Mo, I realy agree with your assessment of the problems playing with a person who has specialized in playing a piano single. I do 4-5 jobs a month with a lady who is a long-time friend. We worked together for years at a local hotel-she on single piano in the dining room and me with a trio in the lounge. Now, we do a upright bass-piano duo or trio, adding a drummer for state government functions. Man, is timing a issue.

Tom, you nailed it...after years of sitting too close to a hi-hat I can tell the difference.

Chas and others...when my long-time partner and I added a drum machine in the early 70's, it almost drove Tommy nuts. He always had a rushing problem and came close to throwing the machine in the pool, before he was comfortable with it.

My trumpet playing friend that just died, could play the note created when a fly landed on a score-it would just be in the wrong spot. He had a really hard time working until he got a sequencer, and then he was always playing catch up to the track. Several others in this area are playing to sequences, and bill themselves as "live" jazz acts. That bothers me a little, since neither one could get a real job with a jazz group because of timing problems. As it is, they can't trip up the sequencer like they do other players.

A great rythem section is a real thing of beauty!


Russ