Search - Various Artists :: Piano Discoveries (1928-1943)

Old American Rag

M. Watkins | 12/01/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I don't own this disk but I have had an opportunity

to listen to it several times and I really like it.

For the most part I was unfamiliar with the artists

performing on here, but every track is enjoyable.

Its really a collection of rag, barrelhouse and blues

piano. It sounds classic and 'old' - several tracks

have an ample amount of pops and scratches; however,

as one who greatly likes old blues music, I'm plenty

used to that. There are also some fairly clean sounding

tracks, like Flapper's Stomp (Ezra Howlett Shelton) and

"What's the Matter Now" (Charlie Nickerson).

There's one track by Leroy Carr (which is fair as Leroy

has a substantial catalogue of his music that is well

preserved and represented overall). One thing that

I find rather quaint is that a lot of the vocals come

off as rather unpolished, almost casual. There are also

several solo piano tracks (ie, no vocals) by Jimmy Yancy

and Cripple Clarance Lofton who also convey, again, a

kind of playful or causual elegance.



Most people who were alive at the time of these recordings

have long passed on. Yet I find a liveliness and spirit

to be found here (I absolutely love "Everybody's Rag" by

Alonzo Yancy) that conveys a wonderful slice of spirit

and energy from an America that is fast fading from our

collective memory.



I give this collection five stars for what it is: a

document of ancient recordings that immediately recall

the sounds and sensibilities of a bygone era.



"