And that unique, husky, raw voice also was on key. It almost seems like he’s hitting wrong notes, but no, no matter how much he drank, that never happened. He explores some unusual sharps and flats to accent a line or two. Typical of this very classically trained musician, who was deeply into jazz, and who had a lot of books on theory, he doesn’t do a “straight” version of the Don McLean song. He appreciated the suggestion, and was glad it wasn't "Summer Wind." Here, Bobby acknowledges he hadn’t played “Starry Night” in a while, but would take a crack at it. As you’ll hear at the beginning, some comments were cheerfully aimed at Bobby, maybe with a request for a song. Although he was the “star” attraction, with his photo in the window, and people DID come to see him, including some famous faces, it was a bar-restaurant and there was always a lot of chatter going on while he played. The recording of “Vincent” will give you an idea of the scene at Campagnola. He was, to use his phrase, “in the people pleasing business.” At the piano, Friday-Sun nights, Bobby was fun-loving, personable, had charisma, and knew just about every song anybody wanted to hear, by heart. If somebody's at the piano now, it's just somebody at the piano now. There's no longer a sign in the window with a photo of the star attraction. Campagnola remains, and props to them for hiring a guy as erratic as Bobby.
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