Great classic ragtime and early jazz
"Gimpy" Peach Johnson | 04/03/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"For the "Heroes of Parlor Town," pianist Brent Watkins has put together a mouthwatering selection of well-known and obscure ragtime and early jazz piano solos. In sixteen selections, the disc covers twenty-five years of ragtime, from Scott Joplin's "The Maple Leaf Rag" (1899) to Jelly Roll Morton's "Mamanita" (1924). The pieces are roughly arranged in chronological order, allowing the listener to hear how ragtime developed into jazz. Unfortunately, there are no liner notes with the disc outside of a brief couple paragraphs on the tray card which explain that the "heroes of Parlor Town" were the "men of color who defined musical culture for white America."
The disc is very well recored on a great-sounding grand piano. No sore ears from out-of-tune honky-tonk uprights here! In general, Watkins's performances are excellent: he tackles the uptempo pieces with vigor and pep, and the gentler pieces are a little more relaxed. Watkins rips through Clarence Wiley's fiery "Carbarlick Acid" (1903) particularly well; it just leaps out of my stereo with fantastic energy (and some audible foot stomps from Watkins) -- it is my favorite track on the disc, one I find myself playing over and over. Scattered throughout the disc are a few rhythms which feel a bit unstable, and a few "messy" notes (and anyone who knows how difficult some of these pieces are can easily forgive those). On the whole the pieces are played with great skill and Watkins's passion for the music shines through.
Fans of ragtime and early jazz will enjoy this disc. I notice that it's listed as "Volume 1." Let's hope that Volume 2 isn't far off! Recommended.
"
Great stuff!
Anthony "Eggs" Uzzolino | Hohokus, NJ USA | 06/15/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This guy plays piano with a lot of pizzazz. I especially like his thoughtful "Ragtime Nightingale" and his fresh yet conservative take on "Maple Leaf Rag." He adds few new twists to keep the ubiquitous "Maple Leaf" fresh - a godsend to those of us who have heard this rag billions of times. Thankfully, these twists are not too extreme - Watkins is neither a stodgy ragtime conservative nor an eccentric iconoclast. A tasteful ragtime interpreter in my opinion.
My favorite track is "Eatin' Chocolates," an obscure Iowa rag from 1903, written for a local candy company. Kudos to Mr. Watkins for discovering this rare gem.
My only complaint is that the CD cover is misleading. It shows a bunch of men sitting in a parlor, looking like they are falling asleep. What are they listenbing to? Maybe Satie, maybe Debussy, maybe Kenny G. They are certainly not listening to Brent Watkins, because if they were, they'd be tapping their feet or swaying.
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Track Listings (16) - Disc #1