[Dixielandjazz] Bum Pianos

[ROBERT R. CALDER]

When as  schoolboy I went to see Earl Hines I saw him come on stage and sit at the piano and then do I didn't know what, musically all over the place, it seemed, and physically all over the piano, and then suddenly he was into a nice loping tempo, with bass and drums (Bill Pemberton and Oliver Jackson). 

This was the Jazz from a Swinging Era package, later recorded live at a couple or more European venues, with some of this material included when the original 2 LP set was finally transferred to CD. As in the case of the Ellington centenary tour of Nils-Henning Oersted-Pedersen and Mulgrew Miller (both now, it's painful to say, departed) a recording was made before the tour (but a free one came to every customer attending the NHOP/ MM gig). Listening to that CD after the concert made clear how much the duo had added when playing together on tour (Miller's delicate straight and deadpan DannyBoy chorus on Sophisticated Lady had NHOP laughing so much he could hardly play). Oh, for a recording of one of their live dates!

Likewise Jazz from a Swinging Era had warmed up on tour, though the scratch arrangements on familiar material were fresh and a sort of thing Messrs. Eldridge, Clayton, Dickenson, Budd J., Freeman, Warren too in their stride. My ticket for the concert cost 25 pence!!! 

But in the Paris pre-tour recording studio the piano was out of tune. The prodigious Sir Charles Thompson coped manfully, but on the titles with Earl Hines the piano sounded OK.  

I mentioned this date to the very underrated Ram Ramirez, and Hines seemingly playing an out of tune piano in tune. I asked him was this possible. He said, yes. 

The worst piano I ever tried had been sitting unused in a corner of a hall for years, I had a go at it while waiting there with a friend. No keys stuck, but they only worked, and they all worked, when  I started hammering them -- it sounded like two banjos playing simultaneously, but anything but together. Stanley Dance had an anecdote of Jay McShann standing on a piano stool after having drunk a considerable amount, but best not go into that,

Hold 'em, Hootie!
Robert R. Calder