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Gershwin-all music the Doobies havenever played in three-plus decades of goldand platinum discs and fan adulation.Pleased and challenged, Hollanderplayed more than two hours until he tookhis first break, pouring out his typically delicious stew of heavy and light classics, the Great American Songbook andjazz standards. He reinvented the ballad"Like Someone in Love" as a fugue, ranthrough nine key changes and tossed offsome chandelier-rattling tremolos. (A fewnights later, the tune would get a wholenew treatment.)"What you do is so difficult," Doobiesinger-guitarist John McFee volunteered toHollander. '%1d you make it look easy."As usual, Hollander filled the spaces between melodies with anecdotes about theIIftae OldVirtuoso pianist Jeffrey Hollander can play anything.All you have to do is ask. by Michael DrewJeffrey Hollander's surprisinglydelicatehands arelargeenough to reach 10white keys,which accommodatesmost of Athe piano repertoire,includingjazz legendarrivedat the Pfister Hotel's lobbybar,where he playsfivenights a week.Hollander started his six-hour shift wearingone of his dozen tuxedos.As he heated-ArtTatum's finger-stretching bass tenths.upJazz,Broadwayshowtunes,opera,instrumental classicalworks- Hollander has areputationfor being ableto play anythingyou ask,and in any le.When one pa ayarly inventivelistenerrequestedsomeBeethovenand Sousa-stylevariationson a Mozart aria,Hollanderwhipped it up on the spot.While playingfor PresidentGeorgeW. Bush at an affairin Milwaukee,Hollander recast"Deep inthe Heart ofTexas"with Baroqueinnovations,as if Bachhad composedit.On a hot evening in August, Hollanderventiveruns and thundering chords - thejacket came off.His audiencethat night includedmembers of the Doobie Brothers,here to perform at the Wisconsin State Fair.1hreeofthe agingrock'n'rollers,a spouseand theirroad crewsat at two ringsidetables,relaxing from road-tour rigors.They'darrivednear the beginningof Hollander's5 p.m.shift,orderingdrinksand hors doeuvresthat becamesupper,and neverleft.For fivehours,the group stayedplanted,makingrequestsfor classics,Cole Porter,Georgetossing off dazzling arpeggios, in-composers and compositions. For instance,Dooley Wilson, who seemed to be playing"As Time Goes By" for Bergman and Bogart in Casablanca,was faking. Wilson wasa drummer and singer, not a pianist.And why is so much Chopin filled withsadness? Much of his music was composedafter he was dumped by famed female author George Sand, who had several lovers.Around 10 p.m., after thanks, tips andhugs, the Doobies' group retired for thenight. Hollander was exhausted but exhilarated. For him, the memorable eveningwasn't unusual. Over the years, he's entertained hundreds of celebrities.For a quarter-century at the Pfister,he has been inspiring romance, amusinglonely travelers and amazing visiting pianists with his keyboard fireworks. Wellinto his seventh decade, Hollander radiates the energy, virtuosity and scholarshipof his earlier lives as a child prodigy anduniversity professor.One day in 1946, Hollander, thenjust 7 years old, was being driven to ascholarship audition at the prestigiousEastman School of Music, part of the University of Rochester in his hometown,Rochester, N.Y.Listening to the car radio, he heard andinstantly fell in love with a waltz fromTchaikovsky's tbe Nutcracker. Bored withhis over-rehearsed audition material, theprecocious pianist decided to try the Tchaikovsky piece, over parental objections.Without ever seeing the sheet music andafter hearing the waltz only once, he playedit for the audition with improvised chords.It was a feat worthy of Mozart. Hollanderbecame the youngest scholarship winner inPhoto by Jim Herrington

