The Complete Works of Scott Joplin, Vol. 1-5 [BOX SET]

Anonymous (Composer), Gregorian Chant (Composer), Scott Joplin (Composer), Scott and Daniels, Charles N. Joplin (Composer), Joseph Lamb (Composer), Traditional (Composer), Richard Zimmerman (Performer)

Product Details

• Performer: Richard Zimmerman
• Composer: Anonymous, Gregorian Chant, Scott Joplin, Scott and Daniels, Charles N. Joplin, Joseph Lamb, et al.
• Audio CD (November 30, 1993)
• Number of Discs: 5
• Format: Box set
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Delta
• ASIN: B000001VWW
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #63,150 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Track Listings

1. Please Say You Will

2. Picture of Her Face

3. Great Crush Collision March

4. Harmony Club Waltz

5. Combination March

6. Original Rags

7. Maple Leaf Rag

8. Swipesy Cakewalk

9. Sunflower Slow Drag

10. Peacherine Rag

11. Augustan Club Waltz

12. Easy Winners

13. Cleopha

14. Strenuous Life

15. I Am Thinking of My Pickanniny Days

16. Ragtime Dance

17. Breeze from Alabama

18. Elite Syncopations

19. March Majestic

20. Entertainer

See all 66 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Imperfect, but the best we've got, December 27, 1999

By	u52983 (Chicago) - See all my reviews

Oh for a really good recording of all of Scott Joplin! Until somebody does that, Richard Zimmerman's brave, pioneering, effort will have to do. And it does quite well. While a few of the incredible 66 pieces in this set sound a bit wooden - remember he recorded 66 tunes here! It is no wonder a few of them sound as if he were sight-reading them. Where Zimmerman is good, he is very, very good, especially on the better-known pieces. Even when he is not at his best, we are hearing some tunes not recorded anywhere else.

This admittedly imperfect set will be extremely tough to beat, for its comprehensiveness. It sets a benchmark. Every fan of Scott Joplin should own it, if only to be challenged to find better, or PLAY better, versions of some of the rarest tunes recorded here.

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly, January 3, 2002

By	Bob Pachaly (Greenville, SC) - See all my reviews

I am a musician and have played Joplin's music exactly as he wrote for more than 30 years. I have also recorded it in the past. The Zimmermann boxed set has one great thing going for it. It contains many of Joplin's works that to the best of my knowledge have never been recorded. For this reason the set is worth buying. The playing however is terrible. Joplin would turn over in his grave if he heard this. For some reason many musicians think that the faster you play ragtime the better it is. In fact Joplin's works are highly syncopated compositions and much of the enjoyment in listening is to hear them at proper tempo so the mind is drawn into the incredible complexities of the score. These recordings contain many missed and slured notes. The tempo is much to fast. A few of the cuts are OK but not many. Zimmermann obviously did not read Joplin's notes on the music as to tempo. Frankly there are many recordings of Joplin that are far superior to this set. A very good CD is the RCA "Scott Joplin Greatest Hits" played by Dick Hyman. If this set had been recorded by a musician knowledgeable in ragtime music it would be a treasure. Still it may be worth buying just to have many of the lesser known compositions but if you are a critical listener you will probably be very disappointed. How I wish this collection had been well played.

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not for pleasure, February 23, 2001

By	Craig and Barbara Shier (Manassas, VA USA) - See all my reviews

You may want this just to have any recording at all of some of the otherwise unavailable pieces in this collection. But, this is the worst quality playing I've ever heard on a commercial recording. The marches actually aren't too bad, but anything syncopated is not played right. Zimmerman fat fingers notes in almost every piece (i.e. he hits adjacent notes). The dynamics and tempo are erratic. The attempts at ornamentation are forced. If you enjoy piano playing, you won't enjoy this.