Stride

Stride Piano

First there was Ragtime… Then came STRIDE!

Stride is a piano style that originated in the early 20th Century; George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Errol Garner, Art Tatum, Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington and Count Basie are just some of the pianists who either played Stride, or were influenced by it. The most accomplished Stride players were, Fats Waller, Willie The Lion Smith, and above all, James P. Johnson.

Ragtime is sometimes mistaken for Stride because it came first and has the same alternating left hand, but the harmonics and rhythms of ragtime are much simpler.

Stride is so called because the left hand “strides” between the low octaves and the chords toward middle C.

Doug Riley is known for composing, arranging and performing with numerous artists in the classical, jazz and commercial genres. He has produced and performed on countless recordings with Ray Charles, Moe Koffman, David Clayton Thomas, Bob Seger, The Brecker Brothers, Gordon Lightfoot, Anne Murray, and Ringo Starr. He had a string of Top 20 hits in the 1970s with his band Dr. Music As a composer and arranger, he has worked alongside symphony orchestras, Placido Domingo, Ofra Harnoy and The National Ballet. He won jazz organist of the year continuously from 1993 to 2000 at the annual Jazz Report Awards. He was awarded the Order of Canada in the fall of 2004.

Tyler Yarema is an award winning Piano Player, Singer, and Composer. He has played on over 50 cd’s ranging from Blues and Jazz, to Reggae and Pop. The Juno winner has been in constant demand for many Festivals, corporate functions, weddings, and theater concerts nation wide. Tyler has been the main attraction every Tuesday and Saturday at the world famous Reservoir Lounge in downtown Toronto for a decade. His prowess at the piano, sultry vocals, and dynamic stage presence make Tyler an absolute “Must See” performer.

John Roby has been a mainstay of the Toronto music scene composing music for theatre, radio, television and feature films. He has scored several feature films including the award winning The Hanging Garden and Beefcake for which he won an Atlantic Film Festival Award for Best Music Composition.

John is also a two time winner of the Dora Mavor Moore Theatre Award for Theatre of the Film Noir and the second with Raymond Storey for Best New Musical Girls In The Gang. With playwright Raymond Storey, he created a musical adaptation of Lulie The Iceberg from the book by the Imperial Princess of Japan, Princess Hisako Takamado. This show opened in Tokyo and has toured both Japan and Canada.

STRIDE is a CD conceived and produced by Keith (Keef) Whiting and features Doug Riley, one of the most accomplished players in North America, with Tyler Yarema, and John Roby, and a special guest appearance by Jackie Richardson. The music, a mixture of originals and standards, is inspired by a new musical, written by Keef Whiting, also entitled STRIDE.

Check out this track!