Nathan sent me this video, and this solo performance of “Caravan” is amazing!
Being mostly a Keith Jarrett fan, I often neglect other great jazz pianists. And I’ve known about Michel Petrucciani. I just never really got into his music until now. Great stuff. His solo piano performance of “Caravan” is full of virtuosity and power. For a little guy, he’s definitely getting a “big” sound out of the piano. His technique is right-on-the-money. And I love the part where he just uses his right hand to solo through the changes while resting his left arm on the piano. I really need to learn this song on the piano. Don’t know why I never learned it. It’s part of the standard jazz repertoire.
Actually, it’s called an iAno, for those of us pianists who are on the go and can’t get to a real piano, you can practice your scales and chord progressions on this iPiano app, made for the iPhone! This is frickin’ sweet!
Silence is the potential from which music can arise.—Keith Jarrett
Concerto For 2 Pianos & Orchestra In E-Flat Major, K. 365 (K. 316a): III. Rondeaux: Allegro
This is an excellent video featuring reknowned jazz pianists Chick Corea and Keith Jarrett performing this rare Mozart concerto for two pianos. I think there is a certain energy that transfers over from Jazz to Classical that makes this performance especially interesting and exciting.
This is actually an excerpt from Keith Jarrett: The Art of Improvisation which is an excellent DVD. I highly recommend it, because it covers much of Keith Jarrett’s career in both classical and jazz genre’s, and covers much of what the essence of improvised music is all about.
A Few Highlights From the DVD
1. Of course, the double piano concerto above.
2. Keith Jarrett playing soprano sax (amazingly) with Charlie Haden and Paul Motian.
3. Excerpts of the Keith Jarrett Trio on tour.
4. I especially like the part where Keith tries out a couple of different concert grands, choosing one after sampling each in relation to the music hall, then deciding on the other piano after it had been taken off stage.
5. And quick snippets of Jarrett’s home in the forests of New Jersey and the barn that was converted into a recording and practice studio, with two concert grands and a drumset. Cool!
I was really happy with my piano practice yesterday. I covered a lot of ground, so to speak.
Okay, what did I practice that made my piano rehearsal so great?
Well, my attitude and approach was good. I was happy with that. I did go over some of my so-called standard pieces to warm up with:
1. Mozart Sonata in C
2. Beethoven Moonlight Sonata
3. Black Orpheus
4. It Could Happen To You
5. The Shadow of your Smile
Actually, I had two separate piano rehearsals. One in the morning and one in the evening.
After practicing my standard tunes, I went into some long improvisations. Fell into my rendition of Chick Corea’s “Spain”, then went into a long improvised montuno passage. And went through this whole improvisation working on both fast ostinato rhythms on left hand and fast soloing in the right hand.
Earlier I played “The Windmills Of Your Mind”. Along with some pseudo classical and modern style improvisations.
Improvisation is my main focus, and it is a part of living in the moment. Creating within the moment. To me this is Zen.
I am definitely going to try and make one of the West Coast dates, either at Royce Hall in Los Angeles or the Masonic Auditorium in San Francisco. This is a must-see for Jazz Afficionados, as this is arguably the greatest jazz trio ever.
Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock, Jack DeJohnette
2008 Mar 05 Los Angeles, CA Royce Hall USA
2008 Mar 08 San Francisco, CA SF Jazz - Masonic Auditorium USA
2008 Sep 13 Chicago, IL Symphony Center USA****
2008 Sep 19 Philadelphia, PA Kimmel Center USA
2008 Oct 18 New York, NY Carnegie Hall USA
2008 Oct 26 Boston, MA Boston Symphony Hall USA ****
****=newly added
No New Solo ones added yet just the ones in Japan so far.
2008 May 14 Yokohama Kanagawa Kenmin Hall Japan
2008 May 17 Tokyo Orchard Hall Japan
2008 May 20 Osaka Festival Hall Japan
2008 May 23 Tokyo Tokyo Metropolitan Art Space Japan
I’ve been practicing everyday on piano, mostly lengthy improvisations that go from half an hour to a full hour. Just one piece.
