Decades ago, on a guitar forum, I asked for the "chords to New York State of Mind". Eventually, a man sent me a message and said "You know that song doesn't have a guitar in it, right?" And I said, "Yes, I just love the song and hoped somebody would have transcibed the piano part for guitar". And he said "Well, what's your email and I'll send them to you." So I gave it to him, and sure enough, he sent me the chords. The man? Howard Emerson, who played guitar for Billy for years. He was so gracious to send them to me...was a definite highlight of my early guitar years.
That story only makes my experience of the song even better. And I much appreciate Michael P. walking us through some of the chord changes in this fantastic song, which, as a guitarist, I have always wanted to pursue and now feel I can get there (sort of).
Thank you Michael for reviewing this song. Ironically, I have re-discovered this gem recently and added it to my repertoire (arranged for guitar). As a native New Yorker who moved away from the area a few years ago, the song hits home. I always liked Richie Cannata’s sax playing on this version, along with his solos on other Billy Joel tunes. Billy Joel is a genius and although I grew up in the seventies listening to him, I am only now really appreciating his gifts as a prolific songwriter, arranger and most of all his piano playing and vocals. Thx again!
Richie Cannata is Billy's saxophone player here and also plays flute, clarinet and keyboards and joined Billy's band in 1976, but left in 1981 to pursue other things and was replaced by Mark Rivera, who still plays saxophone in Billy's band today. Richie and the other band members in this video, Liberty Devitto on drums, Russell Javors on rhythm guitar and Doug Stegmeyer on bass all joined Billy's band around 1976 and played on their first album together on Turnstiles that was released in the same year. Prior to that album, Billy had used session musicians in the studio for his other albums that were produced by other producers, but he ended up replacing the original producer of Turnstiles and produced it himself, because he wanted to start using his newly formed touring band on the actual studio recordings too, whereas the original producer wanted to use Elton John's band and Billy did not want to be tagged as the American Elton John. When it came to recording his next album The Stranger in 1977, Billy wanted The Beatles producer George Martin to produce it, but he said he wanted to use other musicians yet Billy wanted to use his own band. He had seen Phil Ramone's name as the engineer on other recordings and wanted him to produce The Stranger and so invited him to a show he and the band were doing at Carnegie Hall. Phil Ramone liked what he had seen, wanted to use Billy's band and went on to produce Billy's next six albums. George Martin later wrote Billy a letter telling him he was right to use his own band. Richie Cannata played saxophone on Turnstiles, including on New York State of Mind but when it came to Just the Way You Are on The Stranger, Phil Ramone wanted to use jazz saxophonist Phil Woods and so he played on that song instead. This video here from the BBC programme The Old Grey Whistle Test was from 1978 and perhaps Richie Cannata felt like he had a point to prove.
Michael, please pin the above comment (once you've fact checked it). It's the sort of stuff we used to get on liner notes (God, remember those?). For the true geeks among us, this is the icing on the musical cake and a huge shout out for the detail.
Some great history. To add to that, Phil Ramone named them The Lords of 52nd Street. Doug Stegmeyer (RIP), Liberty DeVitto, Richie Cannata, and Russell Javors. All great musicians in their own right. The Lords still perform today and I had the privilege of seeing them back in 2019. Go to my RU-vid channel where I have posted both NY State of Mind and Angry Young Man.
Michael, you and Rick Beato are my favourite music bloggers because you aren’t afraid to explore musical genres from outside your own comfort zones. Thanks for what you do!
Ive not heard that performance before.. you are totally right, Billy Joel is a top fiver of all time. His drummer was Liberty Devito.. badass for sure. That performance was a total homage to Ray Charles..
Not trying to be a dick here but while there is some truth to that, it is not entirely accurate. Billy and his then wife had been living in LA up until the mid-1970s but then decided to return to New York. They found a house to move into and his wife had gone back ahead of him and he was due to follow later on after fulfilling other commitments. He was on a bus on the way back to New York and had the initial idea for the song during the journey, so that when he arrived at their new house he quickly asked his wife where was the piano and then wrote the song in around an hour or so. He tends to write the music first and then adds lyrics, but he already had some lyrics in mind from the initial idea during the bus journey, such as: But I'm taking a Greyhound On the Hudson River Line I'm in a New York state of mind
Great song choice. Somebody else has probably already posted this information but I don’t feel like scrolling through 64 responses. The saxophone player is Richie Cannata. He is also the one playing the organ when he’s not playing saxophone. He was part of Billy‘s band for many years before becoming a producer. That’s when Mark Rivera stepped in on sax. Mark Rivera also worked on the Foreigner 4 album and I think he may have done a little bit of time with Hall & Oates. On that song, Billy Joel was channeling one of his heroes, Ray Charles. Go back and listen to it picturing Ray Charles singing it in you’ll see what I mean.
