Marcus Roberts • The Joy of Joplin

First of all, let me state up front that I am not a pianist. Never had a lesson and when I sit at a keyboard, it shows. Howsoever, I do like listening to a wide variety of music, including music for the piano-forte, and am acquainted with the compositions of Mr. Scott Joplin. Mr. Joplin (1868-1917), you will recall, was dubbed “The King of Ragtime” during his lifetime. His compositions enjoyed a wide following during the period of 1890s to 1920 or so. His pieces also enjoyed a brief revival after the debut of the 1973 movie, “The Sting,” starring Robert Redford and Paul Newman. The movie soundtrack featured the piano work of Marvin Hamlisch (1944-2012), for which Mr. Hamlisch won an Academy Award in 1973 in the “Best Original Score” category. Nothing against the talented Mr. Hamlisch, but I think a posthumous Oscar should have gone to Mr. Joplin. Now, to the CD by Marcus Roberts, The Joy of Joplin, Sony, (SK 6054), recorded in 1998. I picked up the CD about a year ago in a Salvation Army store, checked to see that the CD inside was the same one on the front of the CD and was not scratched-up, and purchased it for a buck. I was not familiar with Mr. Roberts’s work. Wow! Although the CD cover photograph does not show it, I suspect that Mr. Roberts has three arms and three hands, how else to explain his dexterity at the keyboard? And each of those fifteen talented fing