It's been nearly 80 years since his first piano lesson, but for Joe Baque, there's still nothing quite like having his hands on a keyboard.
"It was my mother's idea," said Baque, of his first piano lessons in 1928.
After almost 70 years as a professional pianist, the accomplished musician now spends his weekends tapping the keys on a 1910 George Steck piano at the Gibson House in downtown Centralia.
"I've been making money at it since 1936," said Baque, born and raised in Queens, New York, with the accent to prove it. "At 14 I started doing gigs. At that time, every bar had a Saturday night trio, with a sax, piano and drums."
At 18, Baque moved from Queens to Greenwich Village. Back in the Big Apple, playing in jazz clubs on the popular 52nd Street, was just a part of the routine.
"At that time, the clubs let out at 4 a.m.," he said.
After six or seven hours of work, he would usually head to Harlem, and play at an after-hours nightclub until eight or nine in the morning.
"They had a house rhythm section, and every famous player that came through those doors sat in," he said, mentioning jazz legends Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker.
"They used to have shows with several acts, and they'd have name acts like Lena Horne," he said, "so I got to play with them."
Playing in jazz clubs was the routine, but the money came from elsewhere.
"The majority of my living was the wedding business," he said. "The stuff paid really well."
Baque also played at auto shows, and was behind the piano at a show in September of 1957, when Ford introduced the infamous Edsel.
"When they unveiled the Edsel, you could have heard a pin drop," he said with a laugh. "They were horrified! Of course, it didn't last long."
In 1984, Baque packed his belongings and headed for Olympia, with one specific reason for the move.
"A beautiful woman," Baque said.
He was performing on a cruise ship when his future wife, Carol, got on board in Los Angeles.
"By the time we got to Acapulco, that was it," he said. "In June, I packed my stuff in my car, and I've been here ever since."
Last June, Baque was hired to play at a wedding upstairs in the Gibson House, and recognized the need for a little music.
"I saw this place, and said 'It needs a grand piano,'" he said. "Penny (McWain, the owner) went along with it, so I've been here ever since."
"He's great," said McWain.
Baque used to play at The Spar, an Olympia restaurant she and her husband own.
"He's been everywhere, and he loves playing here. He brings a lot of people from Olympia and Portland."
To start the new year, McWain replaced the casino area of the restaurant with a cocktail lounge, adding couches and overstuffed chairs to increase seating.
The 1910 George Steck piano at the Gibson is on loan from Fandrich Piano Company, Inc., in Centralia. The owners, Del and Barbara Fandrich, were more than happy to loan the instrument out for Baque.
"Everyone loves Joe," said Barbara Fandrich, who met Baque when she and her husband had a piano shop in Hoquiam in the early 1990s. "When we heard he was going to play down here, we wanted to furnish our piano."
The 1910 Steck is made of rosewood and heavily carved and, Fandrich said, "comes from an era of very wonderful pianos."
Baque said he enjoys performing in Centralia, and enjoys performing for the crowd.
"This is an absolutely wonderful place to play, and the acoustics are great," he said, of the Gibson.
He plays whatever the crowd asks for, from classical to show tunes to Billy Joel or the Beatles.
"Wherever you work, you find their taste, and see what you can do to satisfy people," he said. "If I'm at a jazz job I play jazz. Here, I play a variety of music. I play whatever the house calls for."
Though he's come a long way since those first lessons in 1928, Baque is still far from finished with his long career as a pianist.
"I love to do this. I get paid for having fun," he said, grinning. "People ask me when I'm going to retire. I tell them, 'I'll be playing my last chorus when the shove me in the dirt.'"
Aaron VanTuyl covers education and religion for The Chronicle. He may be reached at 807-8237 or by e-mail at avantuyl@chronline.com.
If you want to go
WHO: Joe Baque, piano man
WHERE: The Gibson House, 221 N. Tower, downtown Centralia
WHEN: 6-9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 3:30-6:30 p.m. Sunday
