Search - Royal City Saxophone Quartet :: Ragtime for Rent

I Defy You to Sit Still When You Hear this Joyful CD

J Scott Morrison | Middlebury VT, USA | 07/21/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'd come to know the playing of the Royal City Saxophone Quartet from their latest release, 'Smiles and Chuckles,' which reproduced the music of the early 20th-century pioneers of pop saxophone playing, The Brown Brothers, a musical family from Ontario. This group, also from Ontario, are worthy successors. I urge you to get the 'Smiles and Chuckles' CD for its historical value; it contains arrangements of early 20th-century hits played in the style of the day.



This disc is similar except that some modern stuff gets snuck in - fine by me! - amidst the earlier rags included here. Things like 'Bassoons for Rent', co-written by RCSQ bari player, Ernie Kalwa. And something called 'Pan Am Rag.' But the old favorites are here, too: 12th Street Rag, Pineapple Rag (my own favorite - I can't tell you how many times I've been ask to play it [on the piano] at parties over the years), Maple Leaf Rag, and so on.



This group is simply sensational and if, like me, you love the sound of saxes playing this kind of music, what are you waiting for? The only drawback is the short timing - 46:05 - because you want the music to go on. That's easy, just put it on repeat!



Scott Morrison"