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 of things.
First of all, some “ragtime enthusiasts” usually think of pieces like Zez Confrey’s “Kitten on the Keys,” or Roy Bargy’s “Pianoflage” when confronted with the phrases, “novelty pianists,” or “novelty ragtime.” But what this album (expertly curated by the inimitable modern-day expert on this style, Alex Hassan) displays is that, in fact, most of what the “novelty pianists” of the 1930s played was largely virtuosic arrangements of popular songs of the day. While this, in itself, is neither here nor there (apocryphally, Louis Armstrong once said, “there are two types of music: good and bad”), this may cause confusion to some listeners.
The other thing of which to be aware is the astronomical rarity of these recordings, many of which are almost 100 years old, and are purportedly a little “worse for wear.”
So keeping these two things in mind, in my opinion, this is a really exceptional album, with some of the greatest and most virtuosic popular piano recordings ever rendered. All the “rarer-than-rare” recordings come from personal collection of Alex Hassan, and are expertly transcribed and renovated by multi-talented Executive Producer Bryan Wright (who is an excellent pianist himself, as well as a collector and renovator of 78 rpm records).
Of the six women performers featured in this collection, three are relatively well-known, and three I’ve never heard of. Edythe Baker (who is probably best known for her piano roll arrangement of her own composition, “Blooie-Blooie,”) is heard on the first track showing her considerable mettle not just as a piano virtuoso, but as someone who could lead a jazz band, as well. On the second track, “You Are My Heart’s Delight,” a plaintive and elegant arrangement shows greater subtlety.
Raie da Costa, who is also known for novelties such as “Dancing Shadows” (which appears on a Smithsonian Folkways collection, Early Ragtime Piano 1913-1930) is also shown in fine form in seven tracks. My favorites are, “I’ve Got You on My Mind,” and “Ridin’ in the Rain,” the latter of which, while sounding melodious, has extensive use of 10ths in the bass and arpeggios in the right hand (thereby giving Art Tatum a run for his money).
Vera Guilaroff, according to Wikipedia was the first female Canadian jazz pianist to record. Her recording of “Calico Rag,” (also released on Smithsonian Folkways records) is mind-boggling in its virtuosity. On this recording we hear her play parts one and two of a “Film Hits Medley.” She juxtaposes wide ranging dynamics with molto rubato as her right-hand zips all over the keyboard flawlessly.
The last three artists, Beryl Newell, Renara, and Patricia Rossborough all hail from Australia, an unknown country, and Great Britain respectively. All three display clear articulation and musical thoughtfulness, but my preference is for the mysterious and unknown Renara and her two exceptional Gershwin medleys.
My opinion is that this is a unique album. Anyone who likes arrangements and medleys from the 1930s, dashing and virtuosic pianism, and all-round outstanding musicianship will be blown away by these artful rarities. Finally, it shows beyond a shadow of a doubt that women “novelty” pianists were equal, if not superior, to their male counterparts and contributed significantly in quality, if not in quantity, to the recorded heritage thereof.
Highly recommended.
Dainty Debutantes:
Female Novelty Pianists of the 1930s (1931 – 1938)
Rivermont BSW-1149
rivermontrecords.com
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 second CD, The Graceful Ghost: Contemporary Piano Rags (Capstone Records), was the first commercial compact disc consisting solely of post-1960 contemporary piano ragtime, about which Gramophone magazine said, …a remarkably talented pianist…as a performer Davidson has few peers…”