ArtslEastman history.Hollander went on to get bachelor's andmaster's degrees there at Eastman, earning some ofhis first paychecks by leading a high school jazz band. While receiving a doctorate in music at the Universityof Michigan, he began a longtime studentmentor relationship with concert pianistGyorgy Sandor, who'd studied under classical composer Bela Bartok.After a lapse of decades, Hollander resumed the friendship in 2001, flying toSandor's New York apartment at least oncemonthly until the virtuoso's death last year.Earlier in his career, Hollander touredconcert halls more regularly.But that demanding life is fiercely competitive, andHollander settled down to a career in Milwaukee. He has performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra here and inChicago, and he's preceded Chicago andMilwaukee Symphony Orchestra concertswith lectures, featuring his piano orchestrations of symphonic works.He's also had a long tenure as a professorat UW-Milwaukee, where this writer audited his recital/lecture course on American Popular Song. Mter I questioned, in aMilwaukee Journal Sentinel story, how hecould playa tribute to Hoagy Carmichaelwithout including the song "Skylark,"heopened his next class with an eight-minute concerto version of that tune. After thelast cascading note, he turned on the piano bench, stared me down and asked dryly;"Will that do?"University music departments typically value classical music. Hollander has paidthose dues, but also cares deeply aboutclassic pop and jazz, perceived by academics as far less worthy. "He's close to a genius, but was underappreciated at UWM,"says singer Willliam Duvall, Hollander'sformer music department colleague andactor Robert Duvall's brother.And so Hollander has done most of hiswork at the Pfister, where he's played for25 years (as of this December), along witha concert series at the Milwaukee Art Museum, also approaching its silver anniversary. His museum dates run from September to July, and nowadays he performs atits Windhover Hall, surely one of the mostscenic concert settings anywhere.Doc Severinsen, now retired as the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra's principal pops conductor, regularly stayed at thePfister, where he first met Hollander. Lateone night, Severinsen asked if Hollander

---could play "Embraceable You"in the key ofF. When Hollander replied that he could,and in any other key, Severinsen hired himon the spot to replace Doc's combo - delayed elsewhere - in a benefit concert thenext morning. Without a rehearsal, the twovirtuosi played about 20 tunes.Hollander helped Severinsen programseveral MSO concerts and has performedwith the MSO under Severinsen's baton.At the Pfister over the years, Severinsenhas spent countless hours sharing swingera memories and "Tonight Show" storieswith Hollander. "He'd sit next to the piano,puffing on his cigar,until well past midnight," Hollander recalls.One evening, Hollander serenaded PaulMcCartney and his now-estranged wife,Heather, with Beatles tunes and what theycalled "our song," "The Very Thought ofYou."When McCartney walked to thekeyboard to thank Hollander, the pianistrecalls, the Beatle's bodyguards grew visiblytense, eyeing Jeff closely.Other Hollander fans at the Pfister haveincluded Broadway/Las Vegas baritoneRobert Goulet, who often joins Hollander to singalong when he's here ontour. Author Maya Angelou, who invited Jeff to visit her southern residencefor a home-cooked meal.The cast of the TV series"Happy Days,"which encouraged actor Pat Moritato dance around the lobbywith Hollander's tip jar andsolicit contributions. MSOconductor Andreas Delfs,Ringo Starr, actors Bruce Dern, RobertDuvall and many more.Walking through the Pfister lobby witha concierge, R bin Williams stopped deadupon first hearing Hollander. "Who isthat?"he wondered. Informed, he settled infor a long listening session and dropped ahefty tip.Hollanderhas perfect pitch-he canidentifY all five tones in a five-note chord and he can play most ofhis vast repertoirein any key, adapting it in myriad ways forthe delight of Pfister patrons.Whenever he walks into the lobby, Sen.Herb Kohl gets serenaded with a favoritewaltz. To mark the arrival of many Pfisterregulars, Hollander plays signature tunes,such as ''Alice Blue Gown" for various Alices. And when Hollander spots a familiar married customer being sociable withsomeone other than his spouse, he mayslip in a few bars of "Your Cheatin' Heart."