This unique recording sets out to give a flavour of American ragtime through the medium of the mandolin. It is now believed that many of the original early twentieth-century rags were regularly performed by American-Italian mandolin orchestras whose numbers were swelled by Italian immigrants. Highlights on this disc include three of Scott Joplin’s best known rags (The Entertainer was dedicated to “James Brown and his Mandolin Club”), Julius Lenzberg’s Operatic Rag, a syncopated take on works by Leoncavallo, Mascagni, Wagner, Bizet and others, That Italian Rag by the Tin Pan Alley composer Alfredo “Al” Piantadosi, and the “Neapolitan two-step” A’ Frangesa by Edward George.

Al Piantadosi - That Italian Rag (arr. for mandolin orchestra); The Funny Old Fakir (arr. for mandolin and piano)
Abe Holzmann - Bunch O' Blackberries
Edward George - A' frangesa (arr. for mandolin and guitar)
George Lyons/Bob Yosco - Spaghetti Rag (arr. for mandolin orchestra)
Nicola Moleti - Lady of My Hearts Rag
Scott Joplin - The Entertainer (arr. for mandolin orchestra); Solace, A Mexican Serenade (arr. for mandolin quintet); The Maple Leaf Rag (arr. for mandolin orchestra)
Ermenegildo Carosio - Ragtime; Detective Rag (arr. for mandolin and ensemble); Flirtation Rag
George Linus Cobb - Rubber Plant Rag (arr. for mandolin orchestra); Russian Rag (arr. for mandolin quintet)
Robert George Ingraham - Mando Rag (arr. for mandolin orchestra)
Julius Lenzberg - Operatic Rag (arr. for mandolin orchestra)
Neil Gladd - The Red Bach Book: Three Rags after Bach: No. 1. Ragtime Offering; The Red Bach Book: Three Rags after Bach: No. 2. The Goldberg Rag; The Red Bach Book: Three Rags after Bach: No. 3. The Art of Rag
Claudio Mandonico - Calace Rag


Total Playing Time: 01:10:34