I find it very challenging, but at the same time very fun and rewarding. Of course, I’m very much inspired by the solo piano concerts of Keith Jarrett. But, it’s very hard not to copy him. So the real challenge is to try and create your own style and try to put one’s own personality into the music.
When I practice improvisation I tend to treat the whole thing as an Indian Raga… starting slow, letting my musical thoughts and ideas develop and build. And from there I’ll go into what I call “hills and valleys” of musical expression.
My goal for 2008 is to be able to easily record my piano improvisations on my Yamaha C2 Grand Piano and publish them on my site. I think that would be cool to try and publish an improvisation everyday, just like I would a blog entry. It would be a musical expression of how I’m feeling on that day. And it would be challenging to try and come up with new ideas every time and not get repetitive. Though I think Keith Jarrett himself admitted that it’s a big challenge to not repeat yourself… we are creatures of habit and we tend to play things we like to hear, and we tend to develop a certain form or structure with each improvisation.
But, we’ll see how this all pans out. It’s just really nice to have a great sounding grand piano at home, so it’s essential to find a way to record on it.
(When Nobody Needs Me)… I love this song, and have been practicing this one today in E flat Major. Ironic that the song kind of spells out my piano career right now. I need a good piano gig so I can feel appreciated, anyone in need of a solo pianist for a few hours?
Anyway, the chord changes in this song are really nice. I’m exploring the possibilities embellishing with various extensions, augmented and dimished chords.
The following songs I’ve really been focusing on today, exploring those possibilities as far as voicings go:
1. Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me) - Eb Major
2. I’ve Grown Accustomed To Her Face - C Major
3. But Not For Me - C Major
4. It Might As Well Be Spring - F Major
5. I Wish You Love - Eb minor
6. Someday My Prince Will Come - F Major and Bb Major
I don’t know…
There is a big, big difference between someone who loves to play piano and plays for his/herself at home… and a pianist who is out there performing a lot. Realistically, my goal is to seriously “woodshed” for 6 months and by the end of 6 months time I hope to be playing regularly at a few places.
We’ll see how it goes… but, I always enjoy playing for myself and just getting lost in my musical journeys.
I love to play songs from movies… including musicals that became movies. And also songs from Animated Movies.
Here are a list of some of my favorites: If I Loved You (Carousel), Love Theme (Sophie’s Choice), Cavatina (The Deer Hunter), A Part Of Your World (The Little Mermaid), Love Theme (Beauty and the Beast), A Whole New World (Alladiin), Edelweiss (The Sound of Music), Theme from Ragtime, The Entertainer (The Sting).
. . . .
Standards, Etc…
Now that I have a wonderful sounding grand piano to practice on… one that has been tuned twice since I got it… I absolutely have no excuse…
I need to practice, practice, practice!
And I’ve seriously been looking at my current repertoire of songs I know. Here is the current list that I completely forgot I had here on my site…
1. I need to play these songs in the proper keys they were written in.
2. I need to practice my scales and chord progressions.
3. I need to practice in all 12 keys
4. I need to practice in major and minor keys, including modes (dorian, lydian, mixolydian, phrygian, etc.)
5. I need to practice on some classical stuff, including ragtime.
And I need to update my current list. There are more songs that I know, and my goal is to have a working repertoire of 200 plus songs.
Did I say I needed to practice? One always needs to… there’ll be more time to improvise long pieces later. I really need to practice on Standards and Classical, mainly.
Now that I have the piano to practice on whenever I feel the inclination (which is daily), my goal for 2008 is to learn as many of the songs from the Great American Songbook as possible, and in the proper keys they were intended to be played in.
Great American Songbook is a term referring to the interrelated music of Broadway musical theater, the Hollywood musical, and Tin Pan Alley, in a period that begins roughly in the 1920s and tapers off around 1960 with the coming of rock and roll. Aside from the enduring popularity of this music in its original context, it also became (and remains) the central repertoire of jazz musicians. (In jazz, such tunes are simply referred to as “standards”.) For its devotees, the GAS (as it is sometimes abbreviated) represents a level of musical and lyrical sophistication that has yet to be equalled. (This is sometimes – as in the writings of Gene Lees – a way of casting aspersions on rock music and everything that followed in its wake.)
