Presented by pianist Joe Warner and The Dynamic Miss Faye Carol at Geoffrey’s Inner Circle in downtown Oakland, the once-a-month “Handful of Keys” Piano Masterclass series runs through June 2. Earning accolades by featuring six of today’s top pianists, the program reaches a pinnacle by offering the entirely free masterclasses to people of all ages and levels of experience in the community.
“This is a continuation of a series Faye and I put together,” Warner says. “We did drums, saxophone and this year, piano. We conceptualized it to showcase different artists and provide for the community an opportunity to benefit from their artistry.”
Warner says it was important that the classes be free and showcase a variety of approaches. The series involves people of multiple generations, mostly from the Bay Area—two pianists are flying in from the East Coast.
“There are pianists from different cultural traditions: jazz, gospel and R&B keyboardists, and a great Latin pianist,” Warner says. Featured players include L.J. Holoman, David Jackson, Glen Pearson, Sullivan Fortner and Rebeca Mauleón.
“Everyone we asked said, ‘Yes,’” Warner says. “We’re so fortunate because these were all our first-call people from a dream list we made.”
The first masterclass with Marc Cary in January drew a robust crowd of 45 people. Participants included professional musicians, young musicians from conservatories and high schools, and hobbyist pianists. Cary, who teaches at top-level schools in New York City, delved into concepts of major and minor scales.
“It was informative, but really, anybody who’s great at what they do, you can get a lot by just showing up and checking them out,” Warner says. “As a pianist, I’m able to get something from excellent artists by observing, being in the presence of somebody who’s developed their craft to such a high level.
“Some are experienced educators, some less so,” Warner continues. “But the best lessons are from going to a show. How do they sit, hold their hands, navigate the keyboard, accompany a lead artist? You can learn from them even before they open their mouth to tell you something. Letting their energy bounce off of the keys and off of you, there’s nothing better.”
Asked to highlight the next-up and last pianist in the series, Warner talks about Oakland player/composer Holoman and musician/bandleader/composer/producer/author/educator Mauleón.
“I’ve known of L.J. for about 10 years,” Warner says. “He’s from Oakland and came up in the church community, the gospel community. He’s done a lot of prominent studio work in L.A., doing R&B with Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige. He’s one the foremost keyboardists in gospel and R&B.
“He’s flexible, soulful, definitely a top-call player in the Bay Area,” Warner adds. “He plays a lot of gigs at Yoshi’s, and his birthplace is the East Oakland churches. He has a familial legacy—you should have heard his late mother sing. He’s played with country singers, played at the Black Women’s roots festival we did last year, with Vicky Randle, doing her folk-rock thing. When you call L.J., you know it’s gonna be done.”
Mauleón, Warner says, “wrote the books on Latin piano.” A gifted scholar and educator, she arrives with deep knowledge of the diverse traditions within Latin music. She has analyzed and broken down how the piano fits into Latin music.
Warner himself is a remarkably busy musician in the Bay Area. While numerous solo gigs and performing as a guest with multiple artists keep him hopping, he also appears with his Joe Warner Trio. He practices, rehearses or performs between three and 12 hours every day.
“Keeping connected to the instrument is a necessity,” Warner says. “I have to keep up my technique to blaze. I have to touch the keys every day.”
Increasingly, Warner’s daily grind includes answering emails, doing marketing, finding bookings and keeping up with the field. The burden on artists is tremendous.
“That’s the modern day. Part of me is envious of what people had back in the day,” Warner says. “The jazz world in the ’30s and ’40s? There were more live venues, and those cats would play two different gigs a night. Now, you have to navigate to promote your business and conceptualize how you can fit into today’s world and still find financial stability.”
Which begs the question of whether or not Warner and Carol will continue the masterclass series. “Definitely,” Warner says. “We’re talking about doing guitar next year. And I might circle back to drums, because they’re so important. In any ensemble, the drummer is going to make or break the band. I don’t play drums, but I’m a drumhead. If you have a bad drummer, you might as well cancel the gig. So we might do both next year.”
What will also remain the same is his and Carol’s commitment to creating community, keeping the series free and offering a chance to engage with “really cool people” who are amazing artists of their chosen instrument.
Masterclasses are held at Geoffrey’s Inner Circle at 410 14th St., Oakland, geoffreyslive.com. For reservations visit handfulofkeys.eventbrite.com. For more info, visit joewarnermusic.com.
