Description
In 1973, Ragtime music burst onto the international music scene after a relative dormancy of some fifty years. A group of talented young musicians from the new England Conservatory of Music under the leadership of Gunther Schuller released an album on Angel Records that quickly became the biggest-selling classical album ever. It went on to win a Grammy for Best Chamber Music Performance of the Year.
A decade and a half later they came back with a collection of compositions spanning the century: classic rags from the pens of Scott Joplin and Joseph Lamb Jr themselves; works from the early days of “jass” by Jelly Roll Morton and Zez Confrey; brand new pieces by band members and other modern devotées. Nearly all of the original players from the group are on hand to bring an incredible seventeen years of dedicated “ragging” to this landmark recording!
Digitally recorded in the beautiful Methuen Memorial Music Hall, north of Boston, by producer Max Wilcox and fully annotated by music historian Vera Brodsky Lawrence, GM Recordings is especially pleased to present the long-awaited release on all-digital compact disc of the best ragtime music you’ll ever hear.
(Also see The Art of Scott Joplin by the New England Ragtime Ensemble.)
PERFORMERS
The New England Ragtime Ensemble
Stephanie Jutt, flute; Lynda Jacquin, oboe; Bruce Creditor, clarinet; Richard Sharp, bassoon; Pamela Paikin, horn; Thomas Smith or Bo Winiker, trumpet; Robert Couture, trombone; Rob Carriker, tuba;
Pattison Story, Susan Carrai, violin; Leonard Matczynski, viola; Freya Oberle, cello; Paul Meyers, guitar, banjo; John West, piano; Edwin Barker, bass; Mark Belair, drums; Gunther Schuller, conductor
PROGRAM
1. Sun Flower Slow Drag (1901)
(Scott Hayden, Scott Joplin) 3:14
2. Maple Leaf Rag (1899)
(Joplin) 3:49
3. Swipesy Cake-Walk (1900)
(Scott Joplin, Arthur Marshall) 3:26
4. Heliotrope Bouquet (1907)
(Louis Chauvin, Scott Joplin) 4:13
5. Castle Walk (1914)
(James Reese Europe*) 2:54
6. Charleston Rag (1917)
(Eubie Blake*) 3:17
7. Black Bottom Stomp (1925)
(Jelly Roll Morton, transcr Gunther Schuller) 3:28
8. Mattapan Rag (1981)
(Robert Carriker*) 3:20
9. 12-Note Row Rag (1977)
(Kenneth Laufer*) 3:31
10. Sandpoint Rag (1986)
(Gunther Schuller) 3:51
11. Maloney Rag (1976)
(Stefan Kozinki*) 4:08
12. Sleight-of-Hand Rag (1969)
(William Albright*) 3:50
13. Dizzy Fingers (1923)
(Zez Confrey*) 2:12
14. Smokehouse Blues (1926)
(Charlie Luke, arr Jelly Roll Morton, transcr Gunther Schuller) 4:07
15. Grandpa’s Spells (1923)
(Jelly Roll Morton*) 2:36
16. Birdbrain Rag (1959)
(Joseph Lamb*) 4:43
17. Castle House Rag (1914)
(James Reese Europe, transcr Gunther Schuller*) 2:55
*Arranged by Gunther Schuller
Recorded on 3-4 January 1989 in Methuen Memorial Music Hall in Methuen, Massachusetts.
Executive Producer: Gunther Schuller
ALSO AVAILABLE
for downloads and streaming on Amazon as well as other digital sites.