I would consider the following to be my current Top 10 standards (that I enjoy playing on piano) from the Great American Songbook:
1. Over The Rainbow
2. Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)
3. I’ve Grown Accustomed To Her Face
4. The Second Time Around
5. But Not For Me
6. My Romance
7. Love Is A Many Splendored Thing
8. It Might As Well Be Spring
9. You Are Too Beautiful
10. I’ll Be Seeing You
. . . .
Of course this list is subject to change. And here are a few more favorites (some from musicals):
I have a confession to make. I’m going to be 50 years old this coming January 26. But also, my wife surprised me by giving me the best birthday gift that a musician and pianist could ever receive… a brand new grand piano!
It’s a Yamaha C2 5′8″ Conservatory Grand in polished ebony finish, and it was the one I tested at a piano warehouse last month. Actually, I got it last month just before Christmas because my wife wanted me to play Christmas songs on it. I didn’t want to make a big deal about it, but I might as well let everyone know that I got it and I’m so happy. I’ve been practicing every day on it, hours at a time.
Maybe she felt sorry for me because I was a pianist without a keyboard for so long, but I do know that I am deeply grateful and forever indebted to her for buying me the grand piano. And now I can spend the rest of my days playing piano every day….
I used to always make sure I catch the ragtime pianist at Disneyland who always played everything at outrageously fast tempos… Rod Miller is his name, and the news travels slow to me, so while doing searches of ragtime pieces on YouTube, I find out that Rod Miller has retired!
Here’s his extremely fast rendition of Scott Joplin’s Maple Leaf Rag:
Amazing!
Thank you Mr. Rod Miller for bringing joy to people’s hearts with your amazing piano playing at the Coke Corner on Main Street in Disneyland… you will be missed!
What makes all this even more amazing was that Rod broke his back as a child and had his spine fused. Doctors told him he’d never walk again, but he defeated that prophecy. He shouldn’t have been able to sit and play piano either, but Rod figured out how to do that too. In the end, the 30 plus years of playing 8 hours aday, plus outside gigs and practice, took its toll on Rod’s body and tortured spine. He is retiring now, but not because he wants to, I can assure you.
There is no way for me to sum up in one post what Rod Miller means to me, to Disneyland, and to the world of Ragtime music. He has been Ragtime music’s greatest ambassador, churning out the tunes a breakneck speed to guests at Disneyland. He was always learning new songs right up until the end of his career. He tutored students of Ragtime Piano with whatever time he could spare (a few have followed in his footsteps working at Disney Theme Parks). He has been a great friend to many and could always be counted on to cheer you up when you were down, play that special song of memories for you, or just to make you laugh and feel good with a song.
So all that’s left to say is “Thank you for the beautiful music Rod. You would have made Walt proud.”
Yesterday my wife and I went to a local piano store to try out some grand pianos.
I hadn’t been to a piano store in eons, and the last time I went I was torn between a Boston and a Yamaha grand piano. I’ve always wanted a Steinway because of the name and prestige. And have been impressed by a Steinway grand piano’s overall tone, sort of warm yet not overly bright.. with deep tones and a wide sonic and dynamic clarity.
But, at 40K and up, it’s just well beyond my affordability.
The Yamaha grand pianos have always been noted for superb sound and affordability. Plus, many pianists from Chick Corea to Elton John endorse Yamaha grand pianos. Elton has that famous “red” Yamaha grand, The Red Piano. He supposedly has this red piano shipped everywhere when on tour.
I’ve always been skeptical about Yamaha pianos because of my allegance to the unaffordable Steinways that can cost several 10K. But, ultimately I judge pianos by their overall sound quality and the response of the keyboard.
So, here I was checking out all the grand pianos in the store.
I don’t mean to brag when I say that I have a great ear for pianos. I figure that any musician who has an ear for music can judge for themselves what a great piano sounds like. But I will admit that I am very picky when it comes to the sound of a piano.
So after checking out virtually all the grand pianos available to me in the store, I settled with a Yamaha 5′3″ grand. The price was pretty reasonable, and the overall sound and response of the keys were pretty phenomenal.
