Over the years, musicians from many diverse backgrounds have put their own stamp on "The Entertainer." I've collected some of my favorites – and a few crazy versions – in this playlist. There's old-school violin elegance from Itzhak Perlman, piano jazz virtuosity from Marcus Roberts and a lilting folk treatment from guitarist Dave Van Ronk. Stepping further afield, try the trippy rendition by dub/reggae artists Sly & Robbie, or the nostalgic, bluegrass-tinged harmonica from the legendary Larry Adler.

now, as I'm revisiting Joplin's legacy with a new album of his piano music – yes, including that famous piece I learned so long ago – I see him standing at a crossroads. He was a product of his time, with ambitions that exceeded it. His music is a total embrace of everything he was made of, and a vision of making something new. He spent his life bumping up against color lines while his work crossed over them. He invented and innovated because he had to. This is a central motif in American music, a truth I take for granted as my lineage and my legacy. And in the end, I choose to see it as something unintentionally liberating and transformative. This is how hybridization happens, how adaptive novelty fuels change, how new languages are invented.