Dave McKenna Plays the Music of Harry Warren

[@202rrlowe]

Dave McKenna on piano. He can play anything on piano. RRLowe Saw him live at Berkeley's Maybeck Recital Hall on my wife's birthday - Years ago which I remember as though it was yesterday. Truly one of the best solo pianists of all time.

[@Bixfan78]

Thank you, and thanks to whoever filmed this for keeping the camera focused on Dave's hands so we can learn a bit about how he did what he did.

[@roybodden9243]

Harry Warren has been my all-time favorite pop composer since I was a teenager and I am 85 years old, so you figure our how many years that has been!

[@LeanUmbers]

The great Harry Warren would no doubt have been pleased by Mr. McKenna's interpretation of his timeless music. This is brilliant!

[@markmcmillan4233]

0:00 About a Quarter To Nine 2:02 Would You Like To Take A Walk (2:23, 3:35) 4:11 You're Getting To Be A Habit With Me (5:50) 6:31 Forty-Second Street 9:42 My Heart Tells Me (11:15) 12:09 This Heart Of Mine (13:42) 14:15 Serenade In Blue (15:31) 16:50 The More I See You (18:02) 21:42 Nagasaki 24:07 I Only Have Eyes For You 28:49 You'll Never Know 30:34 Lulu's Back In Town (33:16)

[@tex24]

Thanks! Very useful!

[@robertlamb1962]

Dave McKenna is in my top 3 jazz pianists along with 1. Art Tatum 2. Hampton Hawes and here playing Harry Warren one of my top favourite songwriters along side Gershwin, Porter, Berlin and several others. What a treat. I was fortunate enough to hear him playing at the Edinburgh Jazz Festival about 25 years ago, playing Richard Rodgers as far as I can recall. It was quite a thrill. Memories are indeed made of this!! Alas memories are now that’s left of all these giants along with their music, of course

[@BuckshotLaFunke1]

Many thanks, Mr Swearingen, to let us watch his hands!

[@202rrlowe]

Marvelous marvelous marvelous What great fun Dave McKenna brings to the piano. I have the same model Steinway piano but built in New York in 1915, but in beautiful brown finish.

[@briankatejohnstone1884]

It's hard to believe that Dave McKenna was as relatively little known as he was. He was a very large guy physically but inversely modest in an age of self-promotion. I attended a master class he conducted in Cincinnati (and I'm not even a pianist) and will be touched by his essence and pure musicality forever. He was truly one of a kind, right up there in the galaxy of Oscar Peterson. Art Tatum, Eroll Garner and Nat King Cole!

[@lewismartiniello9441]

His lt. hand chord progressions top all the aforementioned. The harmonies are just so pleasant to the ears & not to mention, cool. He had large hands so he accomplished same w/ ease.

[@Mr12345s]

i love harry warrens music. and i love daves piano style ever*****beautiful and heavenly!

[@roybodden9243]

Harry Warren once said "even my best friends don't know who I am!"

[@roybodden9243]

Harry Warren has been my all-time favorite ever since I was a teenager and I am now 85 years old!

[@maxweissengruber3289]

Even George Shearing thought that Dave was the best solo pianist, especially with that dynamic and powerful left hand. His lengthy song collections either by composer or song theme were marvellous.

[@swingadingdong]

Have to say it ONCE again thanks to Corte, it really is a preservation of a marvelous body of work. And ALLOT to learn and study. And a ball to just sit back and be gassed!

[@henridelagardere4584]

Just as Harry Warren was one of the most prolific, yet invisible tunesmiths of the GAS, Dave McKenna, who was second to none when it came to g r e a t piano, remained too little-known for the national treasure he was. But in the parallel universe I'm dwelling in, I enter a room where Dave plays seamless 35 min of Warren. PianoCorte at its best. Thank you!

[@jeffersonparrish4380]

Pure genius. So subtle. No pyrotechnics. Not a shiny modern diamond. A softly glowing, rose-cut diamond from the late 1700s. And by not showing off, he does. You will be recognized eventually, Dave. Oh--Harry Warren is also not chopped liver.

[@ghairraigh]

"DAVE McKENNA - Piano's Most Valuable Player" Thanks to Corte Swearingen for providing such a rich archive of the gifts of Dave McKenna.

[@AmericanPianoMusic]

If you haven't already, check out www.davemckennapiano.com. I've posted dozens of full length private audio recordings of Dave - all for free.

[@ghairraigh]

+Corte Swearingen That is a wonderful website that I enjoy. I am also pleased to be a member of The Dave McKenna appreciation society, on Face Book: facebook.com/groups/4682649535/?ref=br_tf Best Regrards, Malcolm MacDonald

[@tzahorik]

+Corte Swearingen Thank you! These videos are absolute gems

[@eileendong3225]

McKenna is my favorite jazz pianist! Only heard him live once at St Music Hall.

[@202rrlowe]

Anything played by Dave McKenna is great

[@DanWillink]

And the left hand keeps on supporting the great Warren tunes!

[@carolprue4556]

Incredible

[@lewismartiniello9441]

His lt. hand chord progression at 29.5 is so awesome. No one does it better.

[@BuckshotLaFunke1]

I just listened to a video of Willie Pickers, never heard of. A masterful post-McCoy Tyner pianist, swinging uptempo like mad. Still, nothing really happening. Time to return to McKenna.

[@charlesduckettjr.800]

Willie PICKENS. Bad ass player. Not at all similar to Mr. McKenna though.

[@202rrlowe]

yes - Dave McKennas hands are important of course, but his mind works marvelously

[@pianoman7858]

Thanks for this incredible video, Corte! I had only seen the LuLu rendition on KZbin before and I think it is one of his top several. Amazing to think that he spun that off his fingers after already playing so many other songs. He was great especially with the other uptempo pieces, Nagasaki and 42nd street. Where did you get these videos if you don't mind me asking.

[@AmericanPianoMusic]

The video was taken at a set Dave did in Madison, Wisconsin at the Edgewater Hotel and was provided to me by Scott MacKenzie, a friend of Dave's. I was fortunate to see Dave live many times, and was always amazed at how close his finger's stayed to the keys, something you can see well in these videos.

[@MoulfritProd]

@@AmericanPianoMusic I often used to go to listen to McKenna at the Copley Plaza when I lived in Boston. As a piano player myself, I was mesmerized by Dave's style of playing. This video is absolutely amazing, allowing us to visually analyse all the things that are going on in his playing. Cheers!

[@harrywarrenfans4291]

LIke us at Harry Warren Fans on Facebook.

[@maxweissengruber3289]

McKenna did a great duet wth Teddi King dealing with songs with Ira Hershwin's lyrics.

[@evanlohning]

Time check at 29:12...

[@AmericanPianoMusic]

Dave used to do this all the time. I would also see him having having conversations with people while playing very complex passages. The man was incredible - one of the most natural players I have ever heard.

[@evanlohning]

+Corte Swearingen Wow! If I gotta talk to anyone while playing, even to say 'hi', it all falls apart! Man, thank you so much for all this Dave McKenna stuff. He is the best melody player I've ever heard - the fidelity to the songs is amazing.

[@edanmendelson3274]

6:37 what is this called???

[@AmericanPianoMusic]

42nd Street.