COMPACT DISC REVIEW By Jack Rummel
Syncopated Musings
Anthony Sarginson, piano
(No label, no number)
Impecunious Davis / Carmine / Chicken an’ de Possum / Perryville / Skeletons in
the Closet / Stygian Waltzes / Szechuan-on-the-Left / Casseopia / Cetus /
Syncopated Musings I / Syncopated Musings II / Syncopated Musings III.
Fortunately for ragtime, there has been a regular supply of talented,
younger performers emerging since the start of the 21st Century
(Think Adam Swanson, Daniel Souvigny and Stephanie Trick as examples, among
many). Several of them, I have noted, have relied on speed and “flash” to gain
initial notoriety – talents that have earned them well-deserved legions of fans.
The latest newcomer to jockey for attention is Anthony Sarginson, who is
taking a different path. Instead of selecting compositions that can be turned
into barn-burning dazzlers, he has chosen complex pieces that emphasize
musicality and he plays them at appropriate tempos, allowing us listeners to
savor what the composer has created. The subtitle of this collection is “…as a
tribute to Tom Brier,” and 10 of the 12 selections are Brier originals.
Sarginson had seen videos of Brier‘s playing on YouTube and was determined
to meet him. Brier encouraged him to develop his latent talent, which led to
subsequent formal university- level instruction and youth competitions for him
within the West Coast Ragtime Society, winning 1st in 2017. Brier’s
tragically debilitating accident in 2016 strengthened Sarginson’s resolve to
record this tribute album, released in 2018 when he was 16.
Medium tempos predominate (although he can – and does - “floor it” when the
piece calls for it) and via Sarginson’s prodigious talents we are made aware of
what a skilled composer Brier was. The Brier playlist opens with two
beautifully introspective pieces, Carmine and Perryville, both of
which received entrancing performances. As contrast, Skeletons in the Closet
is a clever novelty tune with a mildly creepy A-section; the requisite novelty
tricks are handled effortlessly.
Stygian Waltzes, the first of three selections played in
three-quarter time, opens delicately but soon explodes like a fireworks
display. Sarginson maintains control throughout, deftly balancing dynamic
shifts with the rhythmic challenges. The fox-trot Szechuan-on-the-Left
allows us to catch our breath while enjoying its “Oriental” snippets before
moving to Casseopia, a gentle waltz co-written by Neil Blaze. Another
co-effort with Blaze follows, Cetus, this one containing a fiery
mid-section which is handled without a hitch.
Closing the CD are three Syncopated Musings. The first features
standard ragtime, the second is another graceful waltz and the third is a
chariot race throughout. All are performed confidently. As added spice, two of
Brier’s favorite early cakewalks, Impecunious Davis and Chicken an’ de
Possum, are included.
The sound quality is very good, the package is attractive and the liner
notes by Vincent Matthew Johnson are quite informative. Anthony Sarginson has
scored a home run with this auspicious debut recording and has convincingly
proved that supersonic speeds are not always necessary to achieve success.
Highly recommended.
Available for $20.00 postpaid from Anthony Sarginson, 2663 Burlingame Ave.,
Clovis, CA 93611.