What an odd and sad life pianist Jimmy Amadie has had. A very promising pianist in the 1950s and early '60s, he developed tendinitis in his hands, ignored the pain as long as he could, and in 1967 was forced to stop playing when his hands essentially fell apart. Since that time he has often had to restrict himself to five minutes of playing a day, sometimes working his way up to a half hour a day but on several occasions rehurting himself by playing too much. This CD, his first, took 18 months to record because, after recording one song, he would have to rest his hands for a month! Despite all of the physical pain, the swinging and thoughtful music is enjoyable to hear. Amadie performs four originals plus such standards as "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You," "On Green Dolphin Street," and "Autumn Leaves," and listening to his music is not a painful experience. So much effort went into this recording that the results are somewhat heroic.
© Scott Yanow /TiVo