Paragon Ragtime Orchestra

by Scott YanowIn 1985, Rick Benjamin stumbled across priceless arrangements of the Arthur Pryor Orchestra which had been lost for 65 years. After acquiring the vast amount of music, Benjamin formed the 15-piece Paragon Ragtime Orchestra, an ensemble that during the past decade has performed works ranging from rags and early popular music to novelties and even satires of classical music. They have thus far recorded three excellent sets for Newport Classic and Dorian Discovery that show that there was always more to ragtime than piano solos!