COMPACT DISC REVIEW

                 By

         Jack Rummel

Stars, Stripes and Ragtime Forever

Dr. Dave Majchrzak, piano

The Victoria Company VC 4398

Root Beer Rag / Belle of Louisville / Forty Years On / Bucksnort Stomp / Little Jack’s Rag / Christopher Columbus / The Chips are Down / Sleeper / Jubilee / Calliope Rag / Polyragmic / Planxty / Blood on the Keys / Rubber Plant Rag / The Lion Tamer Rag / Stars and Stripes Forever.

     This latest CD by “Dr. Dave” Majchrzak has a lot going for it.  For starters, it has a whole lot of notes, for he likes fast and flashy ragtime and there’s a bunch of it here.  Ten of the 16 numbers on his playlist were composed after 1950, which is a big plus.  Not everything is four-alarm paced; indeed, there are some slower rags that offer good interpretations and welcome respites, such as Terry Waldo’s Forty Years On, Arthur Marshall’s Little Jack’s Rag, James Scott’s Calliope Rag and especially the wonderfully introspective Planxty, by Glenn Jenks.  And finally, Steve Lilley, who has written exuberant liner notes for each of Majchrzak’s many CDs, calls this one “…far and away the best thing he has done.”

     A shout-out to Dr. Dave for including some of the earlier contemporary rags, namely Winifred Atwell’s Jubilee, one of the better works out of the ‘50s Revival period; Max Morath’s clever opus, Polyragmic, and Trebor Tichenor’s rollicking Bucksnort Stomp, both from the ‘60s; plus Marshall’s final composition, Little Jack’s Rag, and Billy Joel’s infectious Root Beer Rag, each from the ‘70s.  All are well played.  In the show-stopper category, Frank French’s Belle of Louisville, Brian Holland’s The Chips are Down, Bill Edwards’ Blood on the Keys and the Sousa perennial favorite, Stars and Stripes Forever (à la Eubie Blake) all get standout treatments.  In fact, there are no weak cuts on the album.

     There is limited use of dynamics, found mostly in the slower numbers, but the recording quality is good throughout.  There is no information on the piano itself; guesswork favors a quality electronic instrument.  The liner notes are laudatory but skimpy on details. (For example, any clues about the rag Sleeper remain a mystery.)  Dave Majchrzak has put together a really interesting playlist for his newest recording that should appeal to his many fans and new listeners alike.  Is it “the best thing he has done?”  Quite possibly, yes.

     Available for $15.00 postpaid from Ragtime Dr. Dave, 136 Tel Haven Ct., St. Louis, MO 63129.