CCMusic.com

"Robert Starling Pritchard (b. 1927) is the first African American pianist playing Western classical music ever commercially recorded and published, affording him a unique place in music history," says Henri Georges Polgar, who has worked with the artist for decades. The album, Robert Pritchard, Pianist was originally released as an LP in 1962 by Spoken Arts, Inc. And is now publicly available once again from Smithsonian Folkways. Pritchard was classically trained by renowned master pianists, including Carl Friedberg, Robert Goldsand, and Arturo Michelangelo; he later unfolded a distinguished career as a concert pianist on several continents. Dr. Pritchard also founded the PanAmerican-PanAfrican Association (PAPA) with the goal "... to promote, encourage and foster better understanding and good will among and between peoples of the United States, the Americas, Africa, Asia and the Middle East..." Polgar, a charter trustee of PAPA since 1968 invites US to enjoy Pritchard's recital. "Dr. Pritchard not only has broad command of Western classical repertoire, but his own eclectic, original compositions draw upon the diverse musical traditions he encountered in his wide-ranging travels. It's a joyful listening experience." "He knew how to communicate a sense of musical presence, a feeling for shape, line, phrasing and style. There was the authentic and assured ring of real artistry."New York Times Produced under exclusive worldwide license from the PANAMERICAN-PANAFRICAN ASSOCIATION (PAPA) in accordance with PAPA's agreement with Yale University. Courtesy of the Arthur and Luce Klein Audio Collection, World of Words, Inc. The Yale Collection of Historical Sound Recordings, Yale Music Library. Album cover and liner notes by permission of Arthur Luce Klein & Associates, Inc.