Why We Fight

… with the piano, that is. It’s a practice day, which, seeing as how I played a recital last night, will require extra motivation for my default-lazy fingers. (Spring can really hang you up the most, once it gets to end-of-the-semester juries.) Anyway, this is what’ll keep me going today: Billie Holiday, Lester Young, Roy Eldredge, and a whole bunch more, giving “Fine and Mellow” a bluesy workout. If practicing is all about being ready just in case lightning strikes, this is a musical anvil cloud. (Via Hester, who writes about it beautifully.)

3 comments

  1. Wow, that’s quite a time lag Ogdon’s working with! I’ve heard of conductors who gesture way ahead of the beat, but I don’t think any orchestra could react with the delayed precision of that piano. On the other hand, it must be painful when he knows he’s missed a note and has to wait that extra second to hear it.

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