Beginning on August 1st I will present Setting a Tone, my book about studying piano with Sammy Price during the last period of his life. Setting a Tone, as seems clear in the subtitle, is a story of mentorship. It’s a story of my becoming an extension of Sammy Price. I am publishing three previews to give readers, listeners, and viewers, a taste of what they will get by following and subscribing to my story.
Here is the image of the book’s cover. (Photo by Steve Long.)
I’m very excited to be presenting this book on Substack. Price died in 1992, and our lessons began in 1987. I have worked on this book since then, but always felt it was meant to be published later in my career as a writer and musician. I felt something would come along to give the project a boost. I thought that had happened a few years ago, when I discovered that the Sammy Price Papers had been released at the Schomburg Center for Studies in Black Culture. That was truly a boost, but there remained the matter of the tapes of our lessons, and the puzzle of how I could include them within or adjacent to a book. Substack has provided that option. In my story of studying music with Sammy Price I will include audio clips in the sections about our lessons, as well as video clips of his appearances and performances. In essence, I’ve been waiting for Substack to come along for decades.
I will in later chapters touch upon another part of Sammy Price’s life as a social activist and street speaker in Harlem, through my interviews and by means of his archives.
Here is a clip of Sammy Price giving advice at the end of one of our lessons, advice relevant to this book, while discussing one of his favorite jazz tunes, “Little Rock Getaway”:
“These are lessons” indeed. As I write elsewhere, I am presenting this book in order to fulfill their promise and to extend his legacy. I see Sammy Price as a great American.
Every story has a cast of characters. Though Setting a Tone is my story and in my voice, Sammy Price is the main character. In this clip from a video produced by students at the University of Massachusetts, you will see Sammy at the piano, singer Doc Pittman at the microphone, two tenor sax players, Eugene Vinyard and Fred Williams, and Doug Whynott near the piano.
(“Route 66” by permission of Red Brick Songs.)
I will publish another preview next week.
As someone who saw Sammy play many times, I am so glad this is out there for people to read and enjoy.
Sammy Price was an intuitive genius on the piano. After being told early on that he had no musical talent, and unable to read music, Sammy learned the intricacies of keyboarding the Blues by studying the jumping keys of player pianos. Amazing story of a man who would become the King of Boogie Woogie, as well as a worldwide ambassador for American jazz, and a mentor to underprivileged youth. Whynott brings us back to that era before Rock n Roll when a musical prodigy could liff spirits and dazzle audiences through dark times.