COMPACT DISC REVIEW

By

Jack Rummel

New Ragtime and Other Stuff

Ross Petot, piano

(No label, no number)

Hobo Rag / Galen’s Motto / Don’t Be Late / Satisfaction Rag / Cow Cow’s Delight / Calamity Rag / What Is It? / Splendid Fortune / Atomic Shuffle / Queen of Violets / The Feltchville Wobble / Lazy Eye / Ever After Rag / Epilogue.

            (This CD arrived in my mailbox about 18 months ago, but somehow it slipped down behind a filing cabinet and I didn’t discover it until recently.  Better late than never, for this release by Ross Petot is quite good and did not deserve the treatment it got.)

            Ross Petot is a Massachusetts ragtimer who has written quite a number of rags, many of which are contained on this CD.  His name had vague familiarity, perhaps on the strength of one number, Atomic Shuffle, which has sparked some interest among today’s performers.  However, it’s been quite a while since I’ve encountered a recording with such an intriguingly eclectic mix of ragtime styles, all composed by the same individual.  Hardly a sub-genre has been omitted and every exploration ends in success.  Let’s go down the list.

            Hobo Rag is fast and relentless, evocative of a railroad train.  Galen’s Motto (with reference to Galen Wilkes) is a medium classic rag except for the trio, which starts with a “pah-oom” bass and continues to pile on the surprises.  Don’t Be Late and The Felchville Wobble are fast stride with lots of improvisation, while Satisfaction Rag toys with the timing à la Max Morath.  Cow Cow’s Delight is an obvious tribute to Mr. Davenport, but Calamity Rag is less obvious, being a bit of schizophrenia that can’t decide what key it wants to be in (but with a great ride-out at the end).  What Is It? becomes the epitome of the familiar quotation, “All who wander are not lost.”  Lazy Eye is a leisurely loping Novelty number and Epilogue is medium stride with a cocktail-style flair.

            Three others deserve special mention.  Queen of Violets is the only non-Petot piece on the disc.  It is a lovely, romantic rag by Glenn Jenks and is beautifully rendered here.  Ever After Rag is a very special classic rag in the style of the early masters and quickly became my favorite (a tough choice, as they’re all good).  And Atomic Shuffle is recommended by Petot to be played “as if your hair is on fire.”  ‘Nuff said; it is fast!

            The sound is intimate and there is good use of dynamics.  Cover graphics are blah and the liner notes are brief but it’s the music that counts.  Yes, the past is present in these compositions, but the future is there, too.  Contemporary ragtime is alive and well in the fertile mind of Ross Petot.  Recommended.