Frederick Hodges - "Kitten On The Keys" @ The WCRF Nov. 2007

[hdksr2]

For anybody who cares, Frederick is playing Ray Turner's version of "Kitten". Ray Turner, along with Roy Bargy played piano for Paul Whiteman in the 20s. Ray Turner's hands can be seen playing the medley in the opening credits of the 1945 Gershwin film biography Rhapsody in Blue starring Robert Alda and Oscar Levant.

[tdub1941]

Hi and thanks for your excellent comment.

Very interesting.

RagJazzMonkey

[dmcII]

He sure makes it look easy.  Bravo !

[tdub1941]

For Frederick it's easy, for me it's impossible!

RagJazzMonkey

[FREEASTHESTARS]

absolutely amazing love this song to death!!

[tdub1941]

Thanks for your nice comment!

Tom Warner

[incantatiousviolet]

I'm absolutely addicted to this song. I want so badly to play it but I don't know where to get sheet musics for it or where I'd start. Is Kiteen as crazily difficult to play as it sounds? If I could, I'd probably play it all day!

x

[sunshinecapers]

The piece is a bit difficult at first - but is all based upon a pattern of collapsing thirds, which once mastered can provide for hours of fun..

I have sheet music if you are interested..

[OrganCat]

Just amazing!! Chops and concepts to die for!

Contrast with Dick Hyman playing this 'traditionally'.

[tdub1941]

Howdy OrganCat!

Thanks for your nice comments!

Frederick is Fantastic!

I am just one of several folks that have captured video of Frederick performing so many different tunes that have been posted to YouTube.

Best regards,

RagJazzMonkey,

Tom Warner

[OrganCat]

Yes, he's got great talent. There's another video of this where you see his fingers, but the sound isn't as good.

[azqrlaf]

Wonderful! how the hell does he do this with only ten fingers?

[tdub1941]

I think when he is actually playing I have seen a couple of extra fingers sprout out of each hand to play those extra notes. Then when he finishes the number they hide themselves back in to his hand somehow. It is all very mysterious, and Frederick will never talk about it. And another thing, strangely, no camera can ever catch a picture of it, because it happens to fast for any known shutter speed. But in the right light if you are there at a live performance I think you can see it happen.

Tom

[sunshinecapers]

He sure does a hell of a job on embellishing this one - Thanks for capturing this one Tom!

[tdub1941]

Yes, Frederick has that keyboard pretty well figured out! Fantastic for sure!

Tom