piano

Black Cat on the Piano

This handsome black cat is dressed and ready for his piano performance!

From @dj_ewi via Twitter.

CatSynth Video: Keyboard Cat goes avant-garde

As the kids say, “That’s it. That’s the tweet.”

CatSynth Video: Jazz Piano and Cat

Yes, some may debate whether a cat and piano constitute a “CatSynth pic”, but this is absolutely the content we need today.

CatSynth Video: Piano woogie boogie massages for meow

Perhaps not a synth per se, but still a wonderful moment of cats and music. I especially like that it’s more bluesy than most cat-and-piano jams 😺🎶

From Haburu on YouTube.

CatSynth Pic: Piano Lessons with Roux

Roux demonstrating his piano skills at Meowy Manor Kitten Rescue. From Samantha Martin, founder of the Amazing Acro-Cats and Rock Cats.

You can see our recent video of the Acro-Cats’ visit to San Francisco below.

CatSynth Video: Kittens on the piano

Adorable video of two kittens playing on a piano. I for one hear quite a bit of musicality in this – and the look into the camera by the tuxie at the end is priceless.

CatSynth Video: Cat on a Piano

Cute cat sitting behind the keys of a piano and clearly enjoying the jazz/bluey music. Via Classic FM on Facebook.

This piano is purrfect 😻

We at CatSynth agree. And for anyone who protests that a piano is not a synth: yes, this is true, but we recommend just chilling and enjoying the music like this cat.

CatSynth Video: Sarper Duman and his Cats

Sarper Duman returns to CatSynth with one of his beautiful serenades with his cats 😻. From his Facebook page.

If you want to wake up to every new day with a real and unconditional love, adopt an animal.. Even if they don’t see, even if they’re missing a leg, they have no handicap in loving and being loved.. 🖤🐈🎹
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Her yeni güne gerçek, çıkarsız bir sevgiyle başlamak istiyorsanız, hayvan sahiplenin.. Görmeseler de, bir bacakları eksik de olsa, sevmeye, sevilmeye hiçbir engelleri yok.. 🖤🐈🎹

The moment where the tabby crawls onto the keyboard is priceless!

 

RIP Cecil Taylor (1929 – 2018)

We learned yesterday of the passing of another of our musical heroes, Cecil Taylor.

This segment of solo piano demonstrates how his playing is incredibly complex but remains thoroughly musical.   The fast runs contain a unique contrapuntal language.  And more importantly, there is phrasing, contour, and emotion that unifies the performance.  Taylor had an uncanny ability to combine European classical tradition, jazz, and other African American influences into a unique musical language that he dubbed “black methodology”.  This quote from poet and critic A. B. Spellman, included in the official New York Times obituary, sums it up well.

“There is only one musician who has, by general agreement even among those who have disliked his music, been able to incorporate all that he wants to take from classical and modern Western composition into his own distinctly individual kind of blues without in the least compromising those blues, and that is Cecil Taylor, a kind of Bartok in reverse.”

 

It is hard for me not to compare Taylor with another contemporary of his, Ornette Coleman, who passed away in 2015.  Coleman is one of my favorites – Taylor takes the level of complexity to another level.  Both remain huge influences.  We leave you with this recording of “Calling It the 9th”.

 


CatSynth Video: Savannah Cat on Piano

A young savannah cat – at least we think it’s a savannah and not an actual serval – playing on the piano. We think the music actually makes for a great introduction, perhaps the start of a theme and variations.

Seen via Emergency Kittens on Twitter. We think the cat’s name is raameses.