Ragtime Jubilee: 42 Piano Gems, 1911-21

Ragtime Jubilee: 42 Piano Gems, 1911-21 by Jasen, David. paperback edition. ISBN: 0800759299461.

The decade 1911–21 was the booming adolescence of ragtime. A dozen or so years had passed since the first ragtime publications, and this ear-catching, toe-tapping piano style was gradually coming into its full flowering. Driving this evolution was the increasing interest of a new breed of composer-pianists whose involvement refreshed old ragtime forms and contents and raised keyboard technique to new levels. Rhythms became more inventive, textures more interesting, harmonies richer, and glittering keyboard "stylings" became the rage of the new decade. This rich collection of ragtime gems — all composed between 1911 and 1921 and compiled by noted popular-music authority David A. Jasen — contains 42 delightful piano solos, including: "The Aeroplane," "Angel Food," "Blame It on the Blues," "Clover Club," "Crazy Bone Rag," "The Foot-Warmer," "Hungarian Rag," "That Madrid Rag," "The Midnight Trot," "My Pet" (a Zez Confrey classic), "Pork and Beans," "Rooster Rag," "Rufenreddy" (Roy Bargys big hit), "Thats-a-Plenty," "Whipped Cream," "Wild Flower Rag," and 26 other hits of ragtimes most inventive decade. Reprinted here form rare sheet music, complete with original covers, these old-time tunes offer a nostalgic look back to a fabled era in American musical history. They will delight piano players and audiences alike.