I went into the Steinway room, of course, and tried out most of the grand pianos there. I was not impressed with what I was hearing. And was surprised by how thin sounding some of then were. I even tried out the Steinway concert grand in the back of the showroom and saw a sign that it was already sold. Of course, I couldn’t afford one anyways. But I played it and was surprised that it was out of tune! So I quickly stepped away from that one.
Most of the newer Steinways seemed to have a duller sound that what I remember, and I’ve played several Steinways during my lifetime. Could it be that American Steinways weren’t up-to-snuff with the German Steinways? Well, for the cost I was not really impressed. And drifted back to the Yamaha room.
I also tried a Boston grand piano (which is also made by Steinway) and it was okay. It just didn’t do much for me, that’s all.
For reference, I tried a Kimbal upright piano nearby and that truly sounded atrocious!
Back to the Yamaha room. I narrowed it down to three grand pianos. The smaller one was just okay. It had a thinner, smaller tone attributed to its size. The second Yamaha was pretty nice but it was pretty expensive and didn’t really sound all that great for its size.
I once again singled out the one Yamaha that seemed perfect for the price. Its tone was quite full sounding for a 5′3″ grand and the price was pretty reasonable. But, I was still skeptical and not quite satisfied.
Then the store manager mentioned that they had some special pianos at their warehouse about 3 blocks away, and he assured me that I would be quite satisfied with at least a couple of Yamaha grand pianos over there.
So, when we got to the warehouse one of the store salesmen had met us there. The store manager gave us the key and I gave it to the salesman to open the door to the warehouse.
There was at least 12 grand pianos on the warehouse floor and countless pianos still in crate boxes.
I tried all the pianos. And was very very critical with all of them. And I quickly narrowed it down to a C2 5′8″ Yamaha grand piano in glossy black finish. The sound was quite amazing. The notes played weren’t overly bright and had a nice fullness about them. The action of the keyboard was very amazing too. And being that we were in a warehouse, I’m sure that this piano would sound even better in a more acoustically tight environment. It sounded like a perfect piano for practicing and recording, and just for playing piano for hours… which I can easily do.
I think that this song represents my thoughts and feelings about special concerns… like wishing to end world hunger, or being able to achieve world peace, or making sure the homeless have shelter and food… perhaps, it’s a dream we all have of wishing that the world could be a better place, for ourselves, our friends and family… for our world family.
Anything can be one’s sanctuary, a special place or person you feel safe with, a circle of friends, a safe haven from a world in which there still exists war, hatred, hunger, homelessness, depression, helplessness, poverty, and indifference.
Your sanctuary could even by your Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. It could be God.
Your sanctuary is your sanctuary. And no one should be able to take that away from you. Hope can be a sanctuary.
I’ve been listening to a lot of Keith Jarrett lately. I stopped for a while, I guess, following the infamous video that captures Jarrett losing his cool at a jazz concert in Europe.
I’m over that now.
People have a right to lose their cool every once-in-a-while. Even “jazz giants” like Keith Jarrett.
In the end… Jarrett is still a genius, and his prolific output of both jazz and classical works tend to prove that fact.
So, I’m currently listening to Keith Jarrett’s “Bridge of Light” CD, particularly his Concerto for Oboe and String Orchestra. It’s the kind of peaceful, intimate music that is perfect for a quiet Sunday at home.
My oldest son is home for the weekend, my youngest son is upstairs doing some school project, my wife is reading the latest Harry Potter book on the living room sofa. And I’ve been blogging, listening to good music, and watching a Keith Jarrett Trio DVD (earlier).
Yesterday was a big day. We celebrated my wife’s birthday by going to this fancy Brazilian Restaurant that features a lot of fabulous barbecued meats delivered to your table on this sword skewers. Being vegan, I still had lots to eat because they had this fabulous salad bar to please the vegetarians.
The gig at Le Papagayo was really great for the Flamenco group and the female Flamenco dancers were sexy and energetic, inviting members of the audience to dance with them. It was a good night, the place was packed both inside and outside in the patio areas.
So, now I’m tired and restful. Looking out the window at a beautiful, cool yet sunny afternoon. It’s days like this that I wish would last forever…..
My longtime friend and musical colleague, Nathan Mills, sent me the link to this video with a “hmmmmm…..”
And being the devout Keith Jarrett fan that I am, naturally I was extremely upset when I first watched this.
