Matthew de Lacey Davidson is a pianist and composer currently resident in Nova Scotia, Canada. His first CD, Space Shuffle and Other Futuristic Rags (Stomp Off Records), contained the first commercial recordings of the rags of Robin Frost. His new Rivermont 2-CD set, The Graceful Ghost: Contemporary Piano Rags 1960-2021, is available at rivermontrecords.com. A 3-CD set of Matthew’s compositions, Stolen Music: Acoustic and Electronic Works, is available through The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music University of Illinois (Champaign/Urbana), sousa@illinois.edu.
This 2009 compact disc has a lot of exceptional music and performances on it. However, the potential listener has to be aware of a couple
I’ve been listening to American (and British and Canadian) dance band music for nigh-on 50+ years, and thought for a minute that I had not
Most reviews look at one particular release. This one doesn’t. Instead, I will compare two releases by the same pianist, with similar repertoire, but separated
Generally speaking, I’m not a big fan of “complete works” albums (of any composer). It is a huge amount to ask of both the player
Frog Records has quite a history of re-releasing early jug band music recordings, to their immense credit. Their catalogue features artists such as the Dixieland
There are some albums which are done a terrible disservice by either not getting the press nor the reviews they deserve. Such is the case
Introduction Recently written ragtime compositions, as a rule, do not attract much attention from the majority of ragtime aficionados nor the general public. However, as
Introduction Blues singer Gertrude “Ma” Rainey (née Pridgett) was born on April 26, 1886, in Columbus, Georgia, and died there on December 22, 1939.1 Advertising
“Novelty Piano Music” is a sub-genre of ragtime music. It slowly started to develop in the late 1910s, but reached its zenith in the 1920s.
While any article about music should have the music as its primary focus, the attempt herein is, in addition, to provide a background and cultural
Preface to the 2022 Republication of this Interview1 For those who are not familiar with how player piano rolls are made, a quick explanation is
In the German language, it is common to find compound nouns. They certainly would be useful in describing Galen. The only possible way to capture
In July of 1994, my first concert in the Chicago region was greeted on the same morning by my waking up and smelling gas in
Dr. William Bolcom celebrated his 83rd birthday this year. Few musicians can compare with the diversity of his abilities. He has studied with Darius Milhaud
Within the space of three years, ragtime pianist-composer Max Morath released four vinyl LPs on the prestigious Vanguard label: The Best of Scott Joplin (double
Gary Smart is 77 years young, and a musician who can do almost anything. He can compose “modern” ragtime; do improvisations that sound like Karlheinz
I first met Hal Isbitz in 1991 at the Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival in Sedalia, Missouri, and again in Santa Barbara, California in 1992, while
