31: Traveling Piano / 'Play Me, I'm Yours' returns for a day for Make Music L.A.

31: Traveling Piano at Los Angeles Central Library
Designed by: Frank Cubillos
Piano type: Spinet
Playability: Excellent
Weather: 73°F, sunny
How I got here: Metro Red Line, Walking


If I had one wish, it would be to bring back 'Play Me, I'm Yours' for just one more day.

Well, it came true.

The L.A. Chamber Orchestra brought out its elusive Traveling Piano (which I was unable to play during the 'Play Me, I'm Yours' installation) for the day as part of Make Music Los Angeles, a day-long, city-wide music festival, where music is celebrated on International Music Day and the first day of Summer, just as it has been in Paris, France (and ove 400 cities worldwide) for the past 30 years as Fete de la Musique. 


Okay, full disclosure, this was not some magical happening, as I even had a hand in it. Since November of last year, I have been a board member of Make Music L.A., and told the LACO folks about MMLA.    They told me that the actual orchestra could not participate due to Summer being their offseason, but they would be willing to participate somehow. Eventually they said they would bring out the Traveling Piano (which resides permanently in their offices) to a nearby location in Downtown. I recommended the Central Library and gave them our contact for the library. A day later, it was a go!

They even had the piano maintained and tuned-up for the big day!

When MMLA day arrived, I stationed myself in Downtown to visit a few of the performance sites. Actually the Central Library was already scheduled as a performance site, with performances on its front lawn, facing Flower Street, and I was initially concerned there might be some interference of sound between the two, but it was not the case. When I got there, two men were playing acoustic guitar to a few lunchtime audience members and visiting daycare kids hanging out on the lawn.

The piano was situated next to the main entrance door that faces Flower, situated 90-degrees to the wall (I assume so it could be heard better). LACO's Maya Kalinowski and Nicolette Atkins were both there, and other LACO staffers dropped by during the course of the day. They also made an outreach event out of the piano, handing out LACO buttons, posters and soliciting donations.

Yes, it was like Play Me, I'm Yours was suddenly back. A library staffer ran towards the piano with a couple sheet music books from inside and played some Disney theme songs. A homeless man named Dave, who just got out of the library, got up and played some beautiful jazz tunes. A seven-year old boy named Bodie played some excellent classical pieces.

Dave, a homeless library patron, played some wonderful jazz tunes.

Seven year-old Bodie played some excellent classical pieces on the Traveling Piano!

My friend Keith Dasalla, who works at the library, stepped out of the office, bongos in hand, to accompany me on a "Summertime" medley. He also brought out some of his co-workers to add to the audience.

I left the piano for a couple hours to check out the other performances going on, and walked across the 110 freeway to catch LAUSD's Beyond The Bell performance stage, which set up on a closed-off  Boylston Street.

I returned for even more adventures. I met another homeless man who told me he used to play guitar professionally with some very well-known R&B acts back in the '70s until he injured his arm. I played a blues song while he sang...and then the sound of a fire alarm rang from the library. Hundreds of people poured out of the building...suddenly we had a huge, captive audience.

I spotted fellow street piano fan Stephen Jerrome in the crowd and got him to play. Janet Sudo, another street piano aficionado, who also played all 30, also dropped by, this time with her daughter Keylana. We even got to have a little street piano reunion!

Alas, 5 o'clock came around and a crew of piano movers came and unceremoniously plopped the Traveling Piano (a.k.a. La-La) onto a dolly and pushed it effortlessly towards the piano moving truck that was waiting at the curb on 5th street. So that's how it goes.

The Traveling Piano's day was over. But mine wasn't...a few hours later I returned to the Chinatown Street Piano on its last regular day with Keith to do our Make Music LA show.

It was a great say to celebrate music, Summer and street pianos.