Abe Lass, Piano Player of the Silent Movies

At the age of 16, Abe Lass began playing piano to the silent movies at the Old Eagle Theater in Borough Park, Brooklyn. He became, as stated in his "New York Times" obituary, "a master of improvisation, churning out falling-over-a-cliff music, lovers-kissing music and what he called 'hurry' music to go with wild screen chases, and he did it every weekend for four years, helping to pay his way through college." He was born on September 16, 1907. When he died at the age of 93, he was considered by many to be the oldest living silent movie piano player. He always insisted to us that he was a "piano player," not a "pianist." But, according to his wife, Sylvia Cole, his playing still made "the girls daffy."

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Credits:
Abe Lass was interviewed at his home in Fresh Meadows, Queens by producers Dave Isay and Steve Zeitlin for the "American Talkers" series on WNYC, cosponsored by City Lore and Sound Portraits. This piece originally aired on November 9, 1997 on WNYC.

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Tags:

• piano
• silent movies
• New York
• NYC
• Brooklyn
• Old Eagle Theater
• abe lass
• new york city
• borough park
• city of memory
• city lore
• citylore

[ddduncan7]

amazing.