Inspired by Boogie Woogie at the age of twelve Don Cerveris taught himself to play by listening to the masters, Pete Johnson, Albert Ammons, Mead Lux Lewis and Jimmy Yancy. Later he fell under the spell of blues masters such as Tampa Red, Lonnie Johnson, and Sonny Boy Williamson. After doing a tour of military service during World War II he moved to NY to become one of the first students at the New School where his teachers were the literati of the time, such as Eugen Kullman, William Troy, Alfred Kazin, to name a few.  One of the original Beatniks, Don made the scene in circles with Jackson Pollock, Ginsberg and Kerouac. A poet, pianist and writer, he moved west to Hollywood and began writing screenplays.  Next came San Francisco during the summer of love, where Don set up shop filming indie movies.  His journey continued as he discovered Krisnimuriti, and cultivating friendships with Jack Nicolson, and Frank Zappa. Don went on to write the screenplay for Run Home Slow (1962) the first film Zappa wrote music for.  Later Don also introduced Frank to his first manager, Mark Cheka. Years of hard work and the exploration of the human psyche culminated into his life’s work, The Whole Book (A new kind of meditation, a new kind of dialogue, and a new kind of poetry, check it out on Amazon—link on sidebar). Don’s piano style and sound is one of a kind.  Each song arose in the moment as an improvisation, never to be played again.  He didn't believe in playing other peoples music or replaying anything he created.  As he wrote in The Whole Book,"you cannot follow another's path, for then it would not be your adventure". I'm grateful that he agreed to let me record some of his moments behind the keys in his home.  Music is ephemeral.  I am pleased to share these one of a kind field recordings of Don Cerveris.  Enjoy the music.

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