Tales from The b.a.SKET: Black Art Sketches for the Contemporary Art Lover

By D. Amari Jackson

This week, we reach into the b.a.SKET and pull out the king of instruments…

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Ludwig van Beethoven. Scott Joplin. Duke Ellington. Count Basie. Mary Lou Williams. Thelonious Monk. Sarah Vaughan. Ray Charles. Little Richard. Nina Simone. Herbie Hancock. Elton John. Billy Joel. Stevie Wonder. Prince. John Legend. Alicia Keys.

What do all of these musical individuals have in common?

That’s right, the piano. Whether they are composers, singers, or straight instrumentalists, each one of these notables is known to have played a mean piano, be it classical, ragtime, big band, jazz, gospel, funk, rock, rhythm & blues, or Hip Hop.

Commonly known as the “King” or the “Mother” of all instruments, the piano is, perhaps, the most beloved instrument of all times in the hearts of true music lovers. Its rich sounds, while resonating equally with its player and audience, can wholly impact listeners on an emotional level, making them sing, dance, laugh, cry, hum, shout, pray, fight, grieve, reminisce, or make love.

That said, the piano’s impact is more than just emotional as it, unlike other instruments, covers all 88 notes of the musical scale and is mostly unique in that it can accompany itself, covering two parts simultaneously. It presents a higher range of frequency than any other instrument and, accordingly, serves as the foundation of music in general and a starting point for any aspiring musician. It is known to facilitate both cognition and coordination and, in doing so, impact its player in other areas of life.

The piano is also known to accompany a powerful story or lesson. Think the 1993 Academy Award-winning film, The Piano. Or think Nina Simone telling the haunting, musical tale of Four Women:

My skin is black

My arms are long

My hair is woolly

My back is strong

Strong enough to take the pain

inflicted again and again…

Whatever you think, the piano is a foundational, emotional, and critical instrument for our human experience. With On Them Keys by popular painter, Stacey Brown, Brown offers a colorful and jazzy tribute to the Mother of all instruments.

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Amari Jackson is a creator, author, TV/web/film producer, and award-winning journalist. He is author of the 2011 novel, The Savion Sequence; creator/writer/coproducer of the 2012-2014 web series The Book Look; writer/coproducer of the 2016 film Edge of the Pier; and current writer/coproducer of Listen Up! on HBCU GO/Roku TV. He is a former Chief of Staff for a NJ State Senator; a former VP of Communications & Development for the Jamestown Project at Harvard University; and a recipient of several writing fellowships including the George Washington Williams Fellowship from the Independent Press Association. An active ghost writer, song writer, martial artist, and journalist, his writings have appeared in a wide variety of national and regional publications.

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