Joe Zawinul
piano, keyboards
Austrian-born jazz pianist and keyboardist, a founder of Weather Report; Barry says he had been hanging around him, and names him among the musicians who knew Barry practised all day at Riverside’s studio in New York.
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What Barry says
Auditioning with a new classical teacher, Barry said he had been working on strengthening his fingers. He explains that he had been hanging around Joe Zawinul, who could strike the piano with just his little finger and be heard all around the block.
The teacher replied that Barry probably wouldn’t want to study with him, since he didn’t believe in fingers. Barry could only laugh: he didn’t believe in fingers either, because playing Max Roach’s very fast tempos had long since taught him to find ways of playing five notes at once.
Barry Harris, Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program ¶239Barry Harris, Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program ¶241Barry Harris, Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program ¶243
Asked how he developed in his early New York years, Barry says he was a great practiser then, spending whole days at a piano in a third-floor studio Riverside had across from its place on 46th Street. He names Zawinul and Harold Mabern among those who knew he was there, since many musicians sometimes joined him.
In his own words
See I had been hanging around Joe Zawinul. Joe Zawinul – Joe Zawinul could take his little finger and hit this piano, and you’d hear that go all around the block
People who knew about this kind of thing (you’d have to ask them), Joe Zawinul, Harold Mabern…a lot of people knew Barry was at that studio, because a lot of cats joined me there.
Every mention
0 moments in the recordings, 0 of them Barry speaking. Each says who is talking.
In the interviews and notes
Barry recalls telling a new teacher at his audition that he had been strengthening his fingers, and explains that he had been hanging around Zawinul, whose little finger alone could be heard around the block; the teacher answered that he didn’t believe in fingers.
Recalling his first New York years, when he practised from morning till night in a studio Riverside kept on 46th Street, Barry names Zawinul and Harold Mabern as people who could vouch for it, since many musicians came to join him there.
A Reddit user who knew Barry says they learned something every time they saw him, and offers as an example that Barry used to practise with Joe Zawinul.