As you can see, the video shows Keith Jarrett lashing out at the audience for using flash photography and video, using some pretty harsh language in the process.
It was extremely upsetting to me because I am watching my most favorite and revered jazz pianist, possibly the most important jazz pianist of the second half of the 20th century, lose his cool and curse at the audience, his fans who have paid some hefty sums of money to see him perform his music.
A part of me is angry with Jarrett for losing his cool, and cursing his fans. Mainly, because I’ve always looked up to him as a highly consummate and disciplined individual. I have most of his CDs and a good number of his DVDs, and aside from his typical quirks (the guttural sounds and jerky movements) I’ve always looked upon his work as pure genius and perfect artistry.
And I still do…
But, knowing that he is quite human, and not the God that I considered him to be, has definitely removed him from that lofty pedestal that I had once put him high upon.
With this video, things are different with how I appreciate Jarrett and his music. Yet at the same time, I still admire him for standing up to those people who do not respect his wishes, for if you’ve been any sort of fan of Jarrett’s, you know that he doesn’t appreciate any flash photography or videotaping at any of his concerts.
When I went to see him perform a solo piano concert in San Francisco, the concert staff specifically warned people about the use of flash photography or videotaping. Still, some idiots out in the audience took flash photos. And Jarrett walked up to the microphone and reprimanded those couple of people who took the photos. And at that particular concert, fortunately, he was pretty polite about it.
But just to speak in Keith Jarrett’s defense, he has long made it clear that he doesn’t want flash photography and videotaping at his concerts. And I guess if you are the artist and that is one request you demand from your audience, then that is the artist’s right and it should be respected, given the level of concentration required to perform an entire evening’s worth of improvised music.
A part of me felt let down because I saw Jarrett lose his temper in front of those people.
Another part of me, however, believes that the artist should stand up for his personal rights as an artist, and stand up for what he believes is a fair exchange between the artist and the audience.
Also, artists are typically very passionate individuals. And there has to be a certain level of passion and emotion in their work. And with Jarrett, his music is a lot of things… especiall; revolutionary, defiant, passionate, angry, avante-garde, emotional….
…with that in mind, his expression of anger towards his audience for not meeting him halfway is perfectly understandable then. He is protesting, angry and defiant… it is a revolution against what Jarrett feels is his ideal in regards to the subtle and close relationship between the performer and the audience… between the appreciators of the art and the artist himself.
Sure, he lost his cool, and he ended up using some profanity. In reality, who hasn’t at one time or another. But at the same time, Keith Jarrett is human, is passionate, is emotional, because that’s what his music is all about….
After watching the video, the inspirational bubble definitely had burst, and I now saw Jarrett as a human and not a God of discipline and perfection.
But also, I can understand the ideals he fights for. It might be a losing battle in this digital world where it’s so easy to capture moments and events as they happen. But then again, I can understand his frustration.
And hopefully, this will be the last video I have to see of Jarrett losing his cool. Because, jazz musicians are supposed to look, act, and be cool.
I’m still a fan, nonetheless, because I think his music is THAT important… he has a long history that has been recorded on vinyl and in the digital format. It is music that is pure and uncompromised, and in the years to come will speak for itself, and live beyond the man who had created it.
I confess I hadn’t been listening to Keith Jarrett lately. But he’s still my favorite jazz pianist, and the Keith Jarrett Trio is phenomenal.
Via youtube, I found another version of the Keith Jarrett trio playing Autumn Leaves, one of my all-time favorite standards… once again phenomenal….
One fellow pianist told me that he thought Brad Mehldau was a better pianist. And I sort of was taken aback with his statement, kind of saying… “You’re kidding, right?”
But he thought Brad Mehldau was better. And I’m sure Brad would be flattered at the complement, but I think even he would say that Keith Jarrett is just too amazing… and especially the sheer virtuosity of the trio with Gary Peacock and Jack DeJohnette (incidentally, I have to buy his signature ride cymbal one of these days).
Anyways, I am getting more familiar with Brad Mehldau’s work and he is an amazing young pianist with the potential to become the next Keith Jarrett one of these days. But still, Keith Jarrett has a certain unique style and sound, and his entire approach to the piano is just such that no one can really be compared to him.
