When necessary, I pilfered a similar passage from another Tatum performance of the same song. When the audio quality of the original recordings made it difficult to hear certain passages clearly, I attempted to play them myself (easier said than done!), gradually grasping the style, always bearing in mind Tatum’s large hand span. Using my trusty reel-to-reel deck, I taped the selections at 7 1/2 inches per second and played them back half-speed, at 3 3/4, in order to articulate the pianist’s lightning-fast runs and arpeggios. “After all, the music is so wonderful, and what better way to expose classical audiences to the riches of jazz?” That changed in 1979, when the editor of the publishing giant Music Sales decided that an inexperienced, 23-year-old freelance piano player was just the guy to unlock this extraordinary virtuoso’s kitchen secrets for all the world to sightread. While several Evans books were on the market at that time, few (if any) complete and accurate Tatum solos could be found in sheet music format. He graciously accepted it, gave me his contact information, and that was that. After the last amazing set, I gingerly handed Evans my transcription. He was on fire, playing with passion and overt virtuosity, galvanized by Philly Joe Jones’ aggressive drumming. Nearly a year, two broken tape decks, at least seven worn out cassettes and umpteen revisions later, I made my way down the steps to the Village Vanguard’s legendary basement to hear Evans. In any event, I was struggling to learn “Rainy Day” by ear, and realized that I’d gain better accuracy if I simply bit the bullet and laboriously wrote down what I heard, bar by bar, note by note. Perhaps it’s the fluid, organic fusion of classical and jazz elements that grabbed me. To my mind, Evans’ subtle voice leading, rhythmic displacements and skillful keyboard textures tilt more toward Schumann and Brahms. I particularly loved Evans’ unaccompanied solo recording of the Johnny Burke/Jimmy van Heusen standard “Here’s That Rainy Day.” Many critics see a link between Evans’ influential harmonic language and the French Impressionists. I only wish I had these toys some three decades ago during my own student years, when I practiced classical by day, played jazz gigs at night, and listened endlessly to records by Art Tatum and Bill Evans, two of the most influential and revered jazz pianists of their time and beyond. Information - Concerts, News,FAQs, Archives. Organs - Electronic (B3 etc.), Pipe, Theatre. Who's Who - Professional Pianists on Piano World Member Recordings - Non Classical Pianist CornerĮVENTS! Piano Concerts, Recitals, Competitions.įun Stuff! - Parties, Tours, Projects & More.įorum Members Parties, Tours, Cruises, & M. MY NEW PIANO or KEYBOARD! - Share Your Story! Old Man River (you smoke a little tea and sing o solo mio 1:50)ĭigital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths &a. I don't know if it's available commercially but it blows my mind. Notice how the lyrics are underscored at around 1:48 with the dissonant chords. Anyway please share some anecdotes.Įllington w/Al Hibbler doing Old Man River I have a theory that Strayhorn did many of his arrangements. I'm sharing what I think are some mind blowing stuff by Mr. One time when he wanted to quit and forge his own career and name, Ellington lured him back(can't remember all the details) and sent him to Paris for 3 weeks (as I recall). And Ellington kept him creatively employed. Billy Strayhorn was gay in a time when one couldn't be open. A lot of rich folklore in Ellington's universe. I'm overstocked on books but please share any good anecdotes. I read about the Ellington bio by Teachout on amazon. Just started reading the Ellington bio by Terry Teachout. So it turns out that I am on a bit of an Ellington/Strayhorn binge at the moment. I don't even dictate anything to the other players. And really it's about playing together for so many gigs and just sensing what's going to happen. One thing that people notice though is that our transitions are so smooth (even with a new tune) that people think everything we do is rehearsed. Everyone else in the band seem to be the same as I am. Bill Evans doesn't talk or interact with the audience. Everything else is secondary to me (including smiling at the audience). But the number one thing that I get concerned about is to see and hear what the other guys are doing. Sometimes I'm looking at the keyboard, sometimes I'm looking at the audience. But always my peripheral vision is on the band particularly on transitions. Usually I'm looking at the book on a new tune. Hey jjo, I've looked at several pictures of my performances and apparently I do it every which way.
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