Surprise appearance

Not being adverse to good tribute bands, I've long been a fan of the Rochdale (UK) band 'Noddys Puncture', a superb ELP tribute act.

They were playing in a pub in Sussex over the August bank holiday weekend, as they do every year; halfway through 'Tarkus', Tom Szakaly (Hammond/Moog supremo) gets a nudge in the ribs, turns round, and Emerson is standing there.



What could Tom do?



He steps back & lets Emerson complete the song - the other two in the band are now in heaven (although feeling somewhat pressurised), and the pub is in uproar.

I see Noddys Puncture every year at this venue.



Except this year.



I was busy.







Bugger!

an anecdote about the late Pierre Moerlen, drummer of Gong who died May 3rd this year. he was also an excellent keyboarder (as the anecdote shows), though he usually had the keyboards played by someone else on the records of Gong. here the anecdote:
Jonny Greene
I first met Pierre in 1990 when he came to stay at the house I shared with Daevid in Somerset. The three of us went out to eat at a local café, The Blue Note, which as it's name implies often had live music in the evenings. Two very good local jazz musicians, John Cartwright & Jackie Whitren were playing, and as a happy Pierre got into what they were doing he started to play along using just his hands on the table top. In fact he got so into it that after a while, on the appreciative nod of John Cartwright at the electric piano, he even took a solo. And when he came to the end of the solo the whole, full café, who had no idea who he was, burst into loud, prolonged spontaneous applause - he'd been that good! He was always that good. I'll remember him and the times we had on tour with much fondness.

on the keyboard; he was a classically trained piano player (apart from his drumming); a fact very few know

Joren wrote: BaldJean wrote: on the keyboard; he was a classically trained piano player (apart from his drumming); a fact very few know ah... too bad. A solo on the table top would have been much more spectacular!

especially if one hand was on the keyboard and the other was saving a poor damsel in distress.

BJ: I bet you wish you were that poor damsel......sounds like you'd even bat for the other side for this man.....

Unfortunately we will never get to test that theory....