Jonathan Cain
Saratoga Performing Arts Center
September 3, 2004

Jonathan ran into an old friend at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. This friend is a very special piano that he used to complete composing the beautiful ballad “Faithfully”. Still there, after all these years, the piano called to him and brought back some great memories that he shares with us:


Jonathan:

The piano is a Mason & Hamlin. It is a nine-foot concert grand piano. It is probably 40 years old. The craftsmanship and longevity of this piano is superior to other pianos. The Mason & Hamlin keeps its original shape; unlike other pianos as time goes on, they sort of sag in the middle. The tension resonator helps the brim and everything stay together. The notes last a long time. There is a lot of sustain to each note. It’s not a rock n’ roll piano; it could probably be a stage piano where you don’t move it around a lot. It’s a very uniquely designed piano.

I actually owned a Mason & Hamlin I bought one about six years ago and it’s in my studio. I love the sound of it when I play. I always remember it being a Steinway (that I wrote Faithfully on) and when I went in there, I was liked shocked because it was a Mason & Hamlin. It’s magical. It’s like a girl you kiss for the first time, you think, “wow, this is great, I want to do this some more!”

This piano really lures you into playing it – a lot. The last time I played it, I was captivated by the sound of it. I must of spent 20 minutes wandering around on it and even my tech Brent was blown away at the unique qualities of this instrument.

Faithfully was written in a hotel room at The Hilton on a napkin. I had a Casio MP1 keyboard that had about 14 notes on it or something like that. It was one of those little hunks of junk ya know that sounded like bumblebee. I had that and I was just trying to get how I wanted to go with the song and roughed it out in my head.

We did soundcheck and of course I went wandering off after soundcheck looking for a piano. Someone had told me there was one where the ballet dancers practice and I found it. Everybody was getting ready for dinner at the time. The piano had this big cover on it. I put my lyrics down in front of it and sang it quietly to myself. I changed a few chords here and there. Lucky for me that such an instrument just happened to be there. I had it in my head that this was going to be a pretty special song.

I never recorded anything from it. Jackson Browne did a live recording with it. He must have felt the same way.

This is the coolest piano I have ever played in my life. It talks to you and is always perfectly in tune. It’s smooth and blows The Whale out of the water. The Whale will always be my Honky Tonk Woman but the Mason & Hamlin is the Grand Seductress.

Photos courtesy of John Toomey