He’s still my favorite jazz pianist, and here he is performing “LIVE” with the Keith Jarrett Trio… Autumn Leaves:
This post is for KC and her husband, since they are going to see the Keith Jarrett Trio in Japan!
This DVD, in my humble opinion, is the holy grail for Keith Jarrett enthusiasts. Fans will get to know more about Keith than they ever dreamed. You’ll see where he lives, in the rural woods of New Jersey, you’ll see his barn that was converted into a studio with two concert grand pianos, a drumset, and other musical instruments. And you’ll see a LOT of archival footage from the early years to the present. And it also covers his classical music career, which includes footage of Keith and Chick Corea playing a Mozart Double Piano Concerto in Japan!
Unfortunately, there was never any video footage taken of the Koln Concert, but still, you Keith Jarrett and Jazz fans will love this!
First off, I wanted to mention that a fellow pianist (who shall remain nameless) recently borrowed my keyboard, and not only did he break one of the keys (g above middle c), the keyboard does not work any more!
Okay, I had two piano gigs this past weekend in which I could’ve used my keyboard. Fortunately, the singer I worked for had his own keyboard that I could use and that saved the day.
Other than that, I had a great time playing piano again. I was able to perform some instrumental renditions of Over The Rainbow, It Might As Well Be Spring, Be My Love, Love Is A Many Splendored Thing…. and accompanied Donnie Finnell on classic songs from the Great American Songbook… The Way You Look Tonight, Fly Me to the Moon, Autumn Leaves, Manha Da Carnival, Satin Doll, Route 66, etc…
Chef Kent made a vegan pasta dish for me with “mock” sausage. It tasted amazing!
. . . .
Also this past weekend: I rehearsed with Pleazure, the band that I gigged with during my high school years. Some of the songs we practiced I hadn’t played… since high school! But miraculously, I remembered them. It was kind of surreal playing music with these same guys I knew in high school… but it was really fun! We’re going to have the entire band at the next rehearsal…
I have one thing to say about this solo piano album by Keith Jarrett… Hourglass Part II. It’s utterly sublime if you find the time to really sink into the music.
This album was recorded in Paris, France in May of 1976. According to Keith Jarrett’s biography the piano was an excellent sounding Bosendorfer concert grand. And although Bosendorfer concert grand pianos are said to have a slightly darker tone than Steinways, the studio recording has an exceptional warmth to it, originally leading me to believe that it was a Steinway grand that was used.
Nevertheless, this album is truly a work of art, divided into 4 distinct sections: Staircase, Hourglass, Sundial, and Sand. And within each section there are 2 to 3 movements.
Forget the Koln Concert, and all the other live albums; this is the best Keith Jarrett album I’ve ever heard. It’s not always melodic, but when it is, it’s just beautiful, and when it isn’t, it still moves me. The whole thing has a timeless quality that has to be heard to be understood. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if this is eventually considered one of his most important recordings.
Actually, I like this person’s quote from Amazon.com, except that I wouldn’t forget The Koln Concert, no way… but I agree that Staircase is one of his most important recordings, and is one of the rare improvised solo piano albums he’s recorded in the studio. Most of his solo piano recordings are “live”.
This weekend I was offered gigs on Friday and Saturday night playing piano for this singer.
Friday nights are pretty bad going to Bistro 221 in Escondido, so I usually allow 1 hour drive to get to the restaurant. What happened yesterday was a traffic nightmare. For some reason it was the worst traffic ever going north on the I-15.
To make a long story short, I was on the road for 2.5 hours in stop-and-go traffic that inched its way toward my destination. I started at 5:30 and got to the gig at 8pm. The gig was supposed to start at 6:30pm!
Fortunately, we’ve known the chef/owner for a very long time, and he was understanding. It was too late to do a gig because they were going to close in an hour. So, we just chatted, then set up our instruments so that we would be ready to go for tomorrow. Then went home.
Anyway, I’m excited to be playing piano tomorrow because I’ll basically be improvising and playing jazz for most of the night. I’m going to try some Keith Jarrett style improvisations when it’s just me on piano, and play jazz and pop standards with the singer.
