It’s one thing to watch Toto’s David Paich and Steve Porcaro tag-teaming as they play Rosanna and Africa, two of the band’s biggest hits, on the piano, but when that particular Steinway grand is the one that the songs were actually recorded on, it feels like an even more special moment.
The footage comes courtesy of Sunset Sound recording studio in Hollywood, California, and begins with Porcaro playing the opening bars of Rosanna, which was recorded there in 1982.
“Pretty good,” says Paich, as he observes. “Play it right, show them how it’s played,” replies a modest Porcaro, as he beckons his Toto bandmate to take over.
After Paich has given us his rendition, he dives straight into Africa, another song that was recorded on the Studio 2 Steinway, and also in 1982. “How do you play that right hand?” asks Porcaro, from over his shoulder.
“Originally on the record, I was doing it overhanded, like this,” says Paich of the part of the intro that Porcaro is referring to, before adding that “[Greg] Phillinganes, [a touring member of Toto] when he came on the road, says ‘no, it’s this’, and he showed me another fingering [demonstrates] so you almost have the same thing.”
Porcaro recognises that, when played the Phillinganes way, he’s hearing pleasing overtones, so we’re chalking that up as a win for Greg.
The fun isn’t over, either, as Paich then dives into Hold The Line, another Toto smash, before inviting Porcaro back to the piano to play Human Nature, a song he wrote for Michael Jackson.
“Play a little Human Nature, Steve,” he says, casually, before his bandmate proceeds to give as spot-on a performance as you’d hope for.
“You might have a future in this business,” says an impressed off-camera voice, and it’s hard to disagree.
