Joy of Joplin

Marcus Roberts (Artist) | Format: Audio Cassette

Product Details

• Audio Cassette (November 3, 1998)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B00000G2UD
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,853,109 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Entertainer

2. Maple Leaf Rag

3. Everything's Cool

4. Hidden Hues

5. From Rags to Riches

6. The Easy Winners

7. Bethena's Waltz

8. Play What You Hear

9. Play What's Written

10. The Joy of Joplin

11. Magnetic Rag

12. Elite Syncopation

13. Before the Party Begins

14. After the Party Is Over

15. Gladiolus Rag

16. A Real Slow Drag

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

On this recording, the tradition-conscious pianist Marcus Roberts delivers a satisfying and surprisingly modern take on ragtime composer Scott Joplin's music. Instead of performing like a human piano roll, Roberts--who has already recorded tributes to piano greats Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, and Jelly Roll Morton--interweaves ragtime with a number of musical genres. With an agile right hand that never sacrifices form for the sake of fluff, and a strong left hand that emulates the low-frequency tuba-bass beats central to the ragtime style, Roberts brings out the best of Joplin's compositions, including the stride/boogie-woogie interpolations on "The Entertainer," the strolling rhythms of "Bethena's Waltz," and the habanera-Spanish tinges of "The Magnetic Rag." Roberts's own compositions in the ragtime idiom reveal his rare gift for emulation and innovation, as evidenced by his Chopinesque and impressionistic "Hidden Hues"; the cascading,Teddy Wilson-ish runs on "Play What's Written"; the supersonic, swinging pace of "From Rags to Rhythm"; and the stop-and-start melody of "After the Party Is Over." --Eugene Holley Jr.

Jazz Times

Roberts strolls this one and grants it an improvisational touch that separates it from its customary treatments.... In fact, though [he] addresses Joplin and his originals with serious preparation and reverence, he clearly goes for the fun factor, eliciting the playful attitude Joplin laid between the grooves of so much of his material.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a treat!, December 3, 2003

By 

nerdyguy1618 (Long Island, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Joy of Joplin (Audio CD)

You might not want to buy this album if you're just looking for a CD of Joplin. But if you already love Joplin's music, and you like Marcus Roberts, this CD won't disappoint you.

Roberts' ragtime feel is great: I could listen to his left hand only all day long. But he then adds his own feel to it. In some cases I hear Ellington and Basie. He brings out the Caribbean sound in Easy Winners, and it makes me think of the piece differently now.

Marcus Roberts shows that you can make the classics new in every generation.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Easy Winner, June 25, 1999

By 

Mom (Oakland, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Joy of Joplin (Audio CD)

I like this album for the reasons that the Florida listener didn't. The freshness Roberts brings to these Rags has reawakened my interest in Joplin. Its also nice to here some new music inspired by Joplin. I even broke out the sheet music and revisited Maple Leaf myself with a new attitude. Joplin is in capable hands with Roberts. Though not a ground breaking effort it's certainly worthy of serious listening. If you want Joplin played in a more traditional way there's plenty of that around. By the way, I recommend the Butch Thompson album as well.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Roberts having fun., December 2, 1999

By 

David Watts (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Joy of Joplin (Audio CD)

Having followed Marcus Roberts from day one, this is a welcome addition. Unlike the reviewer from Florida, I approached this as I do all of Robert's albums - from Roberts' persepctive. This isn't simply a Joplin album, it's Marcus Roberts playing Joplin, and it was unlikely to be like any other Joplin album out there.

Not that this is a totally unique experience, but it is one of the better solo Roberts albums out there. It is also less inclined to fall into Roberts only trap - technique over passion. Of previous recording I sometimes feel that Roberts tries so hard technically that he lacks the heart and soul of the music. He does a better job of that here.

In the liner notes he mentions Ellington and Bach as favorites. The Ellington album is out now, I wonder if Bach is next?