COMPACT
DISC REVIEW
By
Jack Rummel
Return to Cripple Creek: The Music of Max Morath
Sue Keller & Jeff Barnhart
HV Recording HVR1101
Gold Bar Rag / Tribute to Joplin / If You Don’t Have Any Money / Echoes of the
Rosebud / Echoes of the Cakewalk / Cakewalkin’ Shoes / One For Amelia / New
Black Eagle Buck / One For Norma / Cakewalkin’ Jamboree / Three For Diane* /
Polyragmic / Golden Hours / Temporary Baby / Dr Jackpot/Old Mortality / Poverty
Gulch / The Vindicator / The Anchoria Leland / Imperial Rag / One For The Road.
(*with Anne Barnhart, flute)
Max Morath is now retired. He no longer performs and he has cut back on
his seminars and emcee work. The man who almost singlehandedly kept ragtime in
the public eye for 60-plus years is now taking a well-earned rest. Yet, we
still have his music. His numerous CDs are still available, as are the scores
of his original compositions, and now other performers are recording his works.
Two major collections have come out recently, one of his complete piano
music (performed by Aaron Robinson, 2015) and now one of all his piano music
plus four of his songs featuring Sue Keller and Jeff Barnhart. It has a
rollicking feel to it that recalls Morath’s own performances.
Much thought and planning have gone into the arrangement of the playlist.
There are solo and four-handed piano arrangements, vocal stylings and one lovely
arrangement featuring Anne Barnhart on flute, all of which give this disc the
variety found in an actual concert. Morath’s unique compositional style makes
you think he’s doing funny things with time, yet it all comes out even in the
end and adds to the appeal of his works. Barnhart’s vocals are perfect for the
four songs, since both he and Morath are known as storytellers, not as Carusos.
Speaking of storytellers, a wonderful bonus are the liner notes by Morath
himself, who treats us to a friendly tale about how he got started in composing
rags and how pianists should approach them. The piano solos appear to be mostly
handled by Keller, who does a very creditable job on such a varied palate. Only
one track, New Black Eagle Buck, falls a bit short: the notes are all
there but it feels like a constant race to catch up. (Indications of who’s
where when on the keyboard cuts would have been appreciated.)
The criticisms are minor, however, compared to the overall stature of the
work. The sound is pure, the piano is grand, the cover art is attractive as
well as historical and the package exudes the love that has gone into its
production. Kudos to Sue Keller, Anne and Jeff Barnhart, and especially to Max
Morath who created all the wonderful music. This disc’s a keeper.
Available for $15.00 postpaid from Ragtime Press, P.O. Box 913, Orleans, MA
02653.