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MARTIN SPITZNAGEL Tricky Fingers Rivermont BSW-2206 Ragtime legend Max Morath says "Tricky Fingers is simply a stunning piece of work." Jazz pianist Tony Caramia calls Martin Spitznagel a "young man who approaches Ragtime with the vitality, strength, enthusiasm, gusto, and spirit that it deserves." And reviewer Jack Rummel writes that Tricky Fingers is "an impressive first recording," adding that Spitznagel's "interpretations are anything but stereotypical -- one hardly knows what to expect next!" Anyone who has heard Martin Spitznagel play knows the energy and imagination he brings to all of his performances. Spitznagel approaches ragtime not as a historical curiosity bound in a particular era, but as a living music as fresh and vibrant today as it ever was. He has been featured at dozens of ragtime and jazz festivals across the United States, including the West Coast Ragtime Festival (Sacramento, California), the San Antonio Ragtime Festival (San Antonio, Texas), the Scott Joplin International Ragtime Festival (Sedalia, Missouri), and the Alexandria Bay Ragtime Festival (Alexandria Bay, New York). Tricky Fingers showcases not only Spitznagel's deep interest in the music of Eubie Blake, but ably demonstrates his remarkable versatility in performing music by Scott Joplin, Billy Mayerl, and George Gershwin alongside more recent ragtime-inspired compositions by Robin Frost, Adam Swanson, and Spitznagel himself (including his engaging "Red Elephant Rag," winner of the 2007 World Championship Old-Time Piano Playing Contest's New Rag Competition). Too often in the world of jazz and ragtime music, performers just don't sound the same on recordings as they do in person. Either their recorded performances have been electronically cobbled together from many different "takes" so that the finished result becomes "too perfect," or else the sterile studio atmosphere--playing take after take--dampens the energy leaving the recording sounding dull and lifeless. As with other Rivermont CDs, the performances on this disc were recorded without the use of excessive digital trickery, allowing Spitznagel's superb artistry to speak for itself. Included with the CD is a beautiful 12-page full-color booklet with photographs, reproductions of sheet music covers, extensive notes by the artist, and an introduction by Tony Caramia, who writes "Play this CD if you prefer your ragtime powerful, vigorous, robust, energetic, and full of the surprises and energy of youth... [Spitznagel's] playing is nothing short of remarkable, exhausting, and utterly astonishing." 55 minutes. CD Sold Out This album may still be purchased as an MP3 download from Amazon.com: Click on the buttons to hear full-quality audio samples of selected tracks. 1. Tricky Fingers Eubie Blake 2. Theresa Novelette Martin Spitznagel 3. Space Shuffle Robin Frost 4. Heliotrope Bouquet Louis Chauvin and Scott Joplin 5. Kitchen Tom Eubie Blake 6. Loose Elbows Billy Mayerl 7. Charleston Rag Eubie Blake 8. Rhapsody in Ragtime Eubie Blake 9. A Novice Novelty Adam Swanson 10. Ace of Clubs Billy Mayerl 11. Elite Syncopations Scott Joplin 12. Baltimore Todolo Eubie Blake 13. Euphonic Sounds Scott Joplin 14. Maple Leaf Rag Scott Joplin 15. Red Elephant Rag Martin Spitznagel 16. Swipesy Cakewalk Arthur Marshall and Scott Joplin 17. Swanee George Gershwin and Irving Caesar 18. Tricky Fingers (Scherzo) Eubie Blake and Martin Spitznagel Credits: Recording Engineer: Bryan S. Wright / Liner notes: Tony Caramia, Martin Spitznagel, and Bryan S. Wright