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Ragtime Reminiscences
Danza / Three Sisters / Pierette / A Ragtime Oddity / Valse Miroir / Solace / Clair de Lune. Keith Taylor has been a part of the ragtime scene for decades, yet his recordings have been sporadic until the twenty-first century began when they started to appear with some regularity. His latest may contain a slender list of titles but these seven pieces add up to almost 45 minutes of stellar pianistics. How he rationalizes including these disparate styles under the umbrella of “ragtime” remains a bit of a mystery, but that’s unimportant. The varied music is beautiful and speaks for itself. Taylor opens with Danza by L.M. Gottschalk, its tango rhythms charged with emotion. This leads to Three Sisters by Gil Lieby, the only true rag and a light-hearted one at that. Pierette by Hal Isbitz is rag-based and lush, its meter teasing toward Latin on occasion, whereas A Ragtime Oddity by Lieby retains a solid 5/4 beat throughout, which can mess with your mind if you let it. Valse Miroir by the French-Canadian composer Jean-Baptiste Lafrenière begins with an added introduction that piles filigree upon filigree, but once Taylor begins the waltz its beauty is brought forth. Scott Joplin’s Solace, a tango residing in a four-sectioned rag structure, is played with grace and overt affection. Taylor ends with Clair de Lune by Claude Debussy, perhaps the most over-played classical piano piece of the twentieth century, yet its appeal is enduring and his performance is delicate and reverent. The overall mood of the album is that of looking back at a well-lived life; thus, the pieces are not fast and flashy and the dynamics seldom exceed a medium forte. The piano is a good one and the sound quality is intimate. The liner notes are philosophical – befitting of a reminiscence – but generally uninformative. Keith Taylor has been accused of some quirky musical side trips here and there, but this CD is eminently satisfying, straight-forward and thoroughly pianistic.
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