[Dixielandjazz] Happy Birthday, Dick Hyman

[Norman Vickers]

To:  Musicians & Jazzfans and DJML lists

From: Norman Vickers, Jazz Pensacola

 

Here's a note from "JazzOnTheTube" with a video link.  Also below is an e-mail I wrote to Dick Hyman on his 90th birthday.  I pass along for info and interest.  Great video of Dick at the piano keyboard.

Subject: Happy Birthday, Dick Hyman

 

 

Born in New York on March 8th 1927 today marks

the beginning of jazz piano great Dick Hyman's

ninetieth year.

 

20sJazz honors Dick's life long love and dedication

to music and with his fabulous performance of a tune

from Sissle & Blake's 1921 production "Shuffle Along."

 

Video:

 

http://www.20sjazz.com/page/25813.html

 

________________________________________________________________________

Here’s a note I sent to Dick Hyman,

Fnv

 

Hello Dick—Happy 90th birthday!

 

I’m reminded of the story about the drunk on reaching an advanced age who said, “If I’d known that I was going to live this long, I’d have taken better care of myself.!”

But it looks as though you have done just that—( not being a drunk and taking good care of yourself) and that both of us have been lucky at the genetic grab-bag!  ( I recently celebrated my 86th and, I’m happy to say my fingers and brain still work reasonably well.)

 

I want to say that your performances at Gibson  and Arbors  Jazz parties and others ( North Carolina) have given me great pleasure.  And our brief personal encounters have also been a treasure to me.

 

Let me remind you of a  couple of things—I took a photo of you at the Gibson jazz party.  This was when you were wearing thick glasses.  From my angle of vision—I was sitting below you—when you would move your head at a certain angle, the reflection of piano keyboard would show on your glasses.  Since that was a transient phenomenon, I took a whole roll of film to assure that I did, in fact, capture it.  Yes, it was successful and I had prints made—framed one for myself and sent you one, too.

 

At a later Arbors Jazz Party ( you’d had cataract surgery and didn’t need the thick glasses anymore) you were featured pianist and Don Wolff was videoing your fine piano fingerwork—I was always fascinated with your extended, rather than curved, 5th fingers.  (The video from JazzOnTheTube shows the extended 5th fingers)

We could see  Nat Hentoff,  WSJ columnist, about to walk in front of the videocamera.  I stood up and put a body-block on Hentoff, thereby preserving the integrity of Wolff’s video.  It should be noted that Hentoff subsequently did an excellent job summarizing activities at the Arbors jazz party for the Wall Street Journal.

 

At any rate—Happy 90th birthday and best wishes to you and yours.

 

Your grateful fan,

 

Norman

 

F.Norman Vickers

5429 Dynasty Drive

Pensacola, FL 32504-8583

Home 850-484-9183; cell 850-324-5022

Jazz Society of Pensacola 850-433-8382

www.jazzpensacola.com

nvickers1 at cox.net

Member Jazz Journalists Association

 

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