William Bolcom: Piano Rags—Spencer Myer, piano (Steinway 30041)
This new release is Spencer Myer’s debut album on the Steinway label. The 2005 laureate of the Cleveland International Piano Competition and Steinway artist has assembled a collection of Ragtime-inspired pieces by William Bolcom. It’s a wonderfully curated collection including three of Bolcom’s latest rags: Estela: Rag Latino, Knockout: A Rag, and The Brooklyn Dodge. The American composer has been writing in Ragtime style since the late 60s, and his Graceful Ghost Rag—included on this disc, along with the other two Ghost Rags—is perhaps the most popular rag since the era of Scott Joplin.