There’s a crazy old man making noise in a mall. Well, not exactly noise but he’s causing a crowd to gather. The old man sat down and began playing on a public piano. And he set the thing on fire.
He approached the piano wearing a black jacket with the hood covering his head. It is cold in a mall, you know!
He’s more like, old school.
The old man is Terry Miles. Just a dude in a costume. He’s got more than 35 years under those fingers which he’ll show to the mall goers in a few seconds. Terry plays an old man here and even getting seated is an act.
An older lady and a young gentleman move in to help him get seated. That was really nice of them too. The gentleman even got up and made sure “old man” Miles got into a comfortable position.
And now, ladies and gentlemen…
Terry tickles a few keys on the public Yamaha piano. If he’s playing an old man, then surely those fingers have to act the part as well. Arthritis, anyone?
Now Miles does a little tug on his mask. The thing looks about ready to fall off. But his hands are already betraying his image.
So what’s an elderly man to do in a mall? Play boogie woogie! Or as Miles prefers to call his style, “Hackney Boogie“.
What’s amusing is that he stands halfway, knees bent with his back hunched over totally keeping the elderly man look. But the music coming from that piano is an energetic wave of an era gone by. It’s unreal!
And he should be.
Terry grew up in Selly Park, Birmingham. His father, Kevin Miles, is a pro himself who at one time had a band called The Milestone Express. Terry’s grandfather was a pianist who played for silent movies in local cinemas. Terry played in his father’s band as a teenager.
He went around in clubs, pubs, and weddings. He is that good. Just look at all the shoppers and travelers who stopped dead in their tracks to watch and listen to him play. Who is that old man??
Miles has played with many other bands and artists over the years. It was in 2009 that he went on YouTube, using the popular site to teach his followers how to play.
He is so good even a random shopper broke into a dance. Just like they did in clubs back then when boogie woogie came on! Miles taps his feet and gets on his knees, pouring out his emotions on to the piano. That gentleman who helped him just looks stunned!
Even his viewers are inspired,
“I gotta find some people willing to play some boogie woogie with me like this. This is freaking awesome.”
Says one guy, while another fan says,
“I don’t care if he disguised as an old man. His piano skill is AMAZIIIIIINNNNNGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!”
It is out of this world!
See that child in the blue coat watching Miles play? That kid may want to learn to play someday. And that piano is being beaten to an inch of its life too. But it’s a beating people love! That is how you play in public!
Check out the old man’s boogie woogie magic in the video below!
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