A bridge never built he was. Oh well... You can't fight city hall. Solace...in its entirety as good as Moonlight in some ways?

Scott Joplin is not obscure although the Grandfather of Ragtime's name was abused by pianist Marvin Hamlish when he covered "The Entertainer" for movie "The Sting". Hamlish was often given full credit for the song which became a national hit for the second time in a century; D.J.'s often referred to the song as "The Sting"! There are many books with background about Scott Joplin and a very one is "This Is Ragtime" (Da Capo,1976,1991) by Terry Waldo, the protege of another great ragtime originator, Eubie Blake. For much more intresting interpretations of Joplin's work look for Itzahk Perlman and Andre Previn's album called "The Easy Winners, and Other Rag-Time Music of Scott Joplin" (Angel/E.M.I.,1975), it's a great record that goes a long way to play Joplin's music in a modern style instead of the cold boring production of Hamlish's rip-off. There is a series on Biograph Records from 1974 that puts on record Joplin's piano rolls. Many of these were made at the end of his life when his chops were not so good , but it's still intresting to hear these songs by his own hand.

I know what to give my father for Christmas, now. He doesn't have the Perlman/Previn album. Treemonisha (sp?) is Joplin's ragtime opera, not always easy to obtain, but worth finding. As far as I know, it's the one & only ragtime opera.

My favorite Joplin recording, I no longer have. It was an LP of Max Morath playing Joplins works. I don't think they ever pressed that onto a CD, although I wish they would. To me there is nothing more soothing than listening to Joplin.

god, i love to listen to it but i can't play joplin worth shit because my hands are so tiny. i can barely reach an octave comfortably, and "comfortable" means "once or twice a measure." :p i worked on maple leaf rag for about a year before i tried to perform it, and i had to cut out almost all of the repeats because my hands hurt so badly by the end... now, i'm working on dr. john, who is all about tenths. fun.

I wish I could even play to the point where my hands hurt. I love music, but have never been able to read it or play it, save for guitar lessons in 9th Grade. I could play the Beatles, "Norwegian Wood." "I once had a girl, or should I say, she once had me?" Incidentally, a 70-ish Irish Family Friend once told me he thought Norwegian Wood was the Beatles most beautiful tune, comparing it's composition to that of the great classical composers. Ok. Did I just mention the Beatles in a Scott Joplin thread? Egads!

I thought you played the skin flute. Yes, no?

i love that. skin flute. masterful player of the pink oboe. waitaminnit. flutes are played horizontally.

I just love sorabjiiland! Skin-flute. Haven't "played" that in weeks.

This thread giveth me Norwegian wood. Oh, how my codpiece swelleth. Actually, I used to get an unexplainable erection on the bus in younger years. What's with that?

that was because you were always "longing for yesterday-ay-ay-ay, YESSSSSterday!"