WILDER Pas Seul. Suite for Piano V. Suite for Piano VI. Piano Series. A Child’s Introduction to the Orchestra: Mort the Pianoforte. Castle Promenade. Romantic Waltz. Jolly Waltz. Jazz Waltz for a Friend. Theme Number Four. Her First Party Dress. Lullaby for a Lady. Why?. The Walkaway. Inner Circle. Homework, Lil Darlin’ Tempo. Where Are All the Good Companions?. Blackberry Winter  John Noel Roberts (pn)  ALBANY 1886 (61:35) Alec Wilder (1907-1980) was, first and foremost, an American song composer. Artists such as Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee and Tony Bennett performed and recorded his songs. He was largely self-taught, but growing up in Rochester, NY he had the opportunity to study music with some Eastman School of Music professors. Of Wilder’s many quotes in the wonderful booklet, one epitomizes his compositional style: “When I start a piece, I try to find a melodic idea that I consider seminal, that I think will hold up. Then I find secondary themes as I move along. I will play the parts I’ve written very slowly and I’ll work as hard on eight sixteenth notes trying to get that right balance and flow and feeling, as I will on the entire piece.” The title of this disc is Pas Seul – Music for Piano Volume II and it follows the first Volume (Albany 1294, released in 2011). Both discs are predominately unpublished piano works, and superbly played by John Noel Roberts, who is also credited with the arrangement here of Inner Circle. The Sibley Music Library at Eastman is given appreciation for providing archived manuscripts of these piano compositions. The 38 tracks on this release are all short, ranging from 37 seconds to a little over 3 minutes. 13 are simply numbered piano pieces arranged in Suite V, another 6 are in Suite VI and 4 are movements in the group called Piano Series. All the rest are waltzes and titled little pieces or song arrangements. These are very enjoyable, easy-listening pieces. Superficially, they sound a propos to what you might hear being played as background in a high-class lounge or restaurant. When you listen closely, these are sophisticated far beyond what even the best cocktail pianist might play. I would jump at the opportunity learn a few of these if they were published. This is a style I have always admired but never learned how to do. Wilder’s use of chromaticism often blurs the tonalities and his use of pop jazz chords (added seconds and sixths with seventh, ninth and eleventh chords) is always carefully constructed and quite effective. Roberts, who has significant classical credits, completed his undergraduate degree and Performer’s Certificate at Eastman and received his PhD from Yale. He is currently on the faculty at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, where this recording was made. The rich sound of the Steinway is very well-recorded. This is especially important because most of the music here is in the limited dynamic range of pianissimo to mezzo forte. Roberts’ attention to detail is laudatory and he makes what could be simply nice-sounding background piano music into truly interesting piano music worth repeated hearings. James Harrington Five stars: A great disc of succinct American popular piano music by composer Alec Wilder.