Doug Robinson Posted March 16, 2023 Share Posted March 16, 2023 Back in 2004, a wonderful eccentric enthusiast, recorded my trio in San Diego just for the love of doing it. The recording was lovely and we mixed it together, but I never released it because that evening the trio was playing a lot of new music, and we never really nailed anything to my satisfaction although the crowd liked it. But I became friendly with this man, and learned that he was a collector of rare of musical instruments. He wrote to me about a month later, and said “if money was no object, what kind of piano should I buy for my home studio?” Having just played this 9 foot bosendorfer with an extra bass octave at the Namm show and falling in love with it, I told him about it. At the time the price was $275,000. lo and behold, he found a used one for only $190,000 and he bought it! We’ve kept in touch over the years, but I’ve never played his piano. He records artists in his home and shoots video with four stationary cameras as well. He must be in his mid to late 80s by now. As fate would have it, I’m heading up to San Diego for some appointments and I’m going to spend next Monday in his studio recording some solo piano pieces. I’m very excited because I don’t get to play instruments of that quality very often at all. I’m also excited because I’ve got about 10 or 15 solo piano compositions that have never been properly recorded , and I’m going to use this opportunity to squeeze every bit of musicality out of them. that’s it. I’m trying not to get too psyched up and make myself nervous, because right now, I just feel happy and loosey-goosey about the whole thing. He’s a lovely and generous man and a true music lover, so I think it’s going to be a very enjoyable day on every level. I’ll let you know as soon as I have some tracks that I can share. 9 7 Quote Doug Robinson www.dougrobinson.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamuelBLupowitz Posted March 16, 2023 Share Posted March 16, 2023 Thank goodness for monied music enthusiasts who enjoy sharing their gifts with artists. Can’t wait to hear the results! 1 Quote Samuel B. Lupowitz Musician. Songwriter. Food Enthusiast. Bad Pun Aficionado. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Quinn Posted March 16, 2023 Share Posted March 16, 2023 That's great Doug! Enjoy. I had the good fortune of playing one this past Saturday. Wow, what a glorious sound! 1 Quote https://alquinn.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morrissey Posted March 17, 2023 Share Posted March 17, 2023 Awesome, @Doug Robinson! Enjoy! I'm glad you've played and enjoyed a Bosendorfer before. Just this week I listened to Adam Maness at Open Studio discuss some difficulties getting comfortable playing one (14 minute mark): 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baldwin Funster Posted March 17, 2023 Share Posted March 17, 2023 If this thread was started by me the punch line would be... I get to move it down a flight of stairs..... 1 Quote FunMachine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathanael_I Posted March 17, 2023 Share Posted March 17, 2023 100% agree on the Bosendorfer VC pianos. Big fan. Gorgeous instruments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathanael_I Posted March 17, 2023 Share Posted March 17, 2023 And best wishes on the recording project. The extra keys are great fun for improvising. Played softly they give a unique effect. What a wonderful piano and opportunity! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Emm Posted March 18, 2023 Share Posted March 18, 2023 I had an experience very similar to yours, with a guy who was just going to turn his Imperial Grand for a profit. He didn't play a note; he just knew it was the piano of the moment. I can't imagine that.... They were in short supply and high demand, so it was a stunner to get to play AT one. I say AT because while I wasn't a terrible player, that thing made me feel like a lower form of ape. It drew things from me I didn't know I had. Skeery, but richly worth doing. The experience seriously changed my outlook, including the way I viewed synthesizers. By all means, lean into it! Quote "You seem pretty calm about all that." "Well, inside, I'm screaming. ~ "The Lazarus Project" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Burgess Posted March 18, 2023 Share Posted March 18, 2023 All the best getting your solo stuff realised and recorded. What a lovely opportunity! Have a great day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Montunoman 2 Posted March 20, 2023 Share Posted March 20, 2023 What a blessing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Robinson Posted March 24, 2023 Author Share Posted March 24, 2023 Well, thanks everyone for your encouragement and stories. I Wish I had a more positive report, and it's true that I have not heard the mixes yet so there could be a surprise or two but I know that I should definitely have asked for an hour just to get used to the instrument before we started recording because at times--even though it sounded incredible--I felt like I was piloting a cruise ship through a tiny port. I could not get 100% comfortable and it interfered with my playing. Some tracks I abandoned after not being able to complete take without silly errors due to being distracted. But he was super gracious and invited me back any time I am up in San Diego, and I will take him up on that later this year. Oh well! Like I said, if he caught something good I wasn't aware of, I will be very happy. Quote Doug Robinson www.dougrobinson.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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