Casey's ragtime pianist thread!

[nile455]

How about a tribute thread for this man, who I feel is a Disney institution? Yeah I know WDW has more than one ragtime pianist, but this man has been there over 20 years, and has never had a smile leave his face. A case could be made that he's talked to more guests than any on-stage character in all of WDW. The only thing more impressive than his obvious piano chops, are his continued friendliness to guests, despite doing the same thing every day for almost 3 decades. Post your stories here, and it would also be cool if everyone posted pics so we can all see how he's changed (or not changed!) over the years.

 

[Tarheel Tink]

No photos here, just agreeing on his great smile and happy attitude. He makes me smile just watching him~!

 

[disneyaggie]

His name is Jim and, I agree, he is absolutely delightful. One of my newest "traditions" is to get a hotdog at Casey's, find a table near the piano, and listen to Jim while I people watch and have a marvelous view of the castle.

 

[Luv4Disney]

He's awesome! I have a great pic of him that I should post here! Tip: He take requests! He's amazing. DBF asked if he could play "Cruella De Ville" and he just stared at the keys for a minute and figured out how to play it and completely did it spontaneously! Amazing! We love sitting there and watching him play!

 

[nile455]

He's awesome! I have a great pic of him that I should post here! Tip: He take requests! He's amazing. DBF asked if he could play "Cruella De Ville" and he just stared at the keys for a minute and figured out how to play it and completely did it spontaneously! Amazing! We love sitting there and watching him play!

I play piano too, and Jim has what I would call incredible "piano geography" with his left hand. He can engage in a conversation with guests, turn his head slightly to his right, yet his left hand is still going back and forth up and down the keys at lightning speeds with rarely a wrong note. I guess when you've been doing that style of music for that long, it just becomes programmed in you.

 

[boBQuincy]

Musicale Mark sometimes plays at Casey's Corner along with his nighttime rounds on his bicycle piano at Boardwalk.
Mark is a great piano player and ad-libber, be sure to catch him at Boardwalk.


boB

 

[Dizfreak]

Jim is my favorite performer in WDW. Always have to stop and watch if he's playing and hope he'll come out when we got a dog and some fries. Let's hope he doesn't get replaced by someone "hipper" like the Dapper Dans and DL.

 

[loriandmatt]

If any CMs are checking out these boards, please let this man know that we are over here gushing about how great he is.

We also love getting a dog and hanging out listening to him play. we have had several conversations with him over the years and my son loves coming up with requests for him. he is just so talented and such a great part of our WDW experience. (want a treat - ask him to play Grim Grinning Ghosts for you.)

We have thanked him in person for what he does. (and plan on doing so again and again as we visit in the future) He is one of our favorite WDW experiences/memories.

- lori

 

[Mom2DS]

Here, here!! I wholeheartedly agree with a tribute thread to this guy. He was one of our Disney surprises the last time we went. We thought we were just stopping in to a quaint little hot dog shop for lunch -- didn't know that we would be treated to some really great music too! It's one of the things that we all remember from that trip.

 

[nile455]

Was at MK today and I didn't see Jim. In fact I haven't seen him the last few times I've been. Can anyone confirm that he is in fact still there?

 

[nile455]

Was at MK today and I didn't see Jim. In fact I haven't seen him the last few times I've been. Can anyone confirm that he is in fact still there?

Anyone?

 

[grimley1968]

I love Jim. His musical "ear" is incredible. What I find truly amazing about his smile is that he does it ALL the time, no matter how hot it is, or how much people are ignoring him while they eat, or how many birds are going after stray food next to his feet. Can you imagine being able to smile when it's 90 degrees and humid and you have to wear those long-sleeve shirts, pants, etc.?

This guy is in a tie with Art the Greeter (at Beach Club) for my favorite CM of all time.

 

[kima86]

My husband took this picture last year while we were at the MVMCP...

He is amazing (and very easy to talk to!!!).

Kim

 

[grimley1968]

My husband took this picture last year while we were at the MVMCP...

He is amazing (and very easy to talk to!!!).

Kim

Cool pic! Thanks for posting that.

I can't imagine how exhausted he must have been at that time, after probably pulling a regular shift during the day, then doing MVMCP at night. On the bright side, the MVMCP is probably about the only time that outfit he has to wear isn't brutally hot.

 

[beattyfamily]

Here's our picture from one of our first trips to Disney. It took all day for me to find it but I finally did.

 

[bearzabout]

I talked to him for a while. I was surprised to find out he couldn't read music! He said everything he plays is learned by ear.

He also said that there is a least one full time piano tuner that tunes each of the pianos on property weekly.

The other person that plays never seems that interested in his job. Jim will stay and play beyond his 20 minutes if he has in interested audience. I've never seen the other guy stay for his whole 20 minutes.

 

[WDWNJ]

I have a great video of Jim from many years ago. He was still a kid back then, but very very talented. We love to relax at casey's and listen to him play. One time we asked him to play Barouque (sp) Hoedown from the Electric Light Parade. He told us he wasn't allowed to, and wouldn't/couldn't ellaborate.....

 

[Mickey's Sister]

I'm so glad I found this thread. I hope he's still playing when we visit next year...believe it or not, after 4 trips, we've never seen him. To me, acts like Jim's are what makes Disney so special...it's that extra unexpected bit of pixie dust. I hope too that CM's are reading this and can pass on the information.

Jessica

 

[parkhopperinny]

Jim is an asset to the Magic Kingdom and his skills on the piano are among the best I have ever seen. I have emailed Disney in the past complimenting Jim for his work.

We always make time to stop by and listen for a while. His Disney spirit and attitude are absolutely amazing.

 

[Mark P.]

Great thread!!

I like when Jim finishes a song, stands up, faces the audience and does that special bow and a smile.

May sound simple but, enjoying a Casey's hot dog & fries and watching Jim play is one of those traditions that keeps us coming back year after year...