One of the great unsung heroes of the piano, Mike Lang died earlier this month.
Mike spent several decades as one of the premier musical talents in Los Angeles. He was well versed in various music forms, including jazz, classical, pop and R&B. He was both a freelance jazz musician and sought-after studio artist, with a career spanning records, motion pictures and television.
Unlike many of the other top studio "piano guys" in Los Angeles, Mike could not only read whatever chart was put in front of him by Henry Mancini, Dave Grusin, Jerry Goldsmith, Hans Zimmer, or countless other film composers, he could also improvise and play in most any style, jazz, pop, R+B, you name it.
I had the pleasure of sitting in on a recording session with Mike back in the '70's, and the composer asked him to play some "source music" for a restaurant scene. Mike proceeded to play jazz piano, and each chorus was in the style of a different pianist: Errol Garner, Bill Evans, Fats Waller. It was amazing to witness.
Mike was a true "studio cat", avoiding the spotlight, and s there are very few videos of him playing. In the last few years he began to do concerts here is Los Angeles. Here is a clip from one show at Zipper Hall, with Darek Oles on bass and Peter Erskine on drums. Stick around to the end when Mike starts trading 8s with the drums to really hear his brilliance.
