Search - Various Artists :: Classic Ragtime: Roots and Offshoots

From the 1890s to the dawn of the first World War, ragtime reigned supreme in American pop culture--a bridge between parlor music and jazz. And few compilations showcase the diversity of the genre as well as Classic Ragtime. America was in flux and so was its music: Joseph Moskowitz's cymbalum solo on 1916's "Operatic Rag" spoofs classical music's arias with a frenzied syncopation, Arthur Collins's "Brother Noah Gave Out Checks for Rain" from 1907 equally addresses the important themes of baseball and religion, and Sam Moore's "Laughing Rag" from 1921 is played on a Hawaiian guitar. The piano, formerly a classical instrument, is starting to show its Tin Pan Alley stylings, and jazz instrumentation (as on the Dixieland Jug Blowers' track from 1926) is starting to become prominent. All in all, it's a fascinating trip, with great transfers from 78s that'll have you forgetting how old this spirited music is. Classic rags by Jelly Roll Morton, Thomas "Fats" Waller, and even Tommy Dorsey are also included--a comprehensive snapshot of the music from its recorded roots to 1937. --Jason Verlinde