On Nov. 22, 1947, New Orleans clarinetist
Tony Parenti recorded six rags in a septet also including cornetist
Wild Bill Davison, trombonist
Jimmy Archey, pianist
Ralph Sutton, banjoist
Danny Barker,
Cyrus St. Clair on tuba, and drummer
Baby Dodds. Since ragtime had been largely dead for 30 years and was very rarely played during that period (other than jazz versions of "Maple Leaf Rag"), this was a rather unusual occasion. The six performances (including "Sunflower Slow Drag," "Grace and Beauty Rag," and "Swipesy Cake Walk"), which mostly stick near the melodies other than short solos, work quite well. The remainder of this CD consists of ten numbers from April 10, 1966 (strangely enough that date is not listed), featuring
Parenti with a completely different septet that includes trumpeter Larry Conger, trombonist
Charlie Bornemann, and pianist
Knocky Parker. The basic style (heard on "Smokey Mokes," "Maple Leaf Rag," and a variety of obscurities) is similar. This CD is easily recommended to ragtime fans, particularly those who think the music should only be played by solo pianists!