Jeff Barnhart & Neville Dickie @ the Lit & Phil - Sept. 13

© Patti

Jeff Barnhart, Neville Dickie (pianos)

This was something else! Close your eyes and you were at a Harlem rent party with Fats and Willie 'The Lion' the main contenders. If you've never witnessed two stride pianos slugging it out on two pianos then you ain't been nowhere - and one of them, this lunchtime was 87 year-old and British!

Although there may have been a competitive edge, and it's inevitable when two players are playing the same instrument, the overall effect was of two pianists sharing their mutual admiration for each other.

At times it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began. Everything was seamless and it was equally hard to tell who was enjoying it the most - the performers or the audience. I think that one was a score draw.

© Patti

Opening up with I Found a New Baby, Neville on the grand and Jeff on the upright, the sound in the audience was of eighty jaws dropping. If the show had finished after just that one number I'd have felt I'd got my money's worth. As they played another ten numbers, by the end it felt like I'd won the lottery.

Jeff moved over to the grand to play (and sing - his only vocal) Fats' I've Got a Feeling I'm Falling.

Neville took over the grand for his solo feature, Gershwin's Liza then Jeff gave us When I Grow Too Old to Dream. This was getting better and better with every note and no more so than when the twosome took James P's Harlem Strut to the cleaners.

Stardust would have been given Hoagy's approval whilst Temptation Rag would have got a speeding ticket at Le Mans.

Movin' On Blues featured Jeff on his own composition and Neville countered with his own composition, Back to Boogie.

© Patti

The hour hand on the clock seemed to be moving even faster than the four hands at the 176 keys yet still they managed two more numbers: Honeysuckle Rose, complete with the Hot Club riff and Nagasaki. If I thought some of the previous numbers were fast the final chorus on Nagasaki was only slightly slower than the speed of light!

This had been one helluva gig - I'm still in a (pleasant) state of shock.

I must also mention the informative, and humourous introductions to each number, they added to the ambience between duo and audience - hilarious!

And a special mention of Merlin Roxby whose own playing set the scene for what was to follow. Well done Merlin. Lance

Ps: Friday the 13th, unlucky? They certainly put that myth to rest.