&."r., .:,1.'Looking for a night out with great food? How about "grilling your own"at the Prime Quarter Steak House@.Choose from the finest cuts ofUSDA Choice beef or try one of our succulent seafood selections.Grill them yourself to perfection on one of our giant hickory grills.Enjoy an endless salad bar, baked potato & Texastoast while yousavor the relaxed, casual atmosphere.Monday. Friday Dinnerfrom 5 pm -10 pm. Loungeopens at 4 pm.Saturday Dinner from 4 pm -10 pm. Loungeopens at 3:30 pm.Sunday Dinner from 4 pm - 9 pm. Lounge opens at 3:30 pm.Major credit&cards welcome.www.primequarte com909 W. LaytonAve. · Nearthe Airport. (414) 769-13003400 S. 108th Street. Hwy 100 & OklahomaAve · (414) 543-3400Visit our other locations in Green Bay, Madison, Janesville, Princeton, IL.»udhvaukeellUlpl&1lte.eolllOetober ZOO7 I MilwaukeeMagI 55

----Arts}Even the lobby appearance of a collie thatplayed Lassie didn't stump the expert.Promptly; Hollander delivered the "Lassie"TV series theme.For classical fans, Hollander combinesfavorite melodies from an opera or symphony into a unique orchestration. ForAmerican Songbook buffs, he'll dredge upforgotten songs from movies and Broadway musicals. Of course, there are the inevitable requests for "Happy Birthday;" whichhe freshens with many variations.Sometimes, it yields substantial tips, asmuch as 100 from the well-heeled.His record gratuity came from a manwho asked for the overture to Wagner's 1heFlying Dutchman, which the pianist recreated on the spot, incorporating solos fromseveral instruments. A few nights later, theman asked for the overture to Wagner'sTannhauser, and Hollander came throughagain with an extended version.When the guest checked out after amonth's stay;Hollander was stunned bythe gift he left behind: two first-class planetickets to Germany's Bayreuth Festival,two second-row seats for the four-operaWagner Ring Cycle there, and 10 nights ofhotel rooms in both Bayreuth and Munichfor Hollander. The benefactor, it turnedout, was a major sponsor of the festival.The ambience-the embodimentof the Pfister lobbyof old wealth-makesa perfect setting for Hollander's particularstyle. A grandfather clock, dating from thehotel's founding in 1893, alerts guests tolast call. Behind the pianist, couches framea large fireplace and painted cherubs cavorton a painted sky ceiling.Three figures of art history stare downat Hollander as he plays: two fashionablewomen in long gowns in a gilt-framedAndreotti oil and a Trentanove marblebust of Guido Pfister, who inspired thehotel's founding. "When Guido likes whathe hears," Hollander observes, "he smiles."Every cabaret performer suffers obnoxious customers, drunks shouting up requests and the like, but Hollander claimsthat doesn't happen much. When it does,he says,"I just play for mysel " He prefers to think of the lobby as more of a salon than saloon."As far as I can tell," says Marcus Corp.Chairman Steve Marcus, whose familysaved and restored the Pfister, '1effhas noego, although all performers must." Marcus says he cherishes the hotel's relationship with Hollander and marvels, "He'snever negative."Hollander loves playing piano. Evenon nights when he presides at the PfisterApollo grand from 5 p.m. to midnight, hepractices first on one of the three Steinwaygrands packed into his Pewaukee home.His concert series at the museum isstaged amid the glass-and-white magnificence of the ship's bow of the Calatrava addition. Concertgoers enjoy a sweeping view of Lake Michigan. Joggers, bikers,bladers and seagulls may swoop by; sometimes in synch with the music.For the popular/request part of theWindhover programs, bassist Mike Britzmoves in, adding depth and a beat withhis expert bowing and plucking. Perhaps Britz's toughest chore is not losing itwhen the pianist decides to throw him animprovised curve."Sometimes, I don't give Mike much