This is a wonderful piano solo of Sweet Georgia Brown being played by Gyuri Villas. The elements in this solo are very similar to the great blues style of Oscar Peterson. The performance here represents a very accomplished and skilled piano player and a great example of this very exciting form of music.
At my Portland piano studio, when my piano lessons students express an interest in improvisation, we begin by learning Blues Piano. Whether played on a piano or a keyboard, Blues Piano can be learning quickly and has a very easy to understand format. Playing blues does not require as much playing skill as jazz and can be learned soon after a student begins lessons. Many of my students find Blues Piano and excellent way to learn to play by ear, and gain a new level of self expression. It’s very straightforward to learn, and is incredible fun.
On this video from 2006, Randy Newman performs on the piano and sings at a festival in Stuttgart Germany. “Louisiana 1927” is about the flood of that year that destroyed many homes and left 700,000 people without shelter. The song was composed in 1974 and is one of Newman’s most popular and emotional songs.
Randy Newman’s music accomplishments are huge. He is a singer, pianist, songwriter, composer for film, and arranger. He has written many songs and written the soundtrack for almost 30 movies. His unusually lyrical style and keyboard playing, makes him a one of a kind performer.
Newman was born in 1943 in Los Angeles. He lived for a while in New Orleans. He took piano lessons as a child, and also as a young adult. At the age of 17 he had already begun his career as a songwriter. He cites Ray Charles as having the biggest influence on his music. After the terrible devastation from Hurricane Katrina, “Louisiana 1927” was played often on the radio and it boosted Newman’s popularity.
Randy Newman has won many awards from the Academy Awards, Grammy, Oscars, Emmys. He is a wonderfully talented artist that has contributed greatly to many areas of music and film in the U.S.
Partial List of Randy Newman’s Albums
Trouble in Paradise (1983)
Land of Dreams (1988)
Randy Newman’s Faust (1995)
Bad Love (1999)
Harps and Angels (2008)
Live in London (2011)
Partial List of Randy Newman’s Film Scores
Cats Don’t Dance (1997)
A Bug’s Life (1998)
Babe: Pig in the City (1998)
Pleasantville (1998)
Toy Story 2 (1999)
Meet the Parents (2000)
Jurassic Park 3 (2001)
Monsters, Inc. (2001)
Seabiscuit (2003)
Meet the Fockers (2004)
Cars (2006)
Leatherheads (2008)
The Princess and the Frog (2009)
Toy Story 3 (2010)
Arlo Guthrie plays piano and sings live in this video of him performing “City of New Orleans”. “City of New Orleans” was composed by Steve Goodman and is a nostalgic story about a train route from Chicago to New Orleans. Arlo first recorded the song in 1972 and it has been widely associated with him ever since. In 2005, Arlo travelled on that train to arrive in New Orleans to raise money for musicians after the devastating Katrina Hurricane.
Arlo Guthrie was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1947. His father, Woodie Guthrie was famous for writing and singing social protest songs, and Arlo has kept that tradition and composed and recorded many. Arlo Guthrie, in addition to being a singer, composer, and musician, has also done some acting. He is most recognized from his portrayal of himself in the film “Alice’s Restaurant”, named after the hit song he wrote. Arlo Guthrie is an American legend and has contributed so much to the Folk music genre of America.
When some of my students are taking their keyboard lessons and piano lessons, the subject of how to play piano while singing, often comes up. Playing while you sing requires a different technique than playing solo. Arlo gives a wonderful example of how easy it can look in this flawless performance.
Some Albums by Arlo Guthrie
Together In Concert (1975), with Pete Seeger
Amigo (1976)
The Best of Arlo Guthrie (1977)
One Night (1978)
Outlasting the Blues (1979)
Power Of Love (1981)
Precious Friend (1982)
Someday (1986)
A video of a student playing Minuet in G, composed by Johann Sebastian Bach. Bach wrote this piece as one of 16 songs that he presented to his wife, Anna Magdalena Bach, as a gift.
Learning to play piano or keyboard begins with reading music. As beginning piano lessons expand from the basics, they will have a better idea what kind of music they enjoy playing. There are so many great styles of music to choose from. Classical music is one of the most popular, and Bach is a great composer to learn from. The Minuet in G is one of the pieces that students play when first learning to play classical music on the piano. There are 16 songs in this first Bach songbook.
Johann Sebastian Bach was one of the fathers of German Baroque music. In addition to composing and arranging hundreds of songs, Bach played organ, harpsichord, and stringed instruments. His multitude of compositions and arrangements for choir, orchestra, keyboards, strings, and horns are a library of the very best music from that era. Bach is known for his flawless composing technique and tremendous skill in complex voicings. In Europe, his reputation all as an organist contributed to his great success. Some of his well known works include; The Well-Tempered Clavier, the Partitas, The Art of Fugue, the English and French Suites, and the Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin.
Bach’s large collection of works stand today as a tribute to his masterful creativity. He is considered today a true musical genius, and one of the grandest composers ever.
This is a terrific example of stride piano blues. Mary Lou Williams plays a wonderful solo blues at age 70. Her accomplished style of combining strong right hand blues melodies and her legendary stride piano left hand are showcased in this recording.
Mary Lou Williams was born in Atlanta Georgia in 1910. She was a jazz and blues piano player, composer, and arranger. In her long career, she recorded and arranged hundreds of songs. She also wrote music and arranged for Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman. Some of her close friends included Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, Tadd Dameron, Dizzy Gillespie and many more great musicians.
Although Mary Lou Williams never took piano lessons, she learned how to play all by herself. She was extremely gifted as a child and very motivated to learn. At the age of 6 she was already earning money playing the piano. By the time she reached 14 she was performing with Duke Ellington and became well known as a professional musician throughout Atlanta. Her remarkable skill at the keyboard, especially at such an early age, astounded most everyone she met, including Louis Armstrong. Her career lasted over seventy years, and she has left a huge repertoire of recordings as well as memories for the many people who got to hear her perform at music events and festivals. She was truly an inspiration to many upcoming artists.
Some Mary Lou Williams Recordings
From the Heart
Mary Lou’s Mass
Black Christ of the Andes
The First Lady of the Piano
The Zodiac Suite
Roll ‘Em
