TT 234: Best April Fools' Joke Ever, more Mezzrow, IDLE GOSSIP
It is bad form to announce that such a thing is a joke in advance, but I need to make sure everyone in the piano game looks at the video.
Part of the joke is how musically Hamelin plays the exercises. A god among pianists, truly…
Gig last night was great; Peter Washington and Eric McPherson were phenomenal together. Photo by Glenn Kenny:
It was listed in the NYT; I think all seats are sold out for tonight but maybe there’s room at the bar.
My byline has made the cover of the forthcoming issue of The Nation. Incredible.
I stopped by Yamaha Artist Services yesterday to practice, and made good use of their gleaming CFXs to record a small tribute to worthy literature:
Ha non! Was totally ready to buy this until I saw from you that it was a joke. Thats why I'm a guitarist and recently beginning Pianist on Hannon number 22. Joe Chambers told me to practice Hannon back when I was a student at the new school and at the ripe old age of 40 it's seeming like the greatest advice for opening up the keyboard in all keys to a novice.. what now is Hamlin's mirror exercise a joke too? Sacre Bleu!
Mr Hamelin at :48 seems to say “prell-yud” and not the more common “prey-lewd” which for a Jew — and this is shabbat by the way — is very close to the Woody Allen story about “did Jew?” vs “did you” — I’m not sure his real name is Ham-line, maybe he’s rubbing it in that his name taunts us kosher types of things we cannot but you Nordic midwestern types can eat.
Dashiell Hammett. Same problem. We cannot eat him, but you can, gently. The Maltese Falcon is actually a delicious bowl of chicken soup, the Golden Bowl, before Walt Disney got to it.
And we know that you are actually Eitan from the schtetl not Ethan from the farm…