The night I made music with Billy Joel’s saxophonist

So I played with the saxophonist for Billy Joel.

But I’m getting way ahead of myself here–let’s start from the beginning.

Before applying to NYU, I factored in a variety of different things, including academics, distance from home, campus involvement, city life, potential opportunities, and [less so] Yankee games. But of course, in the back of my mind, I knew that upon my acceptance, I would have an unmatched opportunity to get to play guitar at music venues around the city. So when I boarded the plane to New York and packed my two primary guitars, I thought, like most ambitious first semester freshmen who have no idea what they’re really getting into, that my guitar and I were bound for greatness on the stage…and as I left NYC for winter break, I came to terms that nothing even close to that had happened.

This is me at my peak in the 8th grade

So I got back to New York for second semester on a mission to take over the stage, and I found the place to do it: The Bitter End, a legendary venue where Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, and Stefani Germanotta (a.k.a Lady Gaga), hosts a Monday Night Jam every week to showcase the talents of any musician who pays $10 at the door. Easy! Mama, I’m going to be a star!

This is me as a junior in high school (otherwise known as my second peak)

The second Monday back from break, I took my friend Ari, an insanely musically-gifted man who was visiting me from Argentina, and we went to the Bitter End at the advertised starting time, 11:30pm. We immediately realized that the term “Monday Night Jam” was misleading because the actually jam didn’t start until around 12:30 in the morning. It was all good though, because I didn’t have class until 12:30pm the next day and, to be honest, who needs sleep when you have opportunities like this? (If you are a musician at NYU who loves to jam, I highly recommend doing a MNJ before you leave!) Well, the jam began with a house band, and the saxophone player, who evidently was the man in charge, lead his fellow musicians in about a 30 minute extended song. Oh boy…

1am. 1:15am. 1:30am. 1:45am. They kept calling up singer after singer after singer. Ari then went up and absolutely owned a spur-of-the-moment piano solo for “Superstition.” I grew a little impatient, so in response, I asked the man running the sign up table if I could go up next. He told me that he would do his best, but no guarantees, so in response, I told him I could sing.

Sure enough, I was called up onto the stage for the next song, and the saxophone player asked me what I could sing. I suggested a few songs, and after we couldn’t settle on one, the guy asked me if I knew a 12-bar blues. I told him yes, and after settling on the key of D, he told me to make up the lyrics as I go. Obviously I panicked.

Well, as this video shows, it wasn’t too shabby, and after the performance the saxophonist, who cracked a few smiles while I sang and soloed, asked me my age and where I went to school. We then played a funk song (you can find that video here) on stage together, and after encouraging me to solo on the song, he seemed to nudge the bassist out of the way to see me solo. A very flattering gesture, indeed.

And it was pretty cool considering that he’s Richie Cannata, the main saxophonist for Billy Joel who has also played with Celine Dion, Jennifer Lopez, and the Beach Boys.

So, I played with the saxophonist for Billy Joel. Moral of the story: go out and explore New York City–you never know what you’re going to be able to tell your kids!