TRICKY FINGERS

Description

Between 1899, when he penned his first composition, "Charleston Rag," and his death in 1983 at 100 years old at which time he was still performing, Eubie Blake became a national institution. Though primarily a composer for Broadway shows (including the first all-black musical, "Shuffle Along," in 1921), Blake's name was also synonymous with ragtime piano and some of the most popular piano rolls of the era. TRICKY FINGERS brings together 12 of Blake's rags, including "Charleston Rag," "Memories of You," "Chevy Chase" and "You're Lucky to Me." All of the selections are played with great energy and impressive technical skill. In tunes such as "Dream Rag" and "Spanish Venus" lie the intersection between European classical tradition and African concepts of rhythm and syncopation, a boundary that would dissolve completely in the 1920s as jazz evolved more fully. TRICKY FINGERS is an intriguing document of American musical history, as well as a tribute to the talents of one of that history's founding fathers.

Additional Info

• Label: Quicksilver
• No of Discs: 1
• Format: CD Album

Tracklisting