Aaron Rabushka wrote:

>>I have only a few LaserLight CD's, but the performances are usually
>>tremendous: ... Go for 'em!

Keith Dixon wrote:

>Ron Chaplin began this theme referring to the Zimmerman recording of Scott
>Joplin's "complete works" on 5 Laserlight CDs. I found what must be the
>same recording of the "complete works" on just 4 CDs, on Bescol ...

Laserlight is a product of a Santa Monica based concern called Delta Music
Inc.  They are an interesting company in that they are the American arm and
distributor of the German Capriccio label, yet maintain a certain autonomy
from the parent.  Capriccio is a mid-line label in the US, but Laserlight
is a domestic budget label.  Most, if not all, of Laserlight's Classical
catalog is drawn fron Capriccio's holdings, and in a few instances there is
both a mid-line Capriccio and a budget Laserlight version of the same title
in distribution from Delta.  For it's work outside the scope of Capriccio,
Laserlight pulls licenses from a variety of souces.  Some things come from
MacGregor, others from Frank Donovan, still others from Mercer Ellington
and so on.  Not every Laserlight release is great and there are some real
dogs in the batch.  But the price is so cheap that it doesn't represent
much of a financial risk to the consumer.  In the case of the Zimmermann
Joplin set, it was originally issued on LPs back in 1974, when for a short
time anything with Scott Joplin's name on it would sell.  Sometimes my
memory isn't so keen on these details, but I do believe the set came out at
one point on Everest, though the original issue was on Murray Hill
(931079).  Laserlight has pulled a number of licenses from from the former
Everest catalog.  The Laserlight edition of the Joplin made it's bow on
10-15-1993.  I had thought the Bescol set somewhat earlier, but it is
later, having been released 9-5-1994.  Bescol is also an LA-based concern,
and is the lowest rent CD operation I have observed in the retail domain.
Their tiny catalog consists of about 75 numbers, virtually all drawn from
Everest or companies which were acquired by Everest.  They have no
relationship to Nimbus other than that the latter company manufactures
their CDs.  Both packages are drawn from the same LP set.  Kevin, your
guess is probably correct about Laserlight stretching the set to 5 CDs in
order to gain an economic advantage.  I have encountered many Laserlight
CDs which are no more than 35 to 45 minutes long.  Most of these are pop
titles, and the Zimmermann/Joplin is catagorized as such- you will note
it's absence in the Schwann Opus.  When last I checked Bescol is retailing
it's 4 disc set for the ridiculous price of just $13.88- that's $3.47 a
disc.  How two different sets of the same release came out within mere
months of each other on two different budget labels is something perhaps
only Bernie Solomon (the former owner of Everest) would know for sure.  We
are unlikely to see this hat trick repeated anytime soon, as Everest has
been sold to Rykodisc.  Word has it, however, that even Ryko is having some
problems working with the Everest material, as the market is so saturated
with ex-Everest product hiding on cheap labels that the potential value of
much of the catalog may be negligable at this point.  However, a good
*single* disc package of hits drawn from this source, reasonably priced,
might find an audience, as the market is currently kind of soft on such
titles.

on Fri, 3 Sep 1999 Ron Chaplin wrote:

>Having listened to 4 volumes of the series, I can say that the music does
>have a lot of bounce, something that gets me going.  In tempo, it reminds
>me of Gershwin's piano roll recordings and Louis Armstrong's 1930's jazz.
>Joplin must have had a strong influence both of these artists, especially
>Gershwin.

Joplin's influence on early jazz was sort of like Beethoven's influence
on Western Music itself; it was all-pervasive.  Much of this was based on
"Maple Leaf Rag" alone.  I doubt that Louis Armstrong even knew of pieces
like "Antoinette" or "Search Light Rag".  Gershwin certainly knew of Scott
Joplin, but a more direct influence (other than that of his teacher,
Charles Hambitzer) would have been San Juan Hill stride pianist Charles
Luckeyth Roberts (1887-1968).  Gershwin's early "Rialto Ripples" (1916) is
fashioned around a phrase borrowed from Roberts' 1908 rag "Nothin'".  But
there certainly ARE some recordings by jazz pioneers of Joplin pieces other
than "Maple Leaf" which are relatively faithful to the written text of
Joplin's music.  To name a few there'e Jelly Roll Morton's 1939 General of
"Original Rags", James P.  Johnson's 1944 "Euophonic Sounds" on Asch, and
both "Swipsey" and "The Entertainer" by Bunk Johnson from his 1949 Carnegie
Hall recordings for Columbia (and sadly, his final recording session.) In
"The Entertainer", Bunk even includes a strain which Marvin Hamlisch would
later leave out!

