Mr. Rebennack was known as one of the great boogie piano players. As you can see here he had great, great, economy in movement.
Further:
Rebennack’s career as a guitarist was stunted around 1960,[13] when the ring finger on his left (guitar fretting) hand was injured by a gunshot during an incident at a Jacksonville, Florida gig.[14][15] After the injury, Rebennack concentrated on bass guitar before making piano his main instrument, developing a style influenced by Professor Longhair.
Professor Longhair stated that he developed his style in large part because he had unusually small hands for a piano player. He also stated, quite correctly, that playing styles are usually developed because of a player’s limitations, rather than his strengths, on the instrument he plays.
I play the piano a bit and try not to get too jealous of people who can do it really well. I have a reasonable amount of musicality but I didn’t start learning until I was around 40 so I have forever been playing catch up. I’ve seen quite a few videos of people playing those public pianos that they have in railway stations, some of those are excellent.
I saw Professor Longhair in London at one of his ( the? ) last concerts. Just him and a conga player.
One of the best gigs ever.
If you ever get a chance, go see Bayou Maharajah, the documentary that Lily Keber made about about James Booker. Incredible.
Rebennack’s career as a guitarist was stunted around 1960, when the ring finger on his left (guitar fretting) hand was injured by a gunshot
Yet Django got by with only three fingers on his left (guitar fretting) hand. And what he and Grappelli created was truly magical.
There’s a reason none of the comments is about Rebennack.
There’s no better music for relaxing in a darkened room with a herbal ciggy than his “Gris Gris” album.