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.