This is me when I was 6 years old, first grade, performing at my first piano recital.
As you can see I wore glasses at a very early age. Now I wear contacts, thank God!
This photo was taken somewhere in downtown Bremerton, Washington, and we lived there for about two years… first and second grade for me. I have fond memories of Bremerton. When the days were sunny it was so beautiful and green there. And of course, I remember lots of rainy days and staying indoors. And that’s when I spent a lot of time practicing piano. Thank God for the rain! At least I was able to learn a musical instrument.
I didn’t get into drums until later… around 9 years old when I got my first snare drum.
It had been probably 3 weeks, not having touched a piano or keyboard. And I had canceled my Wednesday night piano gigs, because I only work for tips and the first two weeks in February were so slow.
Anyway, it felt great to play solo piano and get paid, plus receive tips. Donnie and Gary played a private party for some millionaire mushroom farmer. And the guy didn’t want any drummers, so that’s why I ended up playing solo piano.
It was awkward at first, but I quickly got back into my way of improvising. And I was so immersed in the music that I didn’t take a single break for the 3 1/2 hours that I performed.
Tiffany and I had some good talks about playing piano and veganism. She is the only friend I have who is Vegan, and has been for some 19-20 years. So, I look to her for advice and ways of handling the overly critical non-vegans, because she’s being dealing with that for a long time.
Anyway, Tiffany always gives me good feedback from the bar since she’s The Bistro’s bartender. And she said I had great reviews/compliments from the customers, and they were rather amazed that I could play piano for so long and not stop for a break.
But, I just get lost in the music, and I just improvise and improvise, going from one song to the next and creating transitions between the songs.
One of the waiters was wondering how I could go for so long and my fingers and arms don’t get tired, but for some reason that’s not a problem. I guess between the drumming and the piano playing my hands and arms are pretty conditioned for the type of performances I do.
One thing I’ve noticed, is that my creativity for improvisation seems very high when I haven’t played piano for a while. Maybe I just miss it, or because I come to the keyboard after a long hiatus, there is no pre-conceived notions in my head on how to play.
Tiffany mentioned this too, and I remembered that Keith Jarrett said something similar about doing his long solo piano concerts.
So, my dedication to piano seems to have been renewed….
Barry Cohen asked me to play piano tonight at Jack’s in La Jolla from 6pm to 10pm. Wish me luck, folks… Either way, it’s always a blessing to be playing piano.
Update … The gig went well! Jack’s is a very classy, elegant restaurant. Read more »
We really never know what we’re gonna play when we get on stage.
—Keith Jarrett
Had a great gig with Barry Cohen last night at the Fairbanks Ranch Country Club. He needed a pianist to play the first hour from 5pm to 6pm, and he asked me to do it. I was thrilled. Read more »
Next Gig: Bistro 221 ~ Solo Piano on Wednesday, December 14.
. . . .
Good news! Chef Kent at Bistro 221 has given me a Wednesday night spot to play solo piano! I’m really thrilled about it, and this will give me a chance to showcase my own performance and try to hopefully build a following.
This will be a solo piano gig every Wednesday night:
Bistro 221
EVERY WEDNESDAY
5pm - 8:30pm
221 East Grand Avenue
Escondido, CA 92025
This weekend I performed at Bistro 221! On Friday, I performed with Donnie Finnell and tested out my new 20″ Zildjian K Custom Dry Ride Cymbal. Tiffany thought it was great and said it looked nice enough to be mounted on a wall. I must confess it’s a very distinctive looking cymbal and the sound quality is rich, yet very defined.
On Saturday, I got a call from Donnie that Gary (our keyboardist) was feeling very sick and Donnie asked me to play keyboards. Then, just as I was leaving for the gig Donnie called me again saying that he was feeling quite ill too. So, I had to switch to playing solo piano and took my drums from the car and loaded my keyboard and amp.
All in all, the solo piano gig at the Bistro turned out very nice. I received a lot of compliments on my playing and received lots of tips. I pretty much played for 4 hours and took a 20 minute break in-between to talk to Tiffany, Carl and Sandy at the bar, while sipping my Merlot. After the gig, Tiffany gave me a really great compliment on my playing and said that customers were saying positive things about my piano playing. Of course, I’m like the most humble guy when it comes to receiving compliments, but it makes me feel really good that people appreciate my piano playing.
