Piano Demon: The Globetrotting, Gin-soaked, Too-short Life of Teddy Weatherford, the Chicago Jazzman Who Conquered Asia

by Brendan I. Koerner, The Atavist (Editor)

Piano Demon: The globetrotting, gin-soaked, too-short life of Teddy Weatherford, the Chicago jazzman who conquered Asia

At age six, Teddy Weatherford was working in the coal mines of Virginia. By his early twenties he was the toast of Chicago’s jazz scene, rivaling Louis Armstrong and wowing Jelly Roll Morton with his piano talent. But when Weatherford left segregated America for the allures of Shanghai and Bombay, he set out on a adventure he hadn't imagined. The man they called “The Seagull” would become the globetrotting jazz king of Asia in the shadow of World War II, and provide the soundtrack for the last gasp of an empire. Brendan I. Koerner presents the true tale of how a forgotten legend lived the American Dream by leaving it behind—and helped globalize music with a piano and a sharkskin suit.

Genres: Nonfiction, Music

37 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 12, 2011

About the author

Brendan I. Koerner is a contributing editor at Wired and the author of The Skies Belong to Us and Now the Hell Will Start, the latter of which he is currently adapting for filmmaker Spike Lee. A former columnist for both The New York Times and Slate who was named one of Columbia Journalism Review’s “Ten Young Writers on the Rise,” he has also written for Harper’s, The New York Times Magazine, ESPN the Magazine, and many other publications. Visit him at www.microkhan.com and follow him at @brendankoerner.

Reviews

[Harold · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick little book afik only available via ebook download. Somehow I came across this while surfing and decided to check it out. It's a bio of an obscure pianist named Teddy Weatherford. Teddy was from the US but found he could make a very comfortable living working in Shanghai, Ceylon and finally Calcutta where he died in 1945. So this short work gathers what little can be gathered about Teddy and in so doing makes a nice read for music fanatic such as myself.

[Jeff Crompton · Rating 4 out of 5]

As soon as I became aware of this short book, which apparently has only been published in electronic form, I downloaded it immediately and read it in one day. I've long been fascinated by Teddy Weatherford, whose solos on his only American recording, a 1926 Erskine Tate 78, are brilliant. Unfortunately for the jazz world, Weatherford spent the rest of his career in Asia, with a brief stopover in Paris. The Paris stay resulting in some excellent recordings, but the records from his years in India are apparently less than stellar. (I heard some of them years ago, but no longer have a clear recollection of how they sound.)

This little book is good enough for what it is. I certainly know more about Weatherford than I did before. Why an American jazz musician would settle in India has always been a mystery to me, but the answer is now clear: Weatherford was paid so well, and goods and services were so cheap, that he lived like a king in Calcutta.

Piano Demon is short on details; I still don't feel as if I "know" Teddy Weatherford. But the trail is pretty cold at this point, and Koerner's biography is probably the best we will ever have of this elusive genius.

[Marvin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stride pianist Teddy Weatherford is barely a footnote in jazz history. He was acclaimed as a brilliant pianist yet he only made a handful of recordings which are close to impossible to find. Yet he was quite successful until his death from Cholera in 1945. His reason for success is what makes this too short biography interesting. He left America in the 20s and spend the rest of his life abroad, mainly in China and India thus setting the stage for mainly black jazz musicians who chose to work abroad where they were usually more revered and free from much of the racism they experienced in the states. Author Brendan L. Koerner does a good job in presenting the life of a man whose history cannot be that easy to research. Yet this short book doesn't really do justice to the subject. The author explains why Weatherford's talents were important in the history of jazz yet there is simply not enough space to fully explain how Stride piano and Weatherford in particular fits into jazz history. However he is especially good at describing the smoldering atmosphere of China and India during the 20s and 30s and how it affects Weatherford's life abroad. But I wanted more sociological detail on why early jazz musician, especially black musicians, chose a life of voluntary exile to enrich their music and their dreams. Nonetheless, I recommend this book to any one who is interested in jazz history.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

amazon ebook only, clocks in at 37 pp, according to amazon.

Nice, informative, quick read on an obscure jazz musician. Luckily, since publication, there is 1 song by him up on Youtube ("My Blue Heaven"). Koerner probably overstates Weatherford's talent, but he is the subject here - I wouldn't expect a writer to say, "He was nothing special, but here ya go...."

But, wow, could *really* use footnotes! "Notes" at back are informative text, not references. Where does the long quotation from Langston Hughes come from? Yes, a Bibliography, and Discography, would have been a welcome addition as well.

Essential an article on an obscure musician, about whom there is not a lot of information - so the article length works well. Worth the $1.99 amazon charges, IMHO. I find it enjoyable to read about these lesser known jazz musicians of an earlier generation.

No real additional information given on the Youtube posting, the song is part of a larger compilation. Not owning the CD, not sure what the notes on this song are like in the actual, physical collection.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laQj6...

[Denali · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a neat surprise: At several points the story of Teddy Weatherford is ~3 degrees away from various pieces of my family history! I thought this was a fascinating account but felt like it didn't have as much of a bigger narrative as some of the other excellent Atavist pieces I've read.

[Juliet Doubledee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting short piece explaining why some black Jazz muscians chose to play in China and India, rather than join bands at home and face overt discrimination. It is unfortunate that they could live like kings in Asia,but still when all was done dreamed of a life state side.

[Chuck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surprise fun book. One of Amazon's cheapies that was worth the effort to read!

[Sunny Wilkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a very quick read that has now piqued my interest in the life of this obscure pianist - Teddy Weatherford