Hey,

well.

I have so christmas money, what album would you recommend for scott joplin's ragtime pieces?

I can't think of a good recording. It was Joshua Rifkin's recordings in the 1970's that re-introduced Joplin and made him popular, but they are not great - they are very "Classical" sounding, and Joplin sounds better when it is more rough and ready. He is not Chopin! I'd recommend that you listen to lots of early Jazz on YouTube to get a feel for the times, but play the rags yourself. My teacher all those years ago recommended a couple of pints of beer as the ideal way to get an authentic ragtime sound!

Try getting a hold of Morten Gunnar Larsen's album 'Fingerbreaker'. Fannnnnnnntastic. I saw him in concert a few years ago and he absolutely blew me away. Amazing ragrime playing.