David Thomas Roberts

David Thomas Roberts ranks among the foremost ragtime composers to emerge after 1970, and his strongest pieces reach the compositional stature of Scott Joplin. Three of his most widely recognized rags are “Roberto Clemente,” “Pinelands Memoir,” and “New Orleans Streets.” Although he appears from time to time at ragtime festivals and writes for chamber ensembles, Roberts’s chief contribution remains the body of reflective, melody-driven folk rags he has created. His recordings have appeared on Euphonic, Stomp Off, and Piano Mania, as well as an early Jelly Roll Morton collection issued by Mardi Gras.