for those who know classical piano

[Mickey Kessler]

I've been offering my services as a tuner/tech to friends and family so as 
to build my skills before I actually start charging.  A few days ago I got 
a call from a friend of my cousin, who told me she had an old upright that 
her husband, a contractor, recently got in lieu of cash for some 
job.  Nobody in the house plays, she said, but when it was delivered she 
ran next door and asked her neighbor, whom she described as a "professional 
pianist" to come play it and tell her if it was okay.  "When he played it, 
it was beautiful, of course," she explained.

I went over today.  An upscale neighborhood of Los Angeles, near Griffith 
Park.  The instrument needs lots and lots of work the action's a mess and 
it's missing two strings, but I was fine about that because I badly need 
the experience.  The lady told me more about her neighbor, the professional 
pianist who played it the day it was delivered and made it sound so 
good.  "He goes all over the world and plays," she said. "I don't know 
anything about classical music, but it sounded great.  He's like famous or 
something.  He really lives in France where he's got like three houses, but 
when he's in L.A he lives next door with some other guys who are 
musicians.  He always wears red socks."

I gaped at her.  Yeah.  Her neighbor is Jean-Yves Thibeaudet.

When I finished work (a long story) she told me to wait because she had to 
run outside for something.  I waited, played with her kids for a few 
minutes.  She came back, breathless, and presented me with a Denon CD of 
Thibeaudet playing Liszt.  It's unreleased in America, she was told by his 
housemates, who gave it to her to give to me (he's on tour, 
evidently).  She said they apologized profusely that they didn't have an 
autographed copy for me.

What a job, huh?

Mickey Kessler