Few things are more intimidating for a musician than playing in front of your idols.
In 1985, Pete Malinverni, a 28-year-old itinerant jazz pianist who had been trying to make a dent in the New York City jazz scene for four years, landed a steady gig at a swanky waterfront restaurant in Long Island City, across the East River from Manhattan. One evening, the restaurant hosted a star-studded cast party for the Metropolitan Opera’s new version of Tosca, directed by Franco Zeffirelli. When the young pianist spotted Leonard Bernstein entering the restaurant, he immediately launched into a favorite Bernstein tune, “Lucky to Be Me” from On the Town.
The maestro came over to the young pianist, kissed him on the cheek, and spent much of the evening by his side, introducing him to his friends Betty Comden and Adolph Green, who had written the lyrics to that song and show.
“Weren’t you terrified to play in front of Bernstein?” I asked Malinverni during our recent Zoom meeting for this article.
“Well, of course I was, but it was a gig!” he laughed. At least Bernstein wasn’t another jazz pianist, Malinverni said, which would have made it worse. He would have been more intimidated to play in front of, say, Hank Jones.
“In fact, I had that experience once when I was playing at Bradley’s with Ray Drummond. In came Tommy Flanagan and sat right in front of the piano. Actually, Drummond saved my life because, when he plays, he opens his eyes real wide, and he was giving me that stare. He basically hypnotized me to where I was right in there with him playing the music. And Tommy stayed for two sets, which was one of the great moments of my life. I also played for Barry Harris, who was real kind. So, you know, I can hate me all I want; as long as those
