This came up on my USB drive after a short jaunt up to the grocery store just now.
Yes, this is the OOP album some witchy woman stole from me and kept as a trophy. It is on Youtube, as I found out, but I’d rather have the album without the compressed sound.
That said, Mac Rebennack sounds great on acoustic piano here, Chuck Rainey on bass, and, of course, Fathead blowing tenor.
Not a particular tune I listen to that often, but of course I cut some teeth as a youngster learning it on piano off the original recording. And, now, as an old, I’m just as happy doing it in Db as in C.
No, I have no idea if Ray did it in Db (as it sounds on the original record, but tape machines weren’t synched to a specific speed in those days, is what I understand) or in C, nor what key these cats are in. I do know everybody will play it in C if you call it on a casual, but I kind of dig Db on piano. Little more up in those guts of the piano.
/* You know, I think if I slowed down the original Atlantic recording of Brother Ray, I’d be able to tell by some really subtle nuances what key he did it in, because of the geometry of the keyboard, but maybe not. We’re talking <= 10 milliseconds of difference to hear a finger sliding from a white-note to a white-note or sliding down from a black key, or sliding up to one…
At speed, any competent pianist, you can’t hear the difference.
Like, you’d be listening to noises of the felt on the hammers, and possibly fingernail or finger noise at the keyboard itself…you know, that’s what you’d have to listen for.
In an acoustic-electric band recorded, I’m sure, live, direct onto tape, there’s no way.
Future pianists: try it in Db! Feels good! But only if you can really play it, you know. */
/* YO MUSICIANS!!! Hey, check it out. I was just playing this at home now again with my little KRK Classics, and IIRC both Mac and Richard Tee are credited as piano and organ. So, here there’s Hammond organ, which sounds awfully close to what Mac did on that Hank Crawford record with “Precious Lord” on it, and then the piano, which is, you know, it’s good and all, but you or I or anyone could play that note-for-note without any rehearsal.
It could be overdubs, but, I’m going to have to guess that was probably Richard Tee on acoustic piano, you know, doing it very straight, and Mac was on the Hammond getting that sound and those fills.
I don’t think that question could ever be solved. But, just listening again, that’s my guess. */
We are the same age!
