American history and culture, with a special focus on the years between 1890 and 1930.

Now Brent Watkins is a frequent performer of ragtime and vintage jazz music, appearing at music regional music festivals and presenting "The Heroes of Parlor Town" at museums and cultural centers throughout the Midwest.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great classic ragtime and early jazz, April 3, 2005

By 

"Gimpy" Peach Johnson - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Heroes of Parlor Town - Volume 1 (Audio CD)

For the "Heroes of Parlor Town," pianist Brent Watkins has put together a mouthwatering selection of well-known and obscure ragtime and early jazz piano solos. In sixteen selections, the disc covers twenty-five years of ragtime, from Scott Joplin's "The Maple Leaf Rag" (1899) to Jelly Roll Morton's "Mamanita" (1924). The pieces are roughly arranged in chronological order, allowing the listener to hear how ragtime developed into jazz. Unfortunately, there are no liner notes with the disc outside of a brief couple paragraphs on the tray card which explain that the "heroes of Parlor Town" were the "men of color who defined musical culture for white America."

The disc is very well recored on a great-sounding grand piano. No sore ears from out-of-tune honky-tonk uprights here! In general, Watkins's performances are excellent: he tackles the uptempo pieces with vigor and pep, and the gentler pieces are a little more relaxed. Watkins rips through Clarence Wiley's fiery "Carbarlick Acid" (1903) particularly well; it just leaps out of my stereo with fantastic energy (and some audible foot stomps from Watkins) -- it is my favorite track on the disc, one I find myself playing over and over. Scattered throughout the disc are a few rhythms which feel a bit unstable, and a few "messy" notes (and anyone who knows how difficult some of these pieces are can easily forgive those). On the whole the pieces are played with great skill and Watkins's passion for the music shines through.

Fans of ragtime and early jazz will enjoy this disc. I notice that it's listed as "Volume 1." Let's hope that Volume 2 isn't far off! Recommended.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great stuff!, June 15, 2005

By 

The Emu (charlotte, nc) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Heroes of Parlor Town - Volume 1 (Audio CD)

This guy plays piano with a lot of pizzazz. I especially like his thoughtful "Ragtime Nightingale" and his fresh yet conservative take on "Maple Leaf Rag." He adds few new twists to keep the ubiquitous "Maple Leaf" fresh - a godsend to those of us who have heard this rag billions of times. Thankfully, these twists are not too extreme - Watkins is neither a stodgy ragtime conservative nor an eccentric iconoclast. A tasteful ragtime interpreter in my opinion.

My favorite track is "Eatin' Chocolates," an obscure Iowa rag from 1903, written for a local candy company. Kudos to Mr. Watkins for discovering this rare gem.

My only complaint is that the CD cover is misleading. It shows a bunch of men sitting in a parlor, looking like they are falling asleep. What are they listenbing to? Maybe Satie, maybe Debussy, maybe Kenny G. They are certainly not listening to Brent Watkins, because if they were, they'd be tapping their feet or swaying.