A very small silver lining of the COVID-19 pandemic is that it's offered the opportunity to reflect on past experiences--including memorable gigs. I once took a piano lesson from an old time stride player in San Francisco. He proceeded to tell me amazing stories about his days playing in Chicago for mobsters like Frank Nitti (a good tipper, he said). I was blown away, but he told me that if I played music long enough, I would have plenty of stories of my own. He was right!
For example, while still a…
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