Elite Sincopations: Marco Fumo plays Scott Joplin Marco Fumo

• 1 Original Rags (Arr. by C.N. Daniels) 03:41
• 2 Sunflower Slow Drag 03:19
• 3 Maple Leaf Rag 02:23
• 4 Swipesy 02:53
• 5 The Entertainer 03:24
• 6 The Easy Winners 03:05
• 7 Paragon Rag 02:59
• 8 Euphonic Sounds 02:50
• 9 Gladiolus Rag 03:15
• 10 Magnetic Rag 03:49
• 11 Heliotrope Bouquet 03:36
• 12 Something Doing 03:04
• 13 Solace 04:40
• 14 Reflection Rag 03:36
• 15 Elite Syncopations 02:47
• Total Runtime 49:21

Info for Elite Sincopations: Marco Fumo plays Scott Joplin

Italian pianist Marco Fumo always brings joy and unique insight to his Odradek recordings, and this album of the music of Scott Joplin is particularly special, reflecting his specialist knowledge of ragtime, and representing his last release. Joplin was hailed the 'King of Ragtime' for his mastery of the genre, and Fumo's performances, which brim with joie de vivre, reveal his love of this repertoire.

Marco Fumo is considered to be one of the best recent interpreters and champions of African American piano repertoire. After an early career in classical music, he studied early ragtime, analysing the origins of and influences on early ragtime piano. This specialism makes him the ideal performer of Joplin's spirited, rhythmically exciting music.

This album represents Marco Fumo's final album and is a remastering of earlier recordings. Fumo's contribution to music, in breaking down barriers between genres, and in pioneering the works of composers such as his friends Nino Rota and Ennio Morricone, cannot be overstated.

"For solo piano on this album to sometimes eclipse the definitive orchestral arrangements of these pieces is a musical miracle from the heart of a masterful interpretive pianist and a loving man. Marco is the only man on earth who could play the secret inner form of these soulful scores." Billy's Music Without Border on Marco Fumo's Odradek release Il Mio Morricone: A Tribute to a Friend

"A wise path of reciprocal reflections, combinations that you don't expect between eras, styles, authors. There is Scarlatti's baroque coupled with Brazilian tango, choro, from Nazareth, and then the blues of Aaron Copland. There is the king of ragtime, Scott Joplin, juxtaposed with the immortal tango of Anibal Troilo and the piano stride of James Johnson... Echoes now closer, now more distant, opposites and expressive similarities, stimuli, provocations." Il Centro on Marco Fumo's Odradek release Reflections.

Marco Fumo, piano

Marco Fumo
is considered to be one of the best interpreters of Afro-American piano repertoire. After a satisfying initial career in classical music, Marco carefully studied early ragtime, analysing the origins of and infl uences on early ragtime piano. The result is a repertoire that embraces a century of literature from the Cuban dances of Saumell, Gottschalk and Cervantes up through Gershwin and Duke Ellington, including composers of ragtime and stride piano such as Joplin, Scott, Lamb, Matthews, Morton, Waller, Johnson, Jackson, Smith, and others. For over a decade he collaborated professionally with Nino Rota and Ennio Morricone.

Marco Fumo has performed in all the major Italian cities and in many major cities throughout Europe and the US. He has taken part in prestigious festivals of classical and jazz music. Marco has also played under the baton of Rota, Renzetti, Samale, Gaslini, Morricone, Schuller, Intra and Tommaso. He has given premiere performances of pieces dedicated to him by Rota, Chailly, Gentilucci, Canino, Morricone and Di Bari. Marco has recorded for RAI, RSI and Radio Vatican, as well as Pentaphon, Edi-Pan, Fonit-Cetra, Dynamic, Soul Note, OnClassical and Odradek.

Marco Fumo has taught piano in many conservatories: Matera, Bari, Pescara, Udine and Castelfranco Veneto. At Castelfranco, he concluded a very important experience: a biennium of specialisation in Afro-American piano literature. He has also taught civic courses on jazz in Milan for many years through the International Academy of the Arts. He holds seminars and courses in several cities. He has frequently collaborated with researchers and journalists such as Piras, Zenni, Scivales, Franco, Bragalini and Fayenz.

This album contains no booklet.