Not Your Roger Rabbit Ivories

Sharp-eyed readers would note that I did not, as I had promised, post some tracks in the week leading up to my wedding, so as to illuminate my relationship with Cutesome (sorry, Mrs. Cutesome, or the Gringwife, as the boy Reynolds would have it). The nature of my internet connection, and the fact that I didn't have the choons accessible, scuppered that plan (for what it's worth, the last song would have been "If I Were King" by Cave Catt Sammy).

Anyway, the demise of this plot did not dampen my ardour for posting relatively well-known songs linked by tenuous thematic similarities. Not by a long chalk. Indeed, while sunning myself on the Atlantic coast of Morocco, I had the idea for my most ambitious post of five songs ever.

What came to me first was the name for this series. It occurred to me that the grand piano, a big, great booming grand piano, is one of the overlooked weapons of rock. I'm not talking about the Hammond Organ, or, god forbid, the keytar. And I'm not talking about how Ben Folds deploys it. Nor even always how Jerry Lee Lewis deploys it (if you sniggered at the phrase "Jerry Lee Lewis deploys it" you should be ashamed.)

Anyway, I shall create this new piano series, and I shall name it "A Grand Does Come For Free". Yes I did just do that. Kneel!

First in the series is this from the RZA, and was what popped on the iPod while rocking Essaouira the other day. I already posted something from the album in question, the Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai soundtrack. The import one, obviously.

Features mad duelling scary pianos, and was the sandpit where the RZA learned to be orchestral. I have indeed posted from the album before ("Samurai Theme", if I recall correctly), but this tune does not appear to show up even on that many of the import instrumental versions of the soundtrack, whose listing seems to vary according to who was doing the pressing that day. In fact, of the merchants selling the disc, only CD Universe has a version with this song appearing. Pretty anal, non?

RZA - "Untitled #12 (Free Jazz)"
Buy "Ghost Dog: Way Of The Samurai Soundtrack [IMPORT]" here. Even then I can't promise the song will actually be there.