♫♪  Nils Frahm - “Wall”

Nils Frahm has started a fantastic new holiday called Piano Day. In the composer’s words: “in a couple years i want PIANO DAY to me more important than xmas and more stressful than thanksgiving.”

Well, not a chance in Hell concerning any holiday meing more important than Christmas, but I’ll go ahead and celebrate Piano Day (landing on the 88th day of the calendar year), and I’ll consider “Wall,” a dramatic one-take piano improvisation, a Piano Day Carol. Sure, “Wall” is a little more grave than the manic merriment of Christmas Carols such as “Jingle Bells” with its “horse was lean and lank” and “then we got upsot!” Sure, playing a piano is an isolationist activity (four hand playing aside), whereas singing a Christmas Carol is a gregarious and selfless act. But I’ll go ahead and celebrate, because tickling the ivories tickles me pink. Imagine a Piano Day celebration: everyone plinking away at their own baby grand, their backs turned to one another, innumerable variations on “Chopsticks” clashing and meshing in the air. Pianos line the avenues and dangle, in lieu of wreaths, on doors. Pianos, as ornaments, hang from mighty ponderosa pines. Matching piano tattoos. Pearly whites replaced with piano keys. Competitive piano architecture: the world’s tallest piano, the world’s longest piano, the world’s roundest piano. The world’s most silent piano. 88-layer piano cake bake sales. Also on the menu: Scriabin Scrapple - Tatum Tots - Oscar Levant Mayer Wieners - Stevie Wonder Bread - Rachmaninoff Stuffed Ravioli. For refreshments, Perrier with Pierre-Laurent Aimard on the label. Chopin, in a Santa-like gesture, is making his Liszt and checking it twice. Hear that clatter on the rooftop? He’s dropping pianos down the chimney. On Piano Day Eve, gather around the fireplace, the fire kept ablaze with old uprights that were just taking up space anyway. Family piano reunion. Piano farm. Piano. Piano. Piano.

Sign me up. I’m sold (really, on any holiday - celebrating holidays is a hobby of mine). Piano Day is love and ”Love is a Cylindrical Piano.” Give the gift of piano.

• Nils Frahm: http://www.nilsfrahm.com
• Piano Day: http://www.nilsfrahm.com/piano-day
• Erased Tapes: http://www.erasedtapes.com/store/index/ERATP065

Chocolate Grinder

CHOCOLATE GRINDER is our audio/visual section, with an emphasis on the lesser heard and lesser known. We aim to dig deep, but we’ll post any song or video we find interesting, big or small.

Most Read



Etc.