As we all know, John Lennon wrote a song called "Imagine." What we imagine when we think of him and that song is a huge white grand piano, thanks to an album cover image that's stuck in our heads. The piano that he actually wrote the song on is not a huge white grand at all, it's a rather small upright which now belongs to George Michael.
The folks at The Lennon Piano Project have taken this piano all over the country in a van, no less. Their hope is that the piano upon which a great anthem for Peace was written will help bring peace in the playing and displaying of it. (They have some great photos at their link.)
Friday evening the piano was at the Ogden Museum. Saturday night it was at the end of its tour, the last night for it to travel. It sat in front of the hearth at Lafitte's Blacksmith Shoppe on Bourbon Street. Piano players from all over the city were showing up to play ten or twenty minutes on that piano. The place was packed. It was really lovely and some great music was played, although I haven't identified all the players yet, (one is Bruce Elsensohn)and I missed about the first 45 minutes.
The Lennon Piano for Peace people are doing a documentary, which upon completion, will be shown at the Ogden. For now, we have some photos. The one above is the piano with tips on it. I found it odd and funny to see tips on top of John Lennon's piano. (I will also say that when everyone was finished, I quietly walked up to it and played two notes, just to have done it. I noticed a lot of others doing the same thing, like a little connective ritual between the piano, its travels, its message and us.)
I have posted more photos here at Flickr. I hope to identify the other players and label the photos.
It is a lovely idea, and it was a lovely evening.
I'm guessing the tips will go in the gas tank of the van.
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