Customer Reviews

Knockout Drops

5 star:		(4)
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It's difficult to explain the feeling one gets when they first listen to that perfect period recording. It's a split between true happiness, excitment, and subtle comfort, the feeling as if you have been propelled into the past, the feeling as if you can see what has long been forgotten, just by closing your eyes. It's pretty difficult for an orchestra to achieve this, but I think it is safe to say that the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra or 'PRO' does.

The PRO embodies the essence of the era in which it's music (a colaboration of marches, rags, cakewalks, one steps, waltzs, and so on) came from. All of the music preformed was written for ragtime orchestra (including Pine Apple Rag, for all of you Scott Joplin fans out there) and are part of the Arthur Pryor music collection that was recently rediscovered in Atlantic City by the founder of the orchestra, Rick Benjamin.(Arthur Pryor was a member of the Sousa band, and the conductor of his own orchestra at the turn-of-the-century)

Utilizing superb training, enthusiastic sound, and chamber orchestra polish, the PRO succeeds in bringing a long forgotten musical genre back into light. And rest asured this is not a Dixieland recording, this is not a brashy, low class, bordello band. It is what can only be described as the band that would perform in the park every Sunday after church, at a high class social event, or the departure of the latest luxury liner. It is the embodiment of an era that will never come again, but is still firmly implanted in our memories.

I strongly recommend Knockout Drops to any music fan who is looking for an extraordinary ragtime recording that dosen't have a hint of piano in it. This also goes for the orchestras other recordings (That Demon Rag!, The Whistler and His Dog, and On the Boardwalk) and their video (Charlie Chaplin Moving Picture Show).

From first to last, this is the best cd of ragtime played by people who know ragtime. Unfortunately, the tunes continue to play in my head for hours after.

This is a great album for anyone who like ragtime music. For people who have seen the 2004 film The Deserter by Eric B. Borgman and wondered where you could find the music, some of these exact tunes can be heard in it! Borgman cut a deal with Rick Benjamin and used several tunes from this CD and That Demon Rag!

This CD is highly recommended by me I truly believe that this is the best ragtime orchestra going on the planet!

This is the most enjoyable c-d on ragtime that I have ever had. It is WONDERFUL. There are no words to describe the enjoyment that i have had listening to this c-d,