COMPACT DISC REVIEW

By

Jack Rummel

F@T Hits of Yesterday’s Journeys, Vol. 1

Albert Aprigliano, piano

(Roman Midnight Music, no number)

My Mammy / Avalon / My Buddy / Pretty Baby / Roses of Picardy / Oh, You Beautiful Doll / Shine On, Harvest Moon / Three O’Clock In The Morning / Alexander’s Ragtime Band / Come Josephine In My Flying Machine.

            This curious release arrived a few months ago and I’ve been puzzling about what to do with it ever since.  Albert Aprigliano is a Juilliard Academy graduate who has chosen cocktail lounges and bank lobbies as the milieu to display his talents, holding steady jobs there for many years.  The skimpy liner notes define “F@T” as “full unique arrangements of robust emotional quality,” which seems to be a euphemism for performances that contain much rubato, many broken chords and lots of arpeggios that race up and down the keyboard.

            Another tidbit in the liner notes that was worthy of an exclamation point (!) is that the recording was made using a 40 year old Hardman piano.  A quick Google search told me the Hardman Piano Company was founded in 1842, so I fail to understand what is so unique about one that was built in 1969 (although it does have a slightly tubby, antique sound).

            While this is pleasant listening, it can hardly be called ragtime.  Aprigliano is an accomplished pianist and although the CD is short and the performances are brief (ten tunes add up to 22¾ minutes; you do the math), the selections should be familiar to almost everyone.  An added plus is the depiction on the album of the original sheet music covers (all dating from 1908-1922) in full color thumbnails.

            This release can best be described as sing-along music and I am informed by the producer that the idea for such a recording arose when Albert Aprigliano’s playing of Alexander’s Ragtime Band provoked just such a joyous response.  You’ll need to locate the words, however, but they’re on multiple websites that provide lyrics.

            Available for $15.00 postpaid from  Roman Midnight Music, at <www.romanmidnightmusic.org>, or for $9.90 downloaded from Amazon, iTunes, Rhapsody and over 150 other digital sites worldwide.