Ricky Alexander: Ragology

Ragtime takes its name from the ragged rhythmic patterns created by syncopated melodies played against a regular, steady bass line. The result is a lively and energetic sound that predates traditional jazz and swing. Among ragtime's foremost exponents was Scott Joplin, whose music was reintroduced to the public in 1973 via Paul Newman and Robert Redford's blockbuster film, The Sting.

Talented as Joplin was, however, ragtime had much more to offer, a sentiment that is proven true more than a few times on clarinetist Ricky Alexander's splendid new album, Ragology, which includes nary a single Joplin tune but stands tall on the shoulders of such masters of ragtime and early jazz as Sidney Bechet, Zez Confrey, Tom Turpin, Felix Arndt, James Sylvester Scott, Jelly Roll Morton and others.

It is clear from the outset that Alexander loves and appreciates ragtime and gets his kicks from playing it, as do his like- minded teammates: banjoist Jerron Paxton, pianist Conal Fowkes, bassist Rob Adkins and drummer Kevin Dorn, most of whom have been performing together in and around New York City for years. To them, the music is never old or outdated; it is forever vibrant and robust.

They verify that point emphatically from the opening measures of the jaunty "Wildcat Blues," first recorded in 1923 by the Clarence Williams ensemble with Bechet on clarinet, through the last heartfelt phrases of Morton's "Sweetheart o' Mine," on which Paxton delivers the album's lone vocal. Perhaps best-known among the other numbers are Confrey's "Dizzy Fingers,"
Arndt's "Lola," Scott's "Ragtime Oriole" and Morton's "Shreveport Stomp." "Blackstick," Bechet's sunny ode to the clarinet, is another of the session's highlights.

Alexander is sharp and nimble on every number, and he receives unflagging support from Paxton, Fowkes, Adkins and Dorn. No one seems the least bit uneasy or concerned that most of the music they are playing has been around for a hundred years or more. From their point of view, good music is timeless, and ragtime, whatever else it may be, is good music and well worth keeping alive. If Ragology furthers the cause, that's a win-win for Alexander, his able