Search - Marian Mcpartland, Jess Stacy :: Piano Jazz

An interesting hour

DANIEL MILES | FOUNTAIN HILLS, ARIZONA United States | 11/16/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Best known as the pianist for Benny Goodman's big band, Jess Stacy talks quite a bit about those days but also about his prior experiences, such as playing the caliope on a riverboat in Iowa and working for some of Chicago's most infamous gangsters (as a musician, not as a hitman!). Not a "soft touch" type artist, Jess plays in the romping Fats Waller tradition. Though he claims to be out of practice since retiring it certainly doesn't show. Interestingly when Marian asks him about his famous 1938 "Sing, Sing, Sing" solo he tells her that it was just a spontaneous occurence and one gets the impression that he hasn't thought much about it since doing it. He comes across as a very modest man who doesn't fully grasp the influence he's had on other pianists. He spends a little bit too much time apologizing for being 77 years old, but it's probably because he's intimidated by McPartland's musical abilities (despite her very obvious reverence for him). Overall this is an informative and entertaining episode of Piano Jazz."