FEATURE
TRANSCENDING BOUNDARIES:
The Incomparable
Les Paul and His Band
Anyone who owns a Gibson Les Paul guitar
can probably recall with tremendous precision the joy and sense of fulfillment they
experienced the day they first purchased
it. For many it was, and is, a dream come
true. The Les Paul is a guitar that spans
generations, and has been used by many
of the greatest musicians to ever pick up
the instrument. It is a symbol of the music
they grew up with, and to own and play
one is to be a part, in some small way, of
modern music’s most esteemed fellowship.
The Les Paul guitar is all of that. Lester
William Polsfuss, aka Les Paul, the man,
was much more than that.
BY GABRIEL J. HERNANDEZ
Though Paul’s endless fortitude and earnest
belief that a zest for life breeds longevity
made him larger than life to most, he was
a sincere, life-loving, and genuine human
being to those fortunate enough to know
him and spend time with him. To those
lucky few, Les Paul was more than just one
of the most revered guitar players in the
history of the instrument, and possibly all of
music. It didn’t matter that his name graced
the most iconic guitar of all time, or that
countless other musicians—many of them
legends in their own right—often sought
him out for his advice and solidarity. To
those blessed few, Les Paul was a mentor,
a confidant, and most importantly, a friend
who could always be counted on in both
good times and bad.
Whether laughing at Paul’s sometimes raw
but always witty humor, or crying together
to mourn the loss of a loved one, those
closest to Paul all agree that the legend
consistently showed a genuine kindness
and compassion to most everyone he
came in contact with. And it was those
same traits, along with the many countless
memories, that will always live on in the
hearts of the people whose lives Les Paul
touched the most.
Les Paul’s character and humanness
were on display weekly at New York
City’s Iridium Jazz Club in the middle of
Manhattan’s Times Square district. It was
here that Paul, health permitting, would
hold court for two shows every Monday
night for approximately 150 devotees
that had gathered to admire his genius.
For most fans, many of them guitarists
themselves, the trek was a pilgrimage, a
“must-see” attraction that was usually the
first item of business on any trip to the Big
Apple. No offense to any of New York’s
many landmarks, but the Statue of Liberty
or the Empire State Building just didn’t
hold a candle to the desire of a guitarist to show appreciation to the man most
responsible for the music we hear today.
Aside from his own family, many of them
scattered throughout New York state and
back in his hometown of Waukesha, WI,
Paul’s closest comrades were the devoted
musical colleagues who accompanied him
at the Iridium, otherwise known as the current installment of the Les Paul Trio. They
are: Lou Pallo on guitar, Nicki Parrott on
bass, and John Colianni on the piano.
John Colianni
Colianni, an accomplished jazz pianist
with the surreptitiously clever nickname of
“Chops,” was the latest musician to join
Paul’s entourage, having done so in 2003
after Paul set out on a quest to revitalize
his earlier music from the 1940s and 1950s,
as well as his own playing. Colianni came to
Paul’s attention through the recommendation of fellow guitarist and frequent collaborator, Bucky Pizzarelli.
“He really wanted to get back to the
sound he had with his original trio when
Mary Ford was in the band,” Colianni said
shortly after Paul’s death on Aug. 13, 2009.
“He was asking around for someone that
could play that style of piano from that
time period. He asked Bucky [Pizzarelli]
and Bucky recommended me. So Les called
me and said he wanted to try me out. I
was honored and thrilled, because I really
loved Les’ music going back to his work
with the Nat King Cole trio. I had never
met him before that, but he wanted me
to come and sit in on a Monday night at
the Iridium without an audition. Basically,
it was a jam session, but it’s worked out
pretty nice,” Colianni said.
While he didn’t realize it at the time,
Colianni gave Paul the inspirational spark
he’d been searching for. Although he never
complained publicly, or let it deter him
from pursuing his lifelong passion, Paul’s
playing had become increasingly burdened
by complications from the arthritis that had
plagued his hands since the early 1970s.
