John Cassel enjoys his rich life
12/07/06
BY LISA MCCORMACK
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| John Cassell at the keyboard with Maria von Trapp, the 92-year-old daughter of Captain Georg von Trapp and his first wife, Agathe. They perform a duet on Cassel’s new holiday CD. PHOTO by glenn calla |
Visitors who visit the lounge at Trapp Family Lodge may assume that John Cassel, a jazz pianist who has played there for two decades, was born playing the piano.
They’re almost right; he first tapped the keys of his family’s 1882 Steinway grand at age three and a half. In the 60-plus years since, he’s played at piano bars on Martha’s Vineyard, at small clubs in big cities, including Paris and New York City, and at times with national talents such as Dave Brubeck, Pat Metheny, Chick Corea, Gary Burton and Bonnie Raitt.
He grinned when asked how he discovered he was musically gifted.
“I had a talent of getting girls around the piano, and it’s worked for me ever since,” Cassel said.
Cassel grew up in Ridgewood, N.J., and spent his summers on Martha’s Vineyard, where he got his first professional gig at age 14.
“I just walked into the old Martha’s Vineyard Hotel with two bass players and a drummer,” Cassel said. “It was quite an experience. I had to collect our money from the old lady owner, a real booze hound.”
Two years later, he was hired at a piano lounge on Martha’s Vineyard.
“Before walking into the piano lounge, I hadn’t done much singing other than in the glee club,” Cassel said. “They asked if I could sing and that’s how I got started.”
Working in a professional environment with a lot of creative freedom at an early age helped him to develop as a musician.
“By the time I got out of college, I knew how to make a living,” Cassel said. “And, it’s nice to do something when the pressure isn’t on.”
He attended Yale University, where he spent his senior year traveling with the Whiffenpoofs, America’s oldest a capella group. He graduated in 1958 with a degree in English and joined the U.S. Army.
He came to Vermont in 1960 as an Army reservist and played at the Baggy Knees Nightclub in Stowe.
He could have made a living in any major city, but he fell in love with Vermont and decided to make his music here.
He moved to East Fairfield in 1967 and bought a 350-acre sheep farm. He still lives there, though the sheep are gone and he spends his spare time building rock walls and walkways and doing landscaping.
“I grow great rocks on my farm,” Cassel said. “They split quite easily.”
He plays piano at Trapps Friday through Tuesday nights. On a typical evening, you’ll find him flowing smoothly though a diverse repertoire that includes everything from Duke Ellington to Cole Porter to Jerry Lee Lewis, along with his original songs and music.
Occasionally he sings, his deep, mellow vocals lending an air of sophistication to the jazz standards he plays so well.
“I don’t feel it’s necessary to sing,” Cassel said. “I can play the whole evening without singing if that’s how it goes.”
Though he’s considered a masterful musician, he still enjoys being a student from time to time. Ten years ago, he studied with Susan Halligan, a renowned classical musician and teacher, and practiced up to three hours a day. Recently, he’s been honing his skills with Burlington jazz virtuoso Tom Cleary.
A few years ago, Cassel began recording albums at his home recording studio in East Fairfield. The result: “Jade Lady” (2005), “Dinner Music at the Trapp Family Lodge” (2005) and “Kids Dig Jazz” (2006).
All of the CDs have received rave reviews in local media.
Cassel says his wife of 24 years, Becky, marketing director for Trapp Family Lodge, is his strongest supporter and tireless promoter.
“She’s made all the contacts for distribution and, as we all know, she has a great way with people,” Cassel said.
His creative juices are always flowing. He’s wrapping up production on his second Christmas CD and his second children’s CD, “Kids Dig Jazz Two,” is in the works.
Most recently, he’s using his vivid imagination and his skills as a composer to write a musical. Still untitled, the first draft is finished and Cassel is working on a rewrite.
“The musical dates back to the times when I had a house full of crazy musicians trying to be a band,” Cassel said. “I observed the ongoing struggle the neighboring farmers went through trying to survive. I imagined a situation where the hippies and farmers were forced to work together to save the land from development.”
He’s also working on a novel that’s “sapping his creative juices” though he prefers not to share the plot or characters just yet.
Still, even if the musical reaches Broadway and the novel becomes a bestseller, Cassel has no plans to leave his current gig.
“My career is what it is,” Cassel said. “I’ve been playing at Trapps for 20 years. I figure as long as I can play the piano, it works for me.”