I had never heard of Chris Dawson until this morning, when a link to a video showed up in a friend’s e-mail message. The message contained rave blurbs about Dawson from Alan Broadbent, Charlie Haden, Dave Frishberg, Dick Hyman, Gary Foster, John Clayton and Bob Sheppard. The endorsements got my attention. The video was a shortened version of a longer film story about a pianist’s miraculous recovery from a hand injury that had ended his playing and put him on the street.
In the clip, Dawson was riveting, with piano work combining stride and bebop. Many latter-day forays into stride end up sounding imitative and automated. Naturalness, ease, harmonic flexibility and a gift for melodic line give his playing authenticity. I must confess that I was also taken with scenes of my old Southern California stomping grounds in the San Fernando Valley and along the Pacific Coast Highway. But the playing is the thing, as you will see and hear in this unedited clip of the film. It may win no Academy Award for acting or direction, but the premise is charming. It runs a little over six minutes.
Evidently, Dawson has been making waves in the Los Angeles area for some time, and has also worked in New York, but he had escaped me. I’m glad to have encountered him. Dawson’s web site has biographical information–however sketchy–about this stealth pianist, and more video clips.
We arrived in L.A. yesterday, escaping the first major snowfall by about two hours and , instead, having 70 degree sunshine for the next few days.
This morning we checked the jazz calendar and as I sat down to switch on the computer I read my notes – tonight (Friday) “The Cunninghams” (Tomorrow): Chris Dawson at Giannelli Square
We did see him a few years back in New York but this will be the first full evening.
Now I have your endorsement too ….
Gordon
Would you know what caused Chris’ hand injury? Was it an accident, or was it playing-related? Can’t find anything on that.
(Neither can I. That’s part of what I meant when I described his online biography as sketchy. It may be that the only injury was to the fictional Chris Dawson in the little film– DR)
Just to let you know there’s nothing wrong with Chris’ hand, nor has there ever been. It’s a cute little xmas fable written and filmed by his friend Paul Astin (voiceover) and his (Paul’s) family to promote his cd. In fact Chris is swinging his b___ off right now, as I write, at a club in the Valley called Giannelli Square.