Pianist Harry Pickens plays “Happy Birthday” as Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Fats Waller, Errol Garner, and a boogie-woogie pianist might play it. Then he discusses the concept of style and its importance in jazz music. He talks about some of his own influences and concludes by playing an excerpt from “I Got It Bad” by Duke Ellington.
Classroom activities and discussion questions available on PBS LearningMedia.