Tony (Legatoboy),
Age:53
1st instrument: Trumpet (1st grade - wanted to be Loui Armstrong or Al Hurt)
2nd instrument: Accordion (2nd grade) studied for aprox. 4 years
on the Palmer method! (Strived to be Dick Contino!!)
3rd instrument: My Aunt's and Cousin's piano downstairs (grade 3 - 8), just taking my accordion right hand and playing octave bass eventually! I liked jazz and contemporary music at this point!(just tried to play the damn thing!)
4th instrument(s): My brother became a drummer(a good one - he studied a made a living as a society drummer for quite some time mostly at weddings and 60's gogo clubs including strippers at the Metropole (1965-1977), so I play alittle drums too, also alittle Bass Guitar (self taught), Guitar (badly) and I would love to play sax (have a small Alto at home, no time though, rather play sax than guitar as a 2nd instrument)
Have read Keyboard Magazine since it's start in the 70's or there abouts!
Switched to organ in the 8th grade (68'), had an Italian off brand single manual (looked/sounded like a Vox) and a Black Face Fender Bassman with dual twin 12" bottom (the head all the guitars players want now). I was really into the Doors and Ray Manzarek (1967-68). Then the blues (my first LP was a John Mayall album 'Bare Wires'), then straight Rock pretty much, alot of Santana, 3 Dog Night, Doobie Brothers, Tull, Spirit, Early BeeGees, 10 years After, Airplane, Sam and Dave, Spooky Tooth, Cream, Deep Purple, James Gang, Beatles, Stones, Youngbloods and Creedance of course..... standard fair really - gigged 'often' from 15 - 21, didn't study piano (big mistake)! Gigs were High School Dances initially, then out of town on the road a bit (1968-1974)!
8-10 years of bred in the bone Rock and Roll with anything from a Hammond M3 and 145 Leslie to a CV with a 122, Minimoog and RMI electric piano, 200 watt Hi-Watts, roadies, truck and management - there were tons of clubs and people to listen back then - the hey days.
(My parents hated me about it, the feeling was mutual!)
3-4 years of piano study with my childhood friend Bob who had a Masters degree in composition and two Grammies for commercials with Tallman Music in New York. This was after collage and my Computer and Film/Media degrees while working in Manhatten in computers, he taught at the Jazz Workshop across the street from Lincoln Center, it was alot fun, and it was Manhatten!
Then 17 years with my current "Coach" with some Classical work (Bach,Beethovan,Chopan,Hayden,Debussey - mostly Bach) but mainly Improvisational Jazz piano, Be-Bop based (ala Tristano, Bud Powell, Bird etc.)!
Various numerous and sundry bands and outfits from Blues to Country Swing and Solo Jazz Piano gigs (a few) playing bars, concerts,weddings and cocktail hours! I'm Semi-Pro now, made a living at it full time for 2+ years when computers went south a few years ago - teaching and playing! Still have a few students!
Still think of leaving 9-5 in the dust!
I take a lesson once a week to keep me honest and talk to my friend(teacher)!
Tony (Legatoboy)