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Light Drizzle and Breezy 96-year-old pianist works the ivories in Hewlett
David Wilson is still taking requests at Mezzanote
Walking into Mezzanote in Hewlett, one would notice the welcoming staff, the Italian charm and the beaming smile of the 96-year-old singer and pianist who takes requests every Friday, Saturday and Sunday night.
David Wilson carries no music, reads no notes from a page, but plays and sings memorized scores, adored classics and patron’s requests. Everything from Gershwin to show tunes, from Italian to Jewish songs, his repertoire is impressive.
The journey to Long Island from his Washington Heights home takes Wilson from the A train to Penn Station, where he catches the train to Jamaica and then changes to Far Rockaway, eventually bringing him to Hewlett. Picked up by his coworkers, Wilson arrives at the restaurant excited and ready to play.
“Now at my age most of my friends have passed on,” said Wilson. “So naturally, when I come here Friday, Saturday and Sunday it’s like an outing for me. It keeps me from sitting home looking at four walls, cause I live alone.”
Growing up in Jamaica, Queens, Wilson was the second oldest of eight children. He moved to the city in his teens to become a stand-up singer. In his 30s, he learned how to accompany himself on the piano.
“In those years they had nightclubs all around where you could work,” said Wilson. “There was ‘A Chorus Line’ and I used to sing in between on the floor.”
Continuing his career in music, Wilson’s agent began booking him with piano players. He recalled losing jobs because “every time I would have a job most piano players would drink.” In his 30s, Wilson went to Lolita Valdez, a piano teacher who taught him to accompany himself, a skill he has utilized for over 50 years.
Wilson recalls working in clubs in several states up and down the east coast and all the way up to Canada. “I stopped and came back to New York and I started working,” said Wilson. “Cause in those years there were piano bars in all the clubs. All the hotels along Broadway, they all had piano bars and I came and I was able to get jobs.”
Wilson is happy playing at Mezzanote for three years now. He speaks fondly of the staff and owners, calling them like a family. While he speaks, waiters signal a friendly hello and offer him tea. He smiles the entire time and sings their praises.
