Piano Nights At The Leaf
- Dec 23, 2017
- 2 min read
For years patrons of the Maple Leaf Bar have observed a hundred year old Wurlein upright piano, pushed up against the wall in the back of the club. Yet it served a mostly aesthetic purpose. Few of the keys worked, it was barely playable. However, with the help of the bar, Cajun Spirits and master piano technician (and Oak street neighbor) Paul Agostino, the piano has been restored to its rickety glory, quintessentially New Orleanian. With looks, feel and most of all a sound that blends in perfectly with its Oak street surroundings.
This is the kind of instrument New Orleans music was born on. It was built in the 1900’s and acquired by the Maple Leaf’s owner, Hank Staples, in the early 80’s. Endless legends have touched these keys and now more will be able to.
The Maple Leaf has recently started hosting weekly solo piano sets in the back bar in the early evenings on Thursday nights, before the great Johnny Vidacovich trio comes in. This week featured none other than CR Gruver, keys player extraordinaire of the New Orleans Suspects. He went through many of the New Orleans piano classics, busting out favorites from the James Booker repertoire such as his arrangements of “Junco Partner”, “All By Myself” and to close it all out “Goodnight Irene.” But then he also threw the audience a few curveballs with New Orleans-type piano arrangements of songs like “Big City Lights” by Bob Seger and Johnny Cash’s “Big River.”
The crowd was jovial and attentive. Circling around the piano with drinks in their hands and smiles on their faces. These 7:00-9:00pm piano nights have all the intimacy of an after-hours hang yet still allow folks to enjoy great music and still get home at a decent hour. For those that can’t stay out to 3am on a Thursday or folks who just feel like going out early, the Maple Leaf Bar and their refurbished Wurlein upright piano have you covered. This lovely new tradition will continue next Thursday with Matt Lemler gracing the ivories. Given his rich history in this city playing with so many other great bands, its sure to be a special night of music with a lovely atmosphere to match.
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The restoration of this vintage Wurlein allows the soul of New Orleans to shine through every rhythmic duel on the keys. Such a focused musical performance brings to mind the FNF rhythm game, where the boyfriend competes against all opponents to win the girlfriend's love through sheer timing and skill. I’m eager to visit and see how these intimate sets continue to celebrate the city’s rich tradition of legendary piano battles.
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Really enjoyed your post about the weekly piano nights at the venue your description of the restored Wurlitzer upright, the early-evening set and the warm crowd really brought the scene to life. While I was preparing for an online exam on live music venues and audience experience, I ended up looking into a hire expert for journal article editing to sharpen my write-up of the practical evaluation. It’s a good reminder of how structure and support enhance the work
I really enjoyed reading about the Piano Nights at The Leaf; the way live music brings the community together and preserves New Orleans’ musical tradition is impressive. It made me think how structured guidance, like algebra class help, can help students approach complex projects with clarity and organization.