Coffee & Scales

Piano called Paine. The Paine pianos were made by The Paine Furniture Co. in Boston. They made good pianos back in the day when you could buy anything in a department store. The piano belonged to my great uncle, Leo, who lived down the road from where I was born in rural Nova Scotia. The village is called Amirault's Hill, no really! It was the first grand piano I had ever seen and probably the only one for many miles around. Leo was a fishing Captain, he had a lovely house and a paved driveway, fancy!

After he passed the piano went with my parents to the neighboring village of Hubbard's Point, and when mom passed, I brought it to Montréal. I had it in my place in St. Henri for 20 years. I know it's just a piano, but I get nostalgic when I think about it. It's not just the family history, but also the fact that I wrote most of my music in that apartment on that piano. I played the s*** out of that thing!

Unfortunately, I had to leave it behind when I moved to Toronto. It needed too much work and didn't make financial sense to have it done. I left it in good hands, it's been refurbished and I hope is getting played and loved.

I always found the name ironic, yet suitable somehow.

I've attached the instrumental version of Je Vois Clemente Danser. It's one of the pieces I wrote during my time with that piano and was also the last thing I played on it before leaving Montréal.

For my grandmother, Clemente.

Print it, Play it!

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