"It is never right to play Ragtime fast." Scott Joplin's famous instruction, printed at the top of most of his publications, has been overlooked by many pianists who take quick, Tin Pan Alley tempos for such favorites as Maple Leaf Rag and The Easy Winners. Listening to William Appling's four-CD set of the complete rags, waltzes, and marches, one should be convinced that the correct speed for most of Joplin's piano music seems to be a moderate walking, if not ambling, pace, and Joplin's subtle harmonies and intricate syncopations are easier to appreciate when the timing is leisurely. Appling came to Joplin by way of rediscovering a student's abandoned copy of the Collected Works edition, and playing through the rags in 2001 gave him the impetus to record not only this impressive collection, but also to work on other Joplin projects, such as a full-scale production of the opera Treemonisha.

“Rebolu is a party!” exclaims the intrepid group. “We are a confluence of sound and energy reflecting the intensity of our urban life and the need to create music for the world based on our folklore and heritage." Leaders in the New Colombian Music movement of New York City, their adopted home, Rebolu’s vibrant, salsa-inspired music has its roots in the diverse Afrocentric rhythms of Colombia’s Caribbean coast. On their Smithsonian Folkways debut Mi Herencia (My Heritage), composer Ronald Polo, tambor alegre master Morris Cañate, percussionist Erica “Kika” Parra, lead singer Johanna Castañeda, and their top-drawer bandmembers bring a battery of percussion, commanding gaita flute melodies, and make-you-move vocal stylings into the spotlight as they exuberantly reinvigorate generations-old traditions.