Cast
Earl Hines — Pianist
Roland Haynes — Saxophonist
Wallace Bishop — Drummer
Serge Leroy — Movie director
Program notes
Earl Hines was a true godfather of the jazz piano. With a life spanning most of the 20th Century, he grew up with the onset of popular jazz, becoming a pioneering bandleader in the pre-bebop period of swing and dance bands. In this role he hired future luminaries such as Sarah Vaughan, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, who had the following to say: “If it hadn't been for Earl Hines blazing the path for the next generation to come, it's no telling where or how they would be playing now.”
Indeed, through his work with artists such as Louis Armstrong, Hines was responsible for establishing the piano framework that stood as an example of how to play with real swing, real jazz, and real versatility in any setup. Here, we see him in the 60s, demonstrating that he had lost none of the jubilance, precision and flair of his younger days. Joined by Roland Haynes and Wallace Bishop, he reels off standards, as well as playing a medley of Fats Waller songs, from one legendary pianoman to another.