ON THE BOARDWALK:
MUSIC FROM THE ARTHUR PRYOR ORCHESTRA COLLECTION
(Newport Classic 60039):
Performed by the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra, Rick Benjamin conductor.
This is the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra’s very first recording, made just weeks after the group’s debut concert at The Juilliard School in the spring of 1986. The disc features PRO performing original 1900s orchestra sheet music from the collection of the legendary American trombonist/conductor/composer Arthur Pryor (c. 1869-1942). The Pryor Collection – which Mr. Pryor had used as conductor for the Victor Talking Machine Co. – had been lost since the 1920s. But in 1985 it was discovered by Juilliard student Rick Benjamin, who founded the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra to perform selections from this important historical trove. ON THE BOARDWALK includes a delightful mix of Ragtime Era hits along with rarities and revelations (like the original orchestration of W.C. Handy’s first Blues – “Memphis”). Critically acclaimed, this CD was produced by Thomas Frost (a multi-Grammy winner most famous for his recordings of pianist Vladimir Horowitz and The Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy). It is a crackerjack CD – snappily played and beautifully recorded – and the fact that it is still in print after 31 years (an eon in the record business) is proof of its worth. Add it to your collection and enjoy!