Jeff—Saturday
Current events being what they are these days, I almost feel like going back to drinking. But I shant. Instead I'll share some secrets I've learned in (many) years past from those in the know who worked one of the foremost Greek Island bars....that's sadly no longer there. But there's much to be learned from their recollections. So, here we go.
Mykonos’ legendary Montparnasse
Piano Bar closed for the season Friday night, giving all of its fans the chance to say adieu to its proprietors, Jody Duncan and Nikos Hristodulakis. They’re responsible for bringing Broadway
quality singers and pianists to the island, such as Kathy “Babe” Robinson and
Mark Hartman who performed on its final night.
All of which inspired me to share
insights I’ve gained from years of conversations with its singers and
pianists. Those impressions are incorporated
into the story line of my Spring 2019 Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis novel, but
I think they’re worthy of a bit of time in the spotlight on their own. So, here goes….
Playing piano in a bar requires
a certain mindset. Think of it as trying
to gain your balance on a surfboard...while playing a piano.
As the piano player, it’s up to
you to read the room, and adjust on the fly to make sure everyone has a good
time. It could be the same crowd as from
another night, but this time they show up with a completely different
vibe. The other night might have been
their first night on the island, and everyone was up for a hell-raising good
time. But when it came to their last night, it’d be all about nostalgia.
Unlike concert-goers, bar
patrons show up with a mix of interests and expectations regarding the music: celebrants
might come looking for upbeat tunes; friends on a night out might shout out
song requests; business people might ignore the music as long as they can hear
each other talk; and, of course, any alcohol-fueled seduction requires a
background of romantic music. Then
there’s the solitary, glad-handing, over-imbiber who can’t resist trying to transform
his evening alone into a communal sing-a-long
.
Whatever the mix of audience
members, the piano-bar player faces the ever-present background chatter of
customers, waiters, and bartenders exchanging orders and quips, all searching
for the right volume at which to conduct their discussions, above or below the
rattle of glassware and din of competing conversations.
If you work long enough in piano
bars, you develop a mindset to cope with all of that. Or you go crazy.
When starting out in the
business, some shut their eyes as they play and drift off into the sounds of
the room, listening for the evening’s competing tones and rhythms, crescendos
and diminuendos, bursts of staccato laughter, trumpeting shouts, and unexpected
bits of silence. Whether working with a
singer or alone, they view their job as something like an orchestra
conductor’s: to unite all those disparate sounds into a unified, symphonic
performance. And ideally to draw the audience into an appreciative, tip-giving
state of mind in the process.
As I said, that’s their thinking
when they start out in the business. But,
over time, they come to learn their true role in a piano bar, and with that
realization achieve a Zen-like understanding of the meaning of their life’s
work. It’s so simple, so obvious, and so
intrinsically calming to an artist’s soul:
Their job is to sell drinks.
Period, end of story.
I’ll drink to that. Thank you, David Dyer, Mark Hartman, and
Bobby Peaco for all those wonderful tunes.
 |
| David |
 |
| Mark |
 |
| Bobby |
PS. I'd be woefully remiss if I didn't mention the two brilliant vocalists in addition to Babe who bring their Broadway level talents to bear in making The Piano Par the place to be in the Cyclades for high end entertainment--Phyllis Pastore, who's been wowing audiences here for 27 years, and Sara Mucho, the youngest member of the Montparnasse musical crew. Thank you all!
—Jeff
Posts
"Of all the bars in all the world..." Thanks, Jeff, a thoughtful column. Interestingly (or not), as I read it, it made me think of the process of writing and reading, similar in some ways to playing piano in a bar (and very different, of course, in most ways). Some days the reader is looking for something quick and easy and entertaining, while other days a deep, soul-searching exploration is called for. The same, I suspect, is true for the writer, although that's a more challenging trip. Once a writer starts down the freeway of a story, it's tougher to take side-trips and alternate routes. :-)
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