Shorty James has enjoyed an illustrious 62-year career as pianist and composer. Completely self-taught, during World War II he hosted a radio show while in the service in Europe. One of his guests was a young Frank Sinatra. He also played with Vic Damone and Peggy Lee. Shorty is billed as the fastest piano in the East, a well deserved title as his numerous awards from ragtime competitions throughout the country attest. He appeared on the Ed Sullivan and Steve Allen Tonight shows as a member of the Charleston Trio. He has also taught at Juilliard and Berkeley. Shorty recorded this CD himself on a Roland EP9 keyboard via MIDI, then added the string accompaniment."Montovani couldn't have done better!" he says. The original compositions are all inspired by women he has known."Half of them I dreamed," he explains."I am on a beach. There is no obvious source. The music flows off the water. I wake up and record the tunes on the piano."