This item is for John Remmers (and anyone else so inclined) to 
recommend some ragtime recordings to me.  I'm interested in fairly
contemporary recordings, let's say no older than the 1990s, with
modern recording quality.  But if you want to pick out some 
old classics, that's fine too.
 
((Linked between Music and Classicalmusic.))

15 responses total.

Aha!  I was hoping this item would show up.  I'll look through
my collection and make some recommendations soon.

... <ahem> ...

(I've been working on it...)

I'll list a dozen or so of my own favorites ragtime CD's
(NOT in order by preference).  At a later date, maybe I'll
tackle my vinyl favorites as well.

A Century of Ragtime (Vanguard, 1997)

2-CD set.  A compilation by Dick Zimmerman of a variety of
performers and composers, from the era of classic ragtime to
the present day.  The first CD is piano solos, the second
orchestral performances.  Nice introduction to the range and
variety of ragtime for those unfamiliar with the genre.
Composer represented include Scott Joplin, Tom Turpin, Eubie
Blake, Euday Bowman, Zez Confrey, Joseph Lamb, Max Morath,
William Bolcom, David Thomas Roberts, James Scott, George
Botsford, Harry Guy, Percy Wenrich, James Europe.

Rags and Tangos (London, 1991).  Joshua Rifkin, piano solo.

Rifkin performs rags by classic ragtime composers Joseph
Lamb and James Scott, and tangos by Brazilian composer
Ernesto Nazareth (1863-1934).  American ragtime and Latin
American dance music might seem an odd combination at
first glance, but the latter was a significant influence
on the former, and it all works.  Rifkin's interpretations
and technique are impeccable.

The Complete Rags of Scott Joplin, Volume 1 (Viridiana
Productions, 1997).  Scott Kirby, piano solo.

Kirby is perhaps the finest interpreter of Joplin's piano
music today, as I think this recording shows.  I'm anxiously
awaiting Volume 2.  Selections on the present CD include
"Searchlight Rag", "Sunflower Slow Drag", "The Rag-Time
Dance", "Heliotrope Bouquet", "The Entertainer", "Swipesy
Cake Walk", and "The Nonpareil".  Kirby tends to stick very
close to scores as published, adding a bit of variation
(not to be confused with improvisation) on the repeats.

Gems of Texas Ragtime (American Ragtime Company, 1997).
Richard Zimmerman, piano solo.

This is the companion CD to Zimmerman's sheet music anthology
of the same name.  There were a number of excellent ragtime
composers in Texas in the 1910's, and Zimmerman - always
the ardent ragtime scholar and collector - has tracked a
number of their compositions down.  The recording includes
Euday Bowman's "Twelfth Street Rag" (a well-known piece,
but not often performed in its full original version),
Laverne Hanshaw's "Niagara Rag", M. Kendree Miller's
"That Gosh-Darned Two Step Rag", and Clarence Woods'
"Graveyard Blues".

Virgina's Favorites (Piano Mania, 1998).  Virginia
Tichenor, piano solo (including some duets with Trebor
Tichenor).

Virginia Tichenor is one of my favorites among the newer
performers.  Like her father Trebor, she tends to favor
folk-style ragtime, but she's quite versatile and also
handles composers like Joplin and Lamb very well.  This
is her first CD and features a variety of old and new
ragtime -- works by contemporary composers Thomas Shea,
Trebor Tichenor, Frank French, and David Thomas Roberts;
as well as selections by Joplin, Lamb, Eubie Blake,
Brun Campbell, and Tony Jackson.  This album is a real
delight.

The Tichenor Family Trio (Ragophile, 2000).  Trebor
Tichenor, Virginia Tichenor, and Marty Eggers.

The Tichenor family is about the closest thing we have
to a ragtime dynasty.  Trebor Tichenor has been active
since the 1950's as a ragtime researcher, composer, and
performer (he edited several of the invaluable Dover
ragtime anthologies published in the 1970's and 1980's).
His daughter Virginia (mentioned above) is a fine
pianist, and her husband Marty Eggers does both piano
and string bass.  In this album they perform solo, and
in various combinations, works by Brun Campbell, Jelly
Roll Morton, Eubie Blake, Scott Joplin, W.C. Handy,
and others.  A highlight of this album for me is
Virgina's fine performance of David Guion's exquisite
"Texas Fox Trot" from 1915.

Easy Winners (Bonnie Banks Productions, 1994).  Glenn
Jenks, piano solo.

Jenks is one of the best ragtime performers today and
certainly one of the finest composers.  This album is
a fine showcase for his talents, and includes 
classics like Joplin's "Easy Winners" and Lamb's
"Ragtime Bobolink", as well as several of Jenks'
own compositions.

(I've more recordings to list but am taking a break
for a while.  Stay tuned.)

Just acquired an excellent ragtime recording: "Joseph F. Lamb:
The Complete Stark Rags", performed by Guido Nielsen.

Lamb, along with Scott Joplin and James Scott, was one of the
"big three" classical ragtime composers.  Included in this CD
are "Sensation", "Excelsior", "American Beauty", "Reindeer",
"Top Liner", "Nightingale", and others.

Guido Nielsen is a Dutch pianist.  I'd not heard him before.
He plays these pieces with wonderful style and precision.
The CD includes great liner notes by Galen Wilkes; they include
reproductions of the original covers of all the pieces.

Highly recommended.

Based on John's recommendations, I was preparing to get copies of
"The Tichenor Family Trio" (resp:9) and the Joseph Lamb CD (resp:12),
for both myself and my father.  
 
However, no path is ever simple.  In party I mentioned to John that
I had exchanged e-mail with Marty Eggers, who is a part of the Tichenor
Family Trio, about ordering some CDs, and in response John mentioned that
Marty Eggers also plays with a ragtime band called Bo Grumpus.
I looked up some Bo Grumpus tracks on mp3.com and I think that one 
of their albums will push out the Joseph Lamb disc for now.
Bo Grumpus is a trio of guitar, bass and percussion, and the sample
tracks on mp3.com sound *exactly* like stuff my father will love.

And all tracks will sound just like the sample tracks.

These are way talented guys but everything they do sounds
the same.

Not always a bad thing.

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