I started playing piano at the age of nine as far as I can remember. I’ll never, ever forget the day that my Dad went looking for a piano to purchase. I went with him. I remember being really excited about it.
Then there was the decision to see who would be the first to be able to get piano lessons. I wanted to be the first ( of four children). I was.
And actually before the formal lessons started someone showed me how to play “chopsticks”: and “Heart and Soul”.
That was all I needed. I used to sit around and improvise on both and came up with about 10,000 variations.
It wasn’t considered practice. I had to do that 1/2 hour a day and that usually took a lot more than half an hour because there was forty-five minutes of heart and soul in there.
Anyway, I did eventually learn how to play some Beethoven. And over time I started to learn how to play the Blues and “Levon” and then eventually Jazz.
By the time I was in High School I was playing in the Jazz band at school and with a Jazz Quartet starting to do gigs locally. I also started doing gigs with rock bands and even jammed with Country Rock and Metal bands and pretty much anyone who would let me play.
I had the goal to be able to play any kind of music.
When most kids were playing sports after school I was practicing,sometimes 5 hours a day.
I got my first steady gig in Hawaii in 1983. And in short order was playing 7 nights a week in Hawaii in addition to lessons with quite an extraordinary pianist named Randy Canon.
Hawaii was busy. Some weeks I played up to 80 hours a week. But it’s all in search of that x factor. That spirit if you will. The heart and soul of music. Communication!
More recently I am playing steady Mondays and Fridays and most weekends doing special occasion private gigs, weddings, parties etc., in addition to being part of the backbone of Michael Duff’s band. I’m also up to my eyeballs in “session” work either as a pianist or even as a producer/engineer.
I love to take pop songs and turn them into piano works of art. Take a song that you might not expect to hear as a solo piano work and make it one.
But I also love to play to whomever is there. I always will ask “What do you want to hear?”
Anyone feeling like singing generally will be obliged. I love Cole Porter as much as Peter Gabriel. Beatles as much as Gershwin. I basically want to bring life to your life.
I’m not adverse at all to sing-alongs. A true case of if you’re happy I’m happy!
Let me know what you have in mind. I’m there to help you make your dream a reality.
Marc
