Flashback: An Evening With Teddy Wilson at Copley Plaza

When I first got to Boston, the famous pianist, Teddy Wilson, was playing the lounge of the Copley Plaza Hotel during happy hour. I was entranced. Wilson embodied swing and a kind of famous jazz sophistication. He was one of the most popular pianists during the 1930s and 1940s. I think for some of that time he was even more popular than Earl Hines or Nat Cole! He made records with Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan! So even though I was broke and at the start, in need of a job, I would dress up and go.

Usually it was a disappointing scene. Loud talking, and even the people seated around the piano weren't paying attention. What made it even more impossible, Wilson played so lightly and softly, and consistently did ballads, so it was almost impossible to hear him. even seated nearby. Honestly, as I watched him carefully, I don't think he cared.

One time there was nobody at the piano and I rushed to grab a seat. I could actually hear! He was playing Sometimes I'm Happy as I sat down. His touch so light, even five feet away, I really had to LISTEN. I actually put $5 in the huge snifter that perched on the piano. He arched an eye brow, Then he played Get Happy, medium tempo. There was a pause when it concluded. I took my shot. "Monk or Ellington?" I said. He gave me strange look and then a crooked smile and dashed off the famous opening line of Well You Needn't, then sliding into Take The A Train, which he played in full. I wish he had played all of the Monk, but frankly, I was pushing it to have asked. If I had had another bill to drop, I would have stayed for his whole gig. But I didn't, so I left about ten minutes later.

DJ Pi/Paul Yamada