Frederick Hodges is a classically trained pianist who plays complicated novelty ragtime pieces with apparent ease. He has performed classic jazz with Don Neely's Royal Society Orchestra, but the emphasis on this 22-song program is on mostly obscure novelty ragtime gems from the 1920s along with salon music and pop tunes.
Hodges' touch is appealing and he really knows this material well, giving today's listeners a rare opportunity to hear such tunes as "Innocent Ingenue Baby," "Dancing the Devil Away," "Idawanna," and "There's a Lump of Sugar Down in Dixie!" ~ Scott Yanow