Virtuoso pianist Jeff Barnhart is a man of many talents. Following a performance the previous day at the Lit and Phil, Newcastle in which he formed one half of a stupendous two-pianos set with Neville Dickie, the man from Mystic, Connecticut made a much-anticipated return to Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club. The church hall on Larchfield Street opened its doors at noon and by half past the hour all seats were occupied.
An authority on early 20th century jazz piano (its schools and pianists), the ebullient Barnhart just happens to be something of a silent film buff. Informative introductions to four silent movie shorts set the scene. Barnhart made the observation that if he did his job right, we would soon forget he was at the house piano responding and improvising to the action unfolding on the silver screen.
Fatty Arbuckle's The Garage from way back in 1920 opened the show. Arbuckle was seen on screen alongside Buster Keaton, the duo firm off-screen friends. Barnhart's razor-sharp response to the action, Barnhart himself chuckling away at the comic antics, was something to behold. Keaton took top billing in 1925's Seven Chances (Keaton was now a star of the silent film era), then two Laurel and Hardy shorts. The first of them, Battle of the Century (1927) is renowned for its epic pie fight. Barnhart chuckled and chuckled some more (his keyboard mastery there for all to see and hear) as Stan and Ollie wrought unintended havoc. We were laughing along to the pie fight to end all pie fights.
To conclude an afternoon at the flicks, Barnhart signed off with yet more keyboard brilliance as he - and we - laughed along to 1928's The Finishing Touch. The End. Russell
Silent film selection: The Garage (Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle, 1920); Seven Chances (Buster Keaton, 1925); Battle of the Century (Laurel & Hardy, 1927); The Finishing Touch (Laurel & Hardy, 1928)
No comments :
Post a Comment