Search - Roger Williams :: Roger Williams - Greatest Hits

A New Fan of Mr. Williams

Patricia A. Rizzo | CA United States | 10/22/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"My introduction to Roger Williams came rather late in my life. He played last year at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library for 12 incredible hours! I bought myself a ticket since it was only 2 days after my 61st birthday and came as a belated birthday gift to me. Up until that day all I knew of Roger was his hit Autumn Leaves. Well, I was mesmerized by this man's talent. I have never heard popular music played with such spontaneity or such skill. Mr. Williams took nothing but requests for the entire day. He played one song and melted it into the next with such ease you barely realized what was happening!.....and ALL without a single sheet of music in front of him and not even one sour note that I could possibly discern. He was such a joy that I stayed the entire day until he finally stopped at 11:30 pm that night. He still had almost a full audience listening and singing along with him.After that night, I came to Amazon and bought a couple of his albums. You can bet I will buy more. I feel so privileged to have witnessed such a talent - and for 12 whole hours. He is truly amazing and a treasure. I hear this year he will be at Jimmy Carter's Presidential Library. I envy those that can go and see him in person."

#1 Pop Pianist Ever

Josef | NY, NY | 08/02/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Roger Williams is the best pop pianist in history, period. Almost 80 years old now, he still tours and practices eight hours a day and swears that the his best work is still in his future. This kind of musical genius only is seen every couple generations, and this release captures the greatest moments in his unbelievably long career. Other artists have been trying to copy his mulit-platinum selling style for decades, but only Roger can make the piano sing like it does when his fingers touch the keys. He is hailed as number one in his genre by both Steinway and Billboard, and this compilation shows why this is the case. Nobody else in the world can match this stunning combination of technique and feeling like Mr. Piano. Thousands of pianist can play the notes at this speed, but nobody can make the notes sing like he does- which is why he is so revered by critics and amateurs alike. His only love true love in life has been the piano, and I strongly urge you to hear what a fusion of such an unreal work ethic and true genius can produce."

Beethoven, Rachmaninoff, Liberace, Hamlisch, et.al....

David Hugaert | Honolulu, HI United States | 06/29/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Roger Williams Greatest Hits" is a spectacular collection of this remarkably gifted composer's career. This collection features twelve of Williams' most cherished recordings, which even a classical connoisseur of this style of music can best appreciate. The CD beigins with a symphonic fury of fire, courtesy of the beautifully crafted "Autumn Leaves". All of the other standout compositions featured here are sure to make one a student of the school of classical art. Roger Williams' finest adaptable movie scores make appearances here as well. "The High and the Mighty" stands tall on its' own merits, while "Tammy" brings out a feminine side all its' own, complete with a smooth orchestral flow, as is the case with the majority of the selections featured on this "Greatest Hits" 'mini-anthology'. But, Williams' is not totally content to rest on his serene musical laurels, for on "I Got Rhythm", he really sews his wild musical notes in a progressive-like fashion. Even Roger is apt to turn such classics into a work of art, like the masterful "Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto #1". Heck, even ol' "Tchaik" would tip his hat to Mr. Williams' piano stylings, thus making the master proud. There's not one bad composition to be found on "Roger Williams Greatest Hits", although it is most likely one will find more complete Roger Williams anthologies in print. With that said, this greatest hits collection is a must-have item to have in one's classical CD library. Musical genius of this magnitude only comes along once in a lifetime, so it's important to make this a wothwhile purchase ASAP, before MCA takes it out of print."