Now for something a little bit different. This will get your feet a tapping,
I haven't really played too much stride, probably the best stride player was Fats Waller, and he was a king. Then I just stumbled across Stephanie Trick, and boy can she play the piano. This is just some amazing stuff. You are gonna enjoy this.
Harlem Stride Piano, stride piano, commonly abbreviated to stride, is a jazz piano style that was developed in the large cities of the East Coast, mainly New York, during 1920s and 1930s. The left hand may play a four-beat pulse with a single bass note, octave, seventh or tenth interval on the first and third beats, and a chord on the second and fourth beats. Occasionally this pattern is reversed by placing the chord on the downbeat and bass notes on the upbeat. Unlike earlier "St. Louis"-style pianists, stride players' left hands often leapt greater distances on the keyboard, and they played in a wider range of tempos and with a greater emphasis on improvisation. [Wikipedia]
Stephanie Trick “has come to practically dominate the stride piano field,” notes reviewer Jack Rummel. Harlem stride piano, which developed in the 1920s and ’30s, is an orchestral style of two-handed piano playing that not only swings, but is also technically demanding and exciting to watch. Louis Mazetier, a respected interpreter of this genre, writes in the Bulletin of the Hot Club of France that she has “won the esteem of specialists in the genre with wonderful interpretations of stride classics, James P. Johnson, Fats Waller, and Don Lambert (which she learned by ear). She plays these pieces with a punch that is matched by her precise interpretation.” A classically trained pianist, Stephanie began playing piano at the age of five. During the time between her beginning years and high school, her piano teacher exposed her to early jazz styles, and the syncopation and swinging rhythm piqued her interest. While in college, it became clear to Stephanie that she wanted to pursue stride and classic jazz styles professionally.
First up here's Stephanie with her trio.
Minor Drag
Stephanie played a set with her trio (Danny Coots on drums and Jay Hungerford on bass) at the Central Illinois Jazz Festival in Decatur, Illinois, on February 3, 2012. This piece by Fats Waller is featured on their album, "Something More," which was recorded on the Victoria Records label.
Imagine trying to write a poetic jazz song to stride piano, this is what the amazing Lorraine Feather is doing here behind the camera. Just watch the flying fingers of Stephanie.
Pour on the Heat (based on Caprice Rag)
Lorraine Feather and Stephanie Trick rehearse James P. Johnson's "Caprice Rag," a.k.a. "Pour on the Heat," with lyrics by Lorraine Feather. Nouveau Stride is a special touring program featuring the music of James P. Johnson and other stride piano composers, set to words and sung by 2011 Grammy nominee lyricist and vocalist Lorraine Feather, and on piano, Stephanie Trick.
This next one needs no introduction.
Ain't Misbehavin
Stephanie Trick plays "Ain't Misbehavin'" by Thomas "Fats" Waller at the Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival in Sedalia, Missouri, on Saturday, June 5, 2010.
Death Ray Boogie
Stephanie Trick plays Pete Johnson's "Death Ray Boogie" on the Arches Boogie Woogie Piano Stage at the Cincy Blues Fest in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Saturday, August 7, 2010.
Sometimes four hands can be better than two. Or just more confusing.
Temptation Rag
Stephanie Trick & Paolo Alderighi at a house concert in Leawood, Kansas (a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri).
Song Title: "Temptation Rag"
Composer: Thomas Henry Lodge (1884 -- 1933).
Publisher: M. Witmark and Sons.
Copyright: 1909.
Popularized by James P. Johnson.
Performed on January 28, 2012
