Ben Paterson
Piano Solo on
Blame it On My Youth

About

Ben Paterson's half-chorus piano solo is the sole improvisation on this alternate version of the Levant-Heyman ballad. Over half of the 32-bar AABA' form at 64 BPM in B-flat, Paterson plays with contemplative, richly harmonic phrasing that draws out the melancholy beauty of Levant's chord changes. The slightly slower tempo compared to the primary version lends an even more introspective quality, and the more prominent role given to Paterson's solo in this arrangement allows him to explore the emotional landscape with greater depth.

Ben Paterson was 40 to 41 years old at the time.