Donald Ashwander (1929–1994) contributed significantly to the serious renaissance of ragtime that began in the 1960s. It gave firm notice that the classic ragtime of Scott Joplin and his contemporaries had returned to stay, with a new, serious, and understanding acceptance it had never before had. There was now a place for the young living composers to write in this idiom, in a style both authentic and contemporary. Among this group - Max Morath, William Bolcom, Milton Kaye, and number of others - Donald Ashwander was one of the acknowledged leaders.

This carefully curated anthology of his work includes his unreleased 1989 recording On the Highwire, which many believe to be quintessential Ashwander.