LISTEN TO RECORDINGS / PIANO

These recordings of solo piano music span a time period of 24 years. Most of the pieces are through-written, but Infância and Blossom both have improvisation. Porter shows his penchant here for adventuresome harmony and polytonality as well as his affinity for classical music and ragtime. Crabapple Rag is the first in a series of nine piano rags he wrote between 1984 and 1992. (The others are Athens County Rag, Classical Rag, Dern Fool Rag, Garlic Rag, Grand Slam Rag, Homesick Rag, Peace March, and The Penny Arcade.) Four of the pieces here are composed piano variations on themes by his friends. The song, The Music’s All Around Us, is included because it was recorded in Barcelona at the same time as the piano pieces. Larry has since recorded this song with vocalist Barbara Mayr.

Listen To:

1. Two-Part Invention No. 1 (L. Porter) 1:55
         

2. Crab Apple Rag (L. Porter) 4:10
             

3. Weird Waltz (Allan Praskin, arr. L. Porter) 3:36
                 

4. Introspectacular (Allan Praskin, arr. L. Porter) 4:39
             

5. Lela’s Lullaby (L. Porter) 2:46
         

6. The Music’s All Around Us * (w. & m. L. Porter) 5:30
             

7. Green Waltz (Roberto Détrée, arr. L. Porter) 3:16
                 

8. Infância (Alegre Corrêa, arr. L. Porter) 12:18
             

9. Blossom (L. Porter) 4:52
         

Larry Porter – piano, vocal*

1. Boston, 1972
2.-6. Barcelona, 1984
7. Munich, 1985
8. Munich, 1993
9. New York, 1996