For me the greatest song writer of ALL time... He has the whole package❤️ his concert 1984 London will be etched in my soul forever ❤️🙏❤️l love the way your eyes light up when you see a genius in action. 👀💡👌Respect 💯
The musicianship of that band is crazy great!! That's the band that started coming together on Turnstiles. By the time they did The Stranger, they were solidified as both his touring and his recording band (as opposed to session players) that stuck with him through The Nylon Curtain along with producer Phil Ramone. Things changed after that but that band was a major part of the magic in those years
Billy Joel is one of my all time favorites and he really does get better with age. His earlier works though are raw and fantastic. Its a shame that there isn't music like this anymore, and what I mean by that is that you won't find anything that is not polished from up and coming artists on any media platform.
I have been a die hard Billy Joel fan since I was about 6 years old with my parents putting on the Glass Houses record. He is the best!! I have seen him in concert more times than I can count, and have tickets to see him again in July. This hands down is my favorite version of him doing New York State of Mind. Great reaction video. Love your channel. It’s my go to because you actually know what you are talking about. Been watching you for some years now. Keep up the great content. Always enjoy your videos.
Man, such a great song and artist. I can’t even imagine a “pop” artist putting out a 7+ minute track with multiple II-V-Is in it today. Phenomenal music music came out of the 70s.
What I love about watching you react is that I identify with your passionate appreciation of the performer and their art. I get it and I get those same feels as you do.
I thought I knew this song. I mean, my God, we've heard Brother Ray sing it. But oh my god, he had me at the intro, especially when that tenor sax slides in. It gets no better than this.
I might be wrong but I am not sure Ray Charles has ever done this song, but Billy Joel did write it with Ray in mind as inspiration though. Ray does have a song though called New York's My Home but there is no connection to Billy. Billy did write another song though called Baby Grand that he and Ray recorded together.
@@seanscanlon9067 Damn. Now I gotta see if I can track that down, or I just got mixed up about it. I do recall hearing that Ray loved the song, maybe I conflate that with "recorded it".
@@leehjonesI know Barbra Streisand recorded it around the mid-70s and then again with Billy a few years ago on a duets type album. And Tony Bennett and Billy also did it as a duet on one of Tony's '...and Friends' type albums.
Got to see him live at MSG on my wife and i’s first trip to the States in 2014, paid a shit ton for tickets, probably more than I should have, but his show was worth every penny, still kills it live.
Never clicked on a video so fast! Billy is my all time favorite; so much nostalgia that all came from a CD my grandparents and I listened to while running errands over one summer. Phenomenal, thank you for showing this Michael!
One of my favorite artists and songs of Billy’s of all time. Interesting to hear a piano led harmony and melody take center stage on the channel! More Billy!
One of the truly epic performances of any song, in all of history. Rhe writing, piano, vocals, sax...the jazz club vibe. Liberty ain't too shabby, either.
Beautiful Analogy Michael "just hits you in the face"! You are so right, what a performance! I'm going to go dig through my old stacks of albums and find those couple of him I know I have. That made my day, thank you Michael 😊.
Phenomenal. This was the sound of my family’s house growing up . At a time when live performances were live. A whole other level of musicianship and culture. And Billy Joel was absolute gold! America as we knew it. New York state of mind.
One of my favorite parts of following you and your reviews are discovering new music. Not that NY state of mind is new, but this performance is new to me. My next stop will be to watch the original video in full because... holy moly Joel can tickle those ivories!
I LOVE how you do these video. Your facial expressions are the same as mine. Thank you for putting words to what I'm hearing but don't always know how to explain or describe or quantify it. Love it so much!!! You rock!
I belive you are correct on the name. If I remember correctly, he played with Billy Joel until his death. At time Billy Joel said it was a loss he could never recover from.
@@charlottesimonin2551 I hadn't heard that one so I had to look it up. Cannata is alive and well, though he left the band in 1981 and was replaced with Mark Rivera. Looks like Billy's old bass player died tragically in the mid-90's but that was after he had left the band as well. Maybe it was someone else?
@@mattmalmberg7832Doug Stegmeyer, his long time bassist, was released by Billy in 1989, then committed suicide in ‘95. As you mentioned though, Cannata is alive and well and playing with Russell Javors and Liberty DeVitto as members of “The Lords of 52nd Street”
Great vid and break down on the man Billy J. Been listen to him for years but never really done a micro review on his musicianship. We all know he’s incredible, but seeing this breakdown and really watching his talent is just mind blowing. I’ve gained an even greater appreciation of Billy’s music. Thx MP first opening my eyes and mind even wider🤘
Just a magnificent song and performance! I saw Billy and his band in the early 80s with Liberty DeVitto on drums and Richie Cannata on sax.... That band was so, so good....
