Henry Hank Shapiro 9/3/21 Video 2

by Brian T. Lynch, MSW

It has been about 40 years since Piano Man Hank Shapiro played with a small band. He said he wanted to experience that again sometime. He said he would like a bass player, jazz drummer, and maybe a clarinet player. ... (Was this his bucket list?). So, I suggested that my wife, his daughter, do this as a birthday gift. 

My wife got in touch with a friend of ours, Nick Scheuble, who we met through another musician friend we went to see at a performance, the wonderful jazz pianist, Tomoko Ohno. Nick has seen Henry performing on his Facebook Live pandemic performances every Saturday at 5pm since the pandemic started. Nick liked the birthday idea and agreed to arrange for a bass player and clarinetist to join him in a birthday gig for Henry Hank Shapiro. The bass player he got was the internationally well know, 93-year-old Bill Crow. And the clarinet player was Jack Stuckey, clarinetist for the long-running Broadway musical "Chicago" (which is reopening in about a week). 

The birthday event was held at our home in Mine Hill, NJ under the gazebo on a beautiful afternoon, September 3, 2021. The feeling was magic. The chemistry was great. You would think these musicians had played together for the past 90 years, but this was the first time they met Henry. 

A few neighbors join the family to hear the music. It all went off smoothly. The musicians had fun and dad was grateful for this chance to relive the glory of his youth when the Henry Shapiro Orchestra played in the many music halls in Northern New Jersey back in the 1930s and 1940s. 

So, here is a clip of the band playing Satin Doll on Facebook. (If you don't have Facebook, come back later. Once it is posted on YouTube you can view it here.) There are many more Henry Hank Shapiro performances on YouTube. Search for Henry Hank Shapiro!

https://www.facebook.com/1411785985/videos/370515491284284/