the gravy train (medley arr. reddy)

Reddy’s second CD, Rough ‘n Reddy (The Ill-tempered Keyboard, Part II) has seven tracks, of which the gravy train, which probably refers to the culture of opportunism in the ‘new South Africa’, is track 2. Like all the other tracks there is a combination of composition, improvisation and arrangement in the way Reddy approaches his virtuoso piano solos. The piece is a medley of tunes about trains, by Richard van der Westhuizen (‘Tussen Treine’), David Hewitt (‘Slow Train’), Billy Strayhorn (‘Take the “A” Train’), Jabu Khanyile (‘Mbombela’), Jimmy Forrest (‘Night Train’).

There is no notated score, because Reddy recorded the music directly in the studio of JNS Musiek in Johannesburg, but the track and the CD liner notes can be downloaded free at checkout. The other six tracks on this CD are get up and go!, ubunene ngamandla, namibia, vrede vanaand, sweet suite, and lîla’s song for winnie-the-pooh.