95-year-old Pianist seeks musicians for jam session

By Kelly Jirsa

95-year-old Pianist seeks musicians for jam session
The Gumtree ad said “Drummer, Bassist & Guitarist wanted for Jazz trio”; they didn’t expect to be inundated with over 80 expressions of interest.

Sam Kinsella, an Activities Coordinator at the Mellifont Abbey residential care home in Wookey wells, UK, submitted the Gumtree ad on behalf of WWII veteran Edward Hardy, a resident at the care home suffering with dementia.

Edward Hardy is an accomplished Jazz pianist having played for over three decades in Jazz quartets. He was initially placed in care alone due to his diagnosis, leaving his wife of 75 years behind in their family home. Workers at Mellifont Abbey noticed that Hardy still had the ability to play piano well and decided to facilitate forming a band for him, helping to ease his loneliness.

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Over 80 people responded to the advert on Gumtree including long lost members of Hardy’s old band. Since publishing the ad a number of musicians have been into visit and jam including saxophonist Jezz Jackson who told The Daily Mail: “Ed was born in the 1920s and has lived through all the major eras of music so this was also a special opportunity to perform with him.”

Hardy told the The Huffington Post “I have missed playing and when I do play now it makes me feel better and young again.”

Hardy’s wife Betty has now joined him at Mellifont Abbey, where Edward continues to enjoy jamming with his old band mates and visiting young ones.

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