(Ragtime, Stride, Honky Tonk) Hans Van Der Sys - It's Rag Time (1976) - 2015, MP3, 320 kbps

Best known for his work with the well-known Viennese Dixieland clarinetist Fatty George and trumpeter Oscar Klein, Dutch pianist Hans van der Sys exemplified the best of European traditional jazz playing. An outing in trio, It’s Rag Time highlights van der Sys’ rag, and honky-tonk playing and compositional skill. Hank’s Special, The Syncopator, Western Pacific, The Toy Terminal, and Mac’s Rag are essentially traditional rags. Maggie has a nostalgic, quirky vaudevillian melody, Honky Tonk Bus is a blues with more than a bit of boogie in it. Toast to Fats, with its nod to stride, must be a homage to Fats Waller. Alone with the Blues is just that, heart-felt and lyrical, and Saturday Night Honky Tonk would fit right in at any small-town bar or dance hall. A pleasure for ragtime and traditional jazz fans as well as those who just enjoy exceptional piano playing.