This year has seen pianist and composer Matthew de Lacey Davidson prodigiously successful in album production: his 2024 releases include two CD sets totalling five discs. Both albums merit a “deep dive” and are recommended for listening. This month our focal point is The Graceful Ghost, a broad survey of contemporary piano rags composed between 1960 and 2021, some originally recorded and released by Davidson in 1994, others brand new. Thirty-seven works by eighteen composers are packed onto two discs, making this collection a welcome addition to a contemporary Ragtime connoisseur’s listening library. Galen Wilkes, Jeff Barnhart, and Davidson himself contributed essays to the album’s liner notes. Doug Benson should be given special credit for working as sound engineer on this large project.
William Bolcom’s Three Ghost Rags (including the twice-recorded titular piece) is a highlight of the album. Three pieces by Max Morath—One for Norma, One for Amelia, and The Golden Hours—are included and lovingly played, though Davidson’s anticipatory left hand accents sometimes obscure Morath’s harmonic voicings in One for Amelia. I was glad to see two pieces by William Albright in the playlist. Davidson’s rock-solid playing technique and manner of phrasing work well with Albright’s surprising, mischievous turns-of-phrase in Sweet Sixteenths and The Sleepwalker’s Shuffle.
I was also pleased to see three excellent works by Hal Isbitz. Sweet Alyssum and Chandelier Rag are modern classics, two of the most finely-harmonized piano rags ever written. Galen Wilkes’ Jacaranda Waltz from 2020 was very pleasant, like a leisurely stroll in the warm sunlight. Ragtime in the Hollow by Trebor Tichenor is well-played in the composer’s trademark uproarious style. Brun Campbell Express by Tom Shea is another driving, energetic piece played with confidence by Davidson. Augusta by Jack Rummel is one of my very favorite rags, dignified and richly-chorded. Harry and Jesse’s Song by Terry Waldo is played with a hard-edged, authoritative stomp perfectly in line with Waldo’s own playing style. The Bell Rag by Gary Smart is a dissonant yet enthralling up-tempo showstopper that obviously imitates the sounds of various bells and chimes. Robin Frost’s Hard Luck Lulu and Alligator Gravy are two more high-energy pieces included on the album.
Davidson’s own compositions—eight in total—are written with the same thoughtfulness with which he plays the works of others. I was touched most deeply by the three excerpts from his Etudes Book II: A Ragtime Odyssey. In his revealing liner notes, Davidson confesses the influence of Thai food, “Spanish-tinged” New Orleans Ragtime, Bruckner’s symphonies, and Enrico Caruso on these three pieces. For me, these influences were clearly audible. Even without knowledge of these eclectic influences, these three etudes are an engaging and interesting listen.
Overall, I very much enjoyed listening to The Graceful Ghost, though some of Davidson’s deviations from printed scores were not to my personal taste. In evaluating this project, it is important to not “miss the forest for the trees.” It is easy to get caught up in minutiae regarding individual performances or pieces (especially the omission of certain works) and lose sight of the fact that this collection is one of the most comprehensive of its kind. It really is nice to have so much great Ragtime written during the second half of the 20th century in one place played so well. Davidson eruditely explains the significance of his choice of included works in the album’s liner notes.
It also bears mentioning that Rivermont Records has done well to have three of the most formidable compendiums of contemporary Ragtime in its catalogue: this one, Adam Swanson’s Revival Ragtime, and Vincent Matthew Johnson’s Invincible Syncopations. And speaking of Rivermont Records, The Graceful Ghost is available for purchase at rivermontrecords.com (BSW-3138).
The Graceful Ghost: Contemporary Piano Rags 1960 – 2021
Matthew de Lacey Davidson
Rivermont Records BSW-3138
rivermontrecords.com
