COMPACT DISC REVIEW

By

Jack Rummel

That Teasin’ Rag

The Peacherine Ragtime Orchestra

Rivermont Records BSW-2215

Me-ow / The Syncopated Walk / The Peacherine Rag / Harmony Rag / In Dahomey / Hiawatha / The Grand Review March / That Teasin’ Rag / Hallelujah Trombone / Maple Leaf Rag / Gems of Stephen Foster / The Lion Tamer& On Parade March / Waiting for the Robert E. Lee / Russian Rag / The Yellow Dog Rag / Stop It! / Selections from “Fifty Miles From Boston.”

     A new ragtime orchestra has appeared on the scene (there can never be too many of them!) and the fact that they recorded these performances exactly one year after beginning their rehearsals shows that they are serious about their commitment to the music.  The Peacherine Ragtime Orchestra is the brainchild of Andrew Greene, who started it while still an undergraduate at the University of Maryland.  Serving as conductor, pianist and occasional arranger, he has assembled 11 other musicians to form a disciplined replica of the standard theater orchestra which could be found in nearly 30,000 venues across America during ragtime’s early heyday.

     The playlist nicely duplicates what might have been heard at an orchestra concert in the early twentieth century: several rags, some marches, a cakewalk, a blues, a medley of old favorites, a popular song, some novelty performances, a Broadway show medley and a few other compositions that are less easy to categorize.  Wherever possible, period arrangements are used and even some vintage instruments have been incorporated.

     Several pieces grabbed my ear.  Mel Kaufman’s Me-ow is a winning one-step with clever cat sounds from the trombone, and Hallelujah Trombone (also called Shoutin’ Liza Trombone) is vintage Henry Fillmore, one of 15 from his pen that highlight the trombone “smear.”  I admired George Cobb’s Russian Rag, a skilful rendition of a difficult novelty piano score and I liked the way the orchestra converted W.C. Handy’s Yellow Dog Blues into a successful salon piece.  Certainly the 11-minute Gems of Stephen Foster was a highlight, containing 10 melodies that are an integral part of his incredible legacy.  On the downside, a meek-sounding violin seems to be the only instrument given solo time, thus creating weak segments in otherwise rich orchestrations.  Perhaps better amplification would provide the oomph to bring this fine soloist to the fore.

     The fidelity is excellent and the ensemble sounds as if they have been playing together much longer than just one year.  Outstanding graphics grace the cover and the 20 pages of liner notes are chock full of interesting information.  Conductor Greene has been given access to a private collection of over 1500 scores and his aim is to draw upon these scores for many future recordings.  Despite the rare rough spot, the Peacherine Ragtime Orchestra has issued a first-class debut CD and a great future beckons for them.  Let us hope that Andrew Greene can fulfill his goal!

     Available for $16.00 plus shipping from <peacherine ragtime.com>.