After he let me into the MMD boot camp Jody hinted that it was
customary to post a notice giving some personal details.  Since
childhood (I'm nearly 62 now) I have loved the sound of a solo piano
under the hands of pianists who can really strut their stuff -- Fats
Waller, James P. Johnson and Ralph Sutton, for instance (Art Tatum
arrived on my consciousness a little later).

I started tinkling around myself and by the time I reached my late
teens had acquired enough flashy licks to join a jazz band -- *and then
I had a close encounter with a player piano!*  It is impossible for me
to describe my feelings when I first saw this magnificent machine
playing itself but one thing was for sure -- I just HAD to have one.

Within a week one was being moved into my house and I spent the
next six months happily pedalling the five rolls which came with it.
I found a few more, one of which was (now I have to be careful here or
I'll have Mr. Henderson on my tail) the QRS roll of Fats Waller playing
"Squeeze Me".  (Douglas, that's what it said on the label, so don't
kill me if the information ain't correct: kill QRS).  Oh boy!  I was
beside myself with delight!  Now that's the way I like my piano
playing, so I got all the other QRS Waller-played rolls too.

About this time I got to thinking, "Would it be so difficult for me to
make my own rolls?"  So I got a huge roll of butcher's wrapping paper
and with a saw cut it to the required width; I won't bore you with all
the minutiae.  Within six months I had made a roll which played a
recognisable tune, and thought that I was England's answer to Einstein.

That was many years ago; today I can knock out a roll in a few hours if
necessary, using an editing punch which I have adapted so that the
presence of a piano is not vital to the operation.  My specialty is
jazz transcription.  I hope this doesn't sound too pretentious, but I
have trained my ear to recognise the notes and harmonies recorded by a
pianist, and I chop the result into a blank paper roll.

The rolls are released on the Hot Piano Classics label by MMDer Paul
Johnson, and on my own limited-edition JAM label.  Since retirement
a year ago I have published two sheet music folios of these transcriptions.

My other musical activity is running and writing arrangements for an
18-piece jazz big band; we are too lazy to play gigs so we just play
for each other's parties -- mostly Basie, Dorsey, etc. etc.

Every two years I visit USA and meet up with some of my American
musical friends.  We junk, jazz and live riotously until the money runs
out then we all go home for a two-year recovery period.

And that's all there is to my life.  Before I fold my tent and quietly
steal away here's a message for my good friend and MMDer Frank Himpsl
(one of my US companions in debauchery) -- I've lost your e-mail
address!

Cheerio chaps,

John Farrell
Tingewick, Bucks. UK

 [ Among the first issues of Hot Piano Classics (HPC) are the very
 [ first 'modern' piano rolls perforated by Richard and Janet Tonnesen:
 [ James P. Johnson's compositions "Jingles", played by John Farrell,
 [ and "You've Got To Be Modernistic" played by Robbie Rhodes.  Up 'till
 [ then Richard was copying 1920s piano rolls.  Since that time John has
 [ created hundreds of piano rolls, and if he lives long enough he may
 [ be a successor to J. Lawrence Cook!  Welcome at last to MMD, John,
 [ and keep choppin' !  -- Robbie