Performance by Whizbang (Chris) from Recital #37 - 2015-02-15

• Performer: Whizbang (Chris)
• Location: Texas
• Experience: 35+
• Composer: Jelly Roll Morton
• Piece: The Crave
• Duration: 199
• Music Link: click to play
• Video Link: http://vimeo.com/118361612
• Music Source: Ferdinand "Jelly Roll" Morton: the Collected Piano Music, James Dapogny
• Instrument: Fandrich U-122, Fandrich Piano Company
• Recording Method: Zoom H6
• Info: This is the results of about 6 months of focused work. It's easily the hardest thing I've ever tried to play. It took dozens of takes over a couple days for me to get something that I felt okay with. No editing of the recording was done. The Crave's official publication date is 1939, but the piece was possibly written as early as 1910. It features a habanera rhythm--or what Morton called "Latin flair". The melody consists of sections connected by distinctive octave runs. The piece also features pronounced rests in the right hand, characteristic of Morton, called "breaks". Morton played with very little use of the damper pedal--something I've tried to emulate in this piece. As a bonus track, I've uploaded an iPhone-recorded version of this piece that I recorded on a lark on a beater piano at my work. As an .m4a file, I couldn't submit it to the ABF recital. I have to say that, despite the piano and the recording, I'm very fond of that version. It's at https://soundcloud.com/whizbang-1/the-crave