When i get a mood for his music this is the first song i hear in my head and have to play it. My first exposure was actually young when my older sister got the Glass Houses album. he was all over the map in the eighties but i later learned the earlier stuff and came to appreciate it far more. i miss the music performance and variety shows from then too. I'm glad Austin City Limits and some others managed to stick around.
Such a shame that Liberty DeVito and Billy have never reconciled. His drumming was highly underrated and such a large part of Joels catalog. Hope they reunite before it's too late.
iirc, in this same show, he plays Root Beer Rag, for all you keys players. It's fast on the album. It is insane in the show. I don't think he plays it anymore since a motorcycle accident injured his thumb.
That band is known to many as “The Billy Joel Band”. However Phil Ramone named them The Lords of 52nd Street. All great musicians. Doug Stegmeyer (RIP) on bass, Liberty DeVito on drums, Russell Javors on guitar and Richie Cannata on sax, keyboards, flute and clarinet. The Lords still play together and I have the pleasure to see them back in 2019. As a sax player myself, Richie’s playing just gives me chills. Visit my RU-vid channel where I posted them playing New York State of Mind and Angry Young Man.
The new song and especially the video brings me right back to those nights hanging out with my buddies listening to Songs in the Attic. I hope he keeps writing. The thirty year wait for a new song was too long. That's Liberty Devito on drums .. Just watched him on Drumeo's page walk through a few of Billy's songs.
MIke, I love the way you get so excited about other people's musicianship. You take apart the melodies and you are genuinely blown away. Me too! P.S. Please do some Hot Tuna or Jorma Kaukonen videos please.
This was my Mamas album and her #1 song, My #1 from this is Scenes from an Italian restaurant, it's hard to get through this song because of Her. Did I mention you are Cute yet?
,,yes,,...tnx,,,,for this vid today,.........our timing,.....is learned.....,,watching the greats is where it comes from,,...they can do it,,,,...so can we !!!!...... how good,,,( and no guitar today), in this tune.
Io ho visto questo centinaia di volte ... Ma mi fa piacere che qualcuno possa scoprire per la prima volta questi gioielli live di PianoMan .. Che in Italia ( incompetenti e superficiali) non sanno apprezzare ... Billy joel il più completo e versatile songwriter musicista 🎹👏🎹👏🎹
I commented before we'd gotten to the sax solo at the end. My error. That was exquisite, and absolutely, full marks to Joel for stopping the show and (with his arm) telling the audience, "Y'all were just given a gift. Acknowledge it."
Hey kinda out there but I think you should react to this guy jack blocker and his American idol audition. He sings an Original, sings it really well and it’s really well written.. but Katy says no cus of his unique facial expressions when he sings. wanted to hear your thoughts on the writing and guitar playing as well as your take on wether facial expressions ruin a performance or add to the individuality of the artist themselves! Hope you see this 😎👌🏻 P.s I know this doesn’t relate to the video but thought this is the most likely place that you’d see a comment :)
Alif ba ta is gitaris from indonesia He is very humble man. He s work as forkilft driver but his so talented in gitar fingerstyle. He have a lot of video fingerstyle in his channel (alif ba ta)
Warren Zevon related in interview (on Preludes album) the story of hearing 16 year old Billy Joel for the first time and walking out the studio because of how inferior he felt to Billy.
I am 30 years old and the biggest regret of my life will always be not allowing my mother (who was a child prodigy pianist and very successful before quitting to be a stay at home mom) to teach me how to play. I learned the basics at about 8 years old, but was too impatient to allow her to teach. I wish I could go back every single day..
I was an Airman in the USAF, stationed in England. The Uptown Girl tour came to London. The video of the show is on here. It was brilliant! We sat in the middle of main floor. A few songs in, a guy came and got my friend and I. Leading us down to the stage. I was literally arms reach from Billy's piano. Even wilder, was we were the only ones standing!! They looked at us like we were doing something wrong, LOL!! In Detroit, there was no standing, and I had my motor city represented... jumping around and cheering. Within a couple songs, the stage area was packed. Great memory.
Billy probably knows all the theory behind his composition. I don't think he was writing it from that place. I think he was wrote the song based on a million other songs he played before it. I he did it on instinct and feel. I think his early albums are phenominal. He kinda lost me after Glass Houses, but the other stuff... fahgettabouttit, fantastic!
I just found out about the weirdest thing in music history that has absolutely no explanation. tuning and frequency; For hundreds of years A minor was 432Hz. Around 1930 it was changed to 440 Hz.???? It seems obvious to me they did this to cause unbalance and disruption. What’s your take?
Would love to see a reaction to this incredibly emotional performance of U2's Sunday Bloody Sunday: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-5Chq5PY-TzE.html
I just found out about the weirdest thing in music history that has absolutely no explanation. tuning and frequency; For hundreds of years A minor was 432Hz. Around 1930 it was changed to 440 Hz.???? It seems obvious to me they did this to cause unbalance and disruption. What’s your cake?
