The exact date of the worlds first piano is not known but records indicate it was created in the late 1690's.

Italian Bartolomeo Cristofori is credited with creating the world's first piano which was based on the harpsichord.

There are three Cristofori pianos that still exist today and they date back to the 1720's.

The man credited with inventing the piano,Bartolomeo Cristofori, born in Padua, Italy (1655). He called his invention "the harpsichord that plays quiet and loud." He had replaced the string-plucking mechanism of the harpsichord with hammers, which allowed the player to adjust its volume by applying different degrees of force to the keys. As the instrument grew more popular, the name was shortened to "quiet-loud" and finally to "quiet." In Italian, the word for "quiet" is "piano." 

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 on the show

Spotlight Master Performer

Arthur Tatum Jr.  

(October 13, 1909 – November 5, 1956) 

With an exuberant style that combined dazzling technique and sophisticated use of harmony, Art Tatum is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time. Critic Scott Yanow wrote "Tatum's quick reflexes and boundless imagination kept his improvisations filled with fresh (and sometimes futuristic) ideas that put him way ahead of his contemporaries ... Art Tatum's recordings still have the ability to scare modern pianists." 

Perhaps the greatest tribute to the excellence of Art Tatum lies in the opinions of his peers.  His influenced many musicians including Bud Powell, Herbie Hancock, and even non-pianists such as Charlie Parker and John Coltrane.  Many would say that he inspired the bebop revolution in jazz.  

Accomplished jazz pianist, Mr. Stoute has been playing piano and creating music for 50 years.   A native of Brooklyn , New York , he taught himself to play until the age of 18 when he began taking formal piano lessons.   A pianist of worldwide acclaim; Mr. Stout e has performed  in Brazil , Germany , Switzerland , Belgium and Holland .  His love of jazz and natural ear for music has played a tremendous role in developing his incandescent style and expertise as a tasty and brilliant composer of original tunes and distinctive arranger for standards.  His repertoire ranges from traditional jazz to Brazilian.

Mr. Stoute is sought after for a myriad of event themes from political and nonprofit fundraisers to colleges, libraries, concerts, clubs and weddings throughout the country.  To date, he has recorded with Ken McIntyre, Illinois Jacquet, Vea Williams, Brooklyn 4+1 and the Brooklyn Repertory Ensemble.   He has accompanied numerous singers including Dakota Staton, Tulivu Donna Cumberbatch, Cynthia Scott, Vanessa Rubin and Carla Cooke.   Ed has performed with artists such as James Spaulding, Charles Davis, Bob Cunningham, Harold Vick, Clark Terry and Ray Abrams to name a few.  For the Millennium, Ed is working with his groups, the Ed Stout e Trio and the Ed Stout e Quintet.  He is also a member of the Harlem Renaissance Orchestra.

 Mr. Mance in performance on youtube.com

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For more information about Mr. Mance visit his website

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For a number of years Bertha Hope was an artist-in-residence under the auspices of “The New Jersey State Council on the Arts.” Through that program, she performed in New Jersey state-wide workshops. Some of the musicians with whom she performed during that period were Dizzy Gillespie, Frank Foster, Nat Adderley and Philly Joe Jones.

Ms. Hope is also the leader of “The Bertha Hope Trio,” which has toured extensively throughout Japan . She is a composer and arranger with several recordings under her own name: “In Search of Hope” and “Elmo’s Fire” (Steeplechase); “Between Two Kings” (Minor Records) and her latest on the Reservoir label, “Nothing’ But Love.”

Bertha Hope holds a B.A. in Early Childhood Education. She currently teaches an advanced jazz ensemble at The Lucy Moses School and an Introduction to Jazz Program at Washington Irving H.S. which is sponsored by Bette Midler. Her legacy continues as her children carry the musical torch.