A Lesson with Steve Allen on AllMovie

Steve Allen's skills as a pianist were quite impressive, though most fans remember him as a comedian, author, and the original host of The Tonight Show. On this video, Allen's in-depth knowledge of jazz piano is revealed. Viewers are shown many of the ways a talented pianist adds flair to his or her jazz syle with such devices as trills, octave vibrato, "fake runs," and blues riffs. There's even time devoted to teaching students how to build arrangements and add fancy touches to jazz pieces. Other skills taught include ways to play the basic blues, boogie woogie, stride, walking basses, the use of 10ths, and descending bass lines.