It was a good, rare night… being that I haven’t been able to play piano (let alone solo piano) in the past several weeks because of big band and top 40 commitments! And last night once again rekindled the fact that I truly love playing the piano, that there is a sincere joy in tickling the ivories. Although, I am not a world class pianist by any means, playing piano at The Bistro really makes me feel like I am almost there… that it gives me great joy in knowing that I am doing something positive for others and at the same time being appreciated for being of service in a musical sense. And for that I feel truly blessed for the opportunity.
In the realm of improvised jazz and solo piano, Keith Jarrett is my number one influence.
Keith Jarrett (born May 8, 1945 in Allentown, Pennsylvania) is considered one of the most important living jazz piano players. He was a keyboardist for jazz legend Miles Davis and later established a highly successful solo career in both classical and jazz music.
Have been practicing a lot of piano and drums lately. I have both set up in the garage, and I’m playing some fun jam sessions with my sons.
As I write this, I’m thinking of setting up my keyboard to practice again. In a few minutes.
I think I have an addictive personality, because when I obsess over something, someone, some place, that feeling sort of takes over my whole being. It’s good in a way, and it’s also bad.
This weekend was a good one as always. Played with the jazz trio on Friday, performed piano with Donnie on Saturday and again on Sunday for Mother’s Day .
Yesterday’s gig was pure joy. I was so happy performing. There were little kids standing in front of me while I played piano, they seemed mesmerized or in a trance. They were cute. And I played the “Barney” theme song for them, and other tunes like “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”. And a young Dad carried his young daughter over and they watched me play, standing right there in front of me, almost over me, studying my fingers as I tickled the ivories. ;)
Well, I didn’t take a break at all yesterday, as I didn’t take a break on Saturday either. That’s what I mean by being really addicted to the piano now. It’s becoming an obsession that I get rather irritated when people come up and say, “dude, you can take a break any time, y’know”, or something like that. But, I sort of hold my ground and give this “Grrrrr” look.
By 9pm last night I crashed and went to bed, feeling exhausted from the weekend gigs and activity. On Sunday morning I also made my wife a homemade card and brought her breakfast-in-bed for Mother’s Day.
So, now I’m going to set up my keyboards and practice again. Before going off to big band rehearsal later tonight! :P
So, the solo piano gig at Bistro 221 went exceptionally well last night. I had such a great time playing solo piano that I actually forgot to take a break. I just literally get lost in the music!
But there was one point in the performance where I started getting an itching in my throat and wanted to cough really bad. I don’t know what happened. So, I was playing piano and trying to stiffle my coughs pretty succesfully, and when Danielle (the waitress) walked by I was able to flag her down and she brought me a glass of red wine and a tall glass of iced water! *relief*
One song I really enjoyed playing was something I don’t usually play. It’s “the ant song” from the movie “A Hole In The Head” (1959) by Frank Capra and starring none other than Frank Sinatra. It’s such a simple, catchy melody and very easy to play-by-ear that I had no problem remembering it.
Afterwards, I got a lot of compliments regarding my piano playing, but the thing that pleasantly suprised me was the fact that one couple thought I was just a recording! Like, they were sitting in one of the booths that blocked me from their view, so they did realize there was a “live” piano player, hehe… and I guess when they gave props to the music the owners told them it was “live” and I was playing in the corner there.
Anyways, I got a lot more tips than usual because, well… I’m a solo act!
But it was so enjoyable just playing piano again and I tried to play everything I knew and as much variety as possible… I still had songs I didn’t play because I forgot to bring my big songlist and only played what I could remember off the top of my head.
I even played the TV themes from “The Andy Griffith Show” and “The Brady Bunch”…. haha… just for fun, of course just before closing and when most of the people had left.
I played the main theme from the movie “Somewhere in Time” and one of the ladies there sent a waiter to ask me the name of the song. Of course, it’s with Christopher Reeve (Superman) and I overheard the lady ask, “Is this the movie where he became a paraplegic?”, and everyone at that table started laughing. I wanted to laugh out loud too but I was thinking that I better not, so I just smiled.
