From Amazon.com
For her first full-length exploration of the toy piano's slightly out-of-tune and whimsically off-kilter, percussive sound, Margaret Leng Tan covers a wide variety of material, cobbling together a surprisingly coherent, entertaining effort.
The Art of the Toy Piano looks at first like it might be one of those sub-Kronos hipster records, sticking as it does Erik Satie next to Ralph Mostel, John Lennon next to Stephen Montague, and Guy Klucevsek next to Beethoven. But Tan not only has the sensitivity and control to mix these works without mashing them but also celebrates the odd, clunky musicality of the instrument. In addition to "real" piano, there's a smattering of funky kids' instruments, from a distorted drum machine to whistles, melodica, and toy accordion.
--Mike McGonigal