Aaron J. Rabushka wrote:

>Scott Kirby's Joplin is quite good, and if you can get the soundtrack from
>"The Sting" you can revel in the snappy arrangements by Marvin Hamlisch.

Hamlisch was certainly responsible for the OST of "The Sting", but many of
the arrangements he used were penned by Gunther Schuller.  These, in turn,
were adpated from the anonymous "Red Back Book" arrangements published by
Joseph Stark in the early 1900s.  These were the very same charts used by
Bunk Johnson in the 1940s.  Speaking of Scott Kirby, whatever happened to
Ragtime Annie?

Andrys Basten quoted:

>By the way, I don't have any Joplin recordings. Any recommendations in
>addition to Ron's?

About the best single disc collection availbale currently would be Dick
Hyman on RCA Victor (7993).  For the more "complete" approach, you can't
go wrong with William Albright on MusicMasters (67012, 7061).  William
Bolcom is also in fine form on a MusicMasters release combining Joplin's
collablorative Rags with some of James P.  Johnson's compositions (67135).
If there was any one pianist I would have all of Joplin's rags with, it
would be Bolcom, but such is not the case.  I am less enthusiastic about
John Arpin's ProArte recordings and feel that the Daniel Blumenthal item
on Pavane seems particularly off the mark.

>How about Rifkin on Nonesuch?

It's in a class by itself, much like Glenn Gould's "Goldberg Variations".
It may not be the first thing I recommand when it comes to Joplin, but it
is an important release which stands well on it's own.  I have been both
ways with the Rifkin.  When it came out in 1973 or so I thought it was the
best thing since sliced bread.  Then, as I got into my 20s and had much
more exposure to the jazz concept of Joplin and through playing the music
myself I began to feel Rifkin's approach was too careful and precious.  Now
that I'm pushing forty I've turned back strongly to these recordings again.
Sure- his "Maple Leaf Rag" is not right, as Joplin clearly indicates a
cut-time march tempo and Rifkin reads it as 'four-on-the-floor'.  But the
rest of it is great- I love his clarity of line, how he spells out the
melody and his constant pulse.  I don't think I've ever heard batter
recordings of "Bethena", "Eugenia" or even "Solace".

>Rifkin was not at all bad. Played them in a bittersweet way. Not that
>unlike Joplin's which, in a recording I have somewhere, was recorded when
>he was not in best state.  Rhythm (of all things) very uncertain.

Joplin's 53-note roll of "Maple Leaf Rag" cut in January 1917 was indeed
made when he was in declining health, and it shows.  But the earlier "Maple
Leaf" and the four other selections cut for Connorized the previous year
probably capture his playing much as it always was.  Contemporary accounts
of Joplin's playing record that he was cautious, halting and somewhat
stiff- inother words, he "played like a composer".  After all, Joplin was
the "King of Ragtime Writers", not players.  I feel his finest roll is the
one of "Magnetic Rag"- after a *very slow* introduction, which seems
deliberate (and is IN TEMPO) he takes off and manages to keep his pace for
the whole piece, resulting in an ebulliant and joyous reading which is
highly personal in style.  BTW, Joplin recorded only six rolls, the two of
"Maple Leaf", "Magnetic", "Something Doing", "Weeping Willow" and "Ole Miss
Rag" by W.C.  Handy.  Claims for Joplin's playing on such titles as "The
Cascades", "Original Rags" and others on 1950s Riverside LPs (and some
misinformed or ignorant European CD labels which have drawn from these
sources) are in error.  These are mechanically-cut rolls, interesting in
and of themselves, but not the playing of Scott Joplin by any means.

>William Bolcom wrote and plays an unusually touching ragtime piece called
>something like "Ghost Rag"?? dedicated to his father who'd died.

This is "Graceful Ghost Rag".  A somewhat furry recording of it from the
60s may be found on the Vanguard compilation "A Century Of Ragtime"
(167/8).  I have used this recording as my radio theme music all summer
long.

>My favorites of Joplin's are the ones you don't get to hear often, such as
>"Wall Street"...  "Bethena" "Solace" "Gladiolus"...

add "Heliotrope Bouquet", "Eugenia", "Euophonic Sounds" and "Elite
Syncopations" to the above and you'll have some of my favorites as well.

Uncle Dave Lewis
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