Customer Reviews

Presenting That Celebrated Maestro / Oh Play That

5 star:		(6)
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This cd features two long out of print Epic albums. I have been waiting for years to have these released on CD. My favorite is the "Celebrated Maestro" work. The songs were record in the studio with a live audience. This usually does not work for me but in this case it is perfect. Max Morath is the best ragtime performer Period. Whether playing Joplin,introducing Women in Classical Ragtime, or singing popular songs of yesteryear, his performance shines on all counts. Where Joshua Riffin is perfect technique in his recordings of Joplin with a lack of feeling, Max Morath has the technique and the ability to add emotional nuances which make the perfect performance.
There is an added dimension to Mr. Morath and it is found on this album due to the live audience. Mr. Morath is a well known educator in Ragtime Music. His PBS series in the Sixties is famous for setting a standard in musical education on television.
In Mr. Morath's "small talk" between songs when finds a wealth of information which adds to the performance and our enjoyment of the music.
A must CD for Ragtime Fans!

These early works by Max Morath are truly gems. I have been looking for them on CD for years and I was surprize to see someone had finally issued these formally Epic Label albums.
The first is my favorite. A live studio audience adds rather than distracts from the music. Max is at his best when he plays and teaches about his ragtime soul. The songs range from the classical rags of Joplin to parlour room classics from WWI to an island with Crusoe! Each song has its own charm, but it the ragtime voice of Max Morath that makes each song come alive and shine.
A must have cd for ragtime fans!

I had these albums back when Mr. Morath was on PBS. I have been searching ever since to get these on CD but to no avail. To find that these have been reissued brings back all these historic songs. If only I could sing! Although, there are classic rag instrumentals, for which Mr. Morath is noted, it is the songs which make these works a joy to play. For the first album, Mr. Morath has an audience which adds to the humor as he announces the songs with his own brand of ragtime speak! Many of the songs are novelty songs of the day such as "Where did Robinson Crusoe go..." or "K K K Katy."
Enough words...get this cd!

Five stars, yes, but is it your cup of tea? Well, it helps to be a Ragtime enthusiast, but that's not necessary. Max Morath was a unique musician who devoted himself to songs and music of the Ragtime era. He plays a representative assortment of piano rags on an overstrung piano and sings a number of songs that include some comic gems. Not recommended for fans of Nsync or Britny.

Saw Max in concert during the ragtime resurgence in the 70's, these recordings bring it all back from the hands of the master.

The two albums that have been compiled into this offering provide a record of the rollicking commentary and exemplary musicianship that characterized a Max Morath concert. There is no finer practioner or historian of ragtime music in the late 20th Century than Max Morath. These tunes are some of the best rags ever penned (in Max's judgement, since he liked to be interested in the selections he played). I saw him 'live' on the concert stage and this 2-CD set is the 'real deal'! The only part of the performance that is missing are the 'magic lantern slides' he used to provide atmospher and illustration for his commentary bewteen numbers. I'm grateful to the music buying public that his recordings are still available and that they are available in the CD format!