SCOTT JOPLIN – RAGTIME PIANO ROLL

About the Record

There have been countless Scott Joplin CDs released. However, this CD has been meticulously converted from his original piano rolls, recorded digitally and restored with absolute brilliance and tasteful revival. Some of his works have been recorded hundreds of times and arranged for practically every conceivable instrumental combination, played by everything from symphony orchestras to ice cream trucks.

He had produced a great number of perforated rolls that up until recently could only be played on a mechanical piano. Now, thanks to technology and the work of Jean-Claude Vartanian, we can access his work without the imperfections of a mechanical piano. Finally Joplin's work can be listened to and enjoyed exactly the way he wrote it.

Allmusic.com explains, “Scott Joplin was ‘the King of Ragtime Writers,' a composer who elevated ‘banjo piano playing,' a lowly entertainment associated with saloons and brothels, into an American art form loved by millions. Born in Texas in either 1867 or 1868, Joplin was raised in Texarkana, the son of a laborer and former slave. As a child, Joplin taught himself piano on an instrument belonging to a white family that granted him access to it, and ultimately studied with a local, German-born teacher who introduced Joplin to classical music. Joplin attended high school in Sedalia, MO, a town that would serve as Joplin's home base during his most prosperous years, and where a museum now bears his name. Joplin went on to write successful pieces through the turn of the century, touring his original operas, studying music and solidifying his role in the evolution of ragtime music.”

Tracklisting:

The Entertainer
Maple Leaf Rag
Original Rags
Pleasant Moments
Shoptime Rag
The Chrysanthemum
Heliotrope Bouquet
Wall Street Rag
The Ragtime Dance
The Cascades
Solace
Bethena
The Easy Winners
Weeping Willow
Pine Apple Rag
Fig Leaf Rag
Scott Joplin’s New Rag
Sugar Cane
The Strenuous Life
Felicity Rag

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In stores July 31, 2007