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Comments/Reviews - SHORTHANDED

"....Lance has thunder in his left hand, his propulsive bass patterns establishing a rhythmic foundation for flights of fancy in the upper registers, while his right hand dances in delight through a program subtitled "Blues, Boogie & Stomps." Of the nineteen tunes on the playlist, only a handful are covers, with nods to Huey Smith, Jelly Roll Morton, Mr. Spann, Jimmy Yancey, and of course 'Fess. Lance's originals, all well considered (he provides notes for each song) mine much the same territory, but add his own very personal twists to proceedings, a mixing and matching that sees elements of many styles combined in surprising but inevitably effective ways....

...Sound is utterly perfect, with a bit of rumble in the bottom and crystal clarity at the top; Lance says he tried to place the listener on the piano bench, rather than out in the hall, and the result is an appealing immediacy. Self produced on his own "Make It Real Records," "Shorthanded" reflects Lance's commitment to the unadorned simplicity of real music, real performances. With a generous 70-plus minute running time, he's delivered a slice of pure piano heaven; take it as a history lesson, an aural essay on style . . . or simply sit back and share the evident joy Lance takes in making this music. Any way you take it, "Shorthanded" is an unqualified delight! "

JohnTaylor - Blues on Stage - March 2002

"Local piano veteran Anderson was one of Professor Piano's guests on his second CD and also a member and the prime mover of the 2B3 CD a year or so ago. His solo CD on his own Make It Real label is subtitled Blues, Boogie and Stomps and that's just about all you need to know about it: A lifetime of blues piano is distilled in these 19 songs, with the starting points helpfully supplied in the liner notes. Anderson's two main wells of inspiration, the New Orleans masters and Oscar Peterson are, of course, well represented. Although a longtime Orillia resident, Lance holds forth every Tuesday at The Rockit, 120 Church St. Toronto."

JohnValenteyn - Maple Blues Magzine Nov 2001

" I’ve always found your playing very inspirational and it’s great to now have your “Shorthanded” CD which fabulously encapsulates your talents. There is a wonderful variety of styles you pay tribute to, and every track brims with authenticity, dexterity and a keen historical insight that is no doubt the result of your love for the music. As a keyboardist who can get frustrated with the piano buried deep in the mix or obscured in old recordings, it’s wonderful to have a great recording simply of solo piano music front and center. You’ve always been one of the rare keyboardists who has really mastered blues piano, and this new CD is a great testament to your abilities and artistry."

DaveMurphy - Pianist and leader of the Dave Murphy Band (hardest working man in the biz)

"...For me, 'Shorthanded' is an excellent anthology of solo blues piano styles and a must for any piano player wanting to understand the art. It's actually a great educational tool because you not only played a wide variety of tunes but you included informative liner notes for each song. Maybe a good sequel to this would be a CD-ROM with transcriptions. I love your left-hand work---it's incredibly steady when all sorts of licks and embellishments are happening at the opposite end of the keyboard. If you ever put your body parts up for auction, I'll be first in line for the left hand. Great production."

Will Davis - pianist (Shelagh Hart Trio) Orillia, ON

"Lance I have to tell you ...one of my all time favourite albums that I listen to all the time is Harry Connick Jr. 'Twenty' ...some of the songs on your cd have a similar style (you're both big Dr. John fans) and the whole 'presentation' is similar. I now have another CD that is in that same style that I will enjoy listening to time and again. What I'm trying to say is ...the cd is great! It's really nice listening to someone that makes equally good use of his left hand as he does his right....Good luck with this project."

EdHam - Toronto musician

How to purchase CD
Shorthanded Lance Live!