Kitten On the Keys
is an album of "Ragtime, Novelty, and Stride Classics" from famed concert pianist Frederick Hodges, previously noted here as part of the Crown Syncopators, whose album Ragtime Dance Party I heartily recommend for both dancers and listeners. Kitten on the Keys is more of a listening album, with enough musical flourishes that the dance beat on some pieces can be hard to track. I wouldn't necessarily suggest using many of these pieces for newer dancers, but it's a treat for listeners and more experienced dancers should be able to manage fairly well.
The brief liner notes explain Hodges' approach:
The professional pianist, however, correctly understood that sheet music was to be used as a guide or a blueprint for constructing a full and satisfying piano solo...the professional pianist strove to create a unique and special arrangement that gave the piano roll and record buying public a good reason to buy yet another record of the rag hit of the day.
Employing this historically correct approach, I have taken delight in creating my own arrangements of the rags on this CD. Only in rare instances do my arrangements reflect the published sheet music, and then only when the published arrangement or sections thereof were so musically satisfying that little embellishment or expansion was required. Nevertheless, my goal has been to perform these rags in an authentic manner, fully consistent with the performance styles of their composers and of the best professional pianists of the ragtime era.
More information about Hodges' substantial accomplishments may be found on his own website (warning: music autoplays!)
This is a piano-only recording, which is appropriate for the ragtime era. Most of the music is best suited to one or more of the two-step/one-step/foxtrot family of dances, but the highlight of the album for me is a rare half-and-half track, "Drawing Room Echoes". The liner notes are brief, but interesting.
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