The music on this recording represents a pinnacle in the range of fingerstyle guitar music. It contains some of the best tracks recorded by a superb musician at the exact moment of discovering his full powers of expression. The result is a feast for guitar music lovers whose tastes run to substantial fare. This was Ton Van Bergeyk's second solo recording. It was originally released in 1976. A PDF tab booklet is included on the CD. All tune are transcribed except for Jazz Me Blues.

Song Samples:

1. Junk Man Rag

2. Mustard Swing

3. Zither Melodies

4. From Soup To Nuts

5. Kansas City Stomp

6.Rondo Caprice

7. Ragtime Medley: Bantam Step & Springtime Rag

8. Notoriety Rag

9. Medley: If I Had You & Moonlight Serenade

10. Jazz Me Blues

11. Divertisement

12. Georgia Grind

13. Coconut Dance

14. Florida Rag

Review: Ton Van Bergeyk is one of those artists who will forever toil in obscurity, known only amongst his fellow musicians as a true master—if he is recognized at all. Sadly, there isn't much demand for his style of music, and he will always be admired more for his complete mastery of finger-style guitar than for any of his musical contributions. Fortunately, Stefan Grossman has been reissuing hard-to-find gems, like this 1976 recording, on his Guitar Workshop label. With any luck, an audience will find Van Bergeyk's ample skills which, given the fact that they were largely ignored upon their release, deserve to be simply recognized rather than rediscovered.

Van Bergeyk, a byproduct of the fertile British folk guitar movement, has an appealing fingerstyle method that features a precise bass line and nimble counterpoint in the upper register. His playing has a bounce and joie de vivre to it that shows he has absorbed the feel of ragtime guitar and completely mastered the art of syncopation. Along with that, Van Bergeyk is the Fats Waller of the guitar, one who is able to take the most trivial of material and turn it into a musical gem.

Van Bergeyk makes the most finger-busting passages seem effortless, and if you doubt it, try playing the songs yourself. All but one are included in tablature as PDF files as part of the packages. If you're a guitarist, there's no doubt you'll want to give them a try. If you're merely a listener, you'll at least enjoy the guitar stylings of a guy who never really got his due. — David Rickert, All About Jazz