Tony the Piano Man

I generally wear a shirt and tie or a Tuxedo, depending on the event. I prefer to be over-dressed rather than under-dressed for the occasion. I can provide a keyboard or use your (tuned) piano. Either is fine for me. I will show up early with a small sound system that is completely self-contained. Your group can expect a blend of old standards and pop/rock music with a sprinkling of jazz thrown in. I custom tailor my song selection to cater to your crowd. I do not "over play" the crowd! They will be able to carry on conversation during my playing time. I am a real stickler on this last point. I always try to accommodate requests, if I can.

Tony Klatt has been a professional musician and entertainer for over 50 years, beginning at the tender age of 15. “I started booking weddings and parties back in high school. I noticed that all my buddies who were in rock & roll bands rehearsed a lot but never really got to play out very much, and if they did, it was mostly for soft drinks and sandwiches,” says Klatt. “I was more interested in honing my craft in front of a live audience. My father was a big band trumpet player back before WW II and he gave me some excellent advice when I was starting out. He said that if you want to be a professional musician, you better know all the old standards. He could not have been more correct!”

“I have found that knowing the old tunes opens a lot of doors and helps you be a better, more-well rounded musician and entertainer. Not that I only play old songs – I play standards, country, pop, blues, rock & roll, jazz – a little bit of everything. Diversity is the name of the game when you are performing for a wide ranging audience. You never know what they will want to hear, so you better be prepared.”

Klatt has played venues across the Southeast over his career ranging from country & western bars to weddings to jazz clubs to concert stages. His Jazz band even played at the prestigious Monteux Jazz Festival to an audience of 5000 in Atlanta. “I would have to say that the festival was a definite high point in terms of audience size, but I must tell you this: Every single person in an audience is important and you have to play just as intently to a crowd of five as you do to a crowd of 5000. In truth, I am there to entertain, no matter the size of the group. The folks in the chairs have honored me by giving me their precious time, so I honor them back by doing my level best to entertain them and bring some joy to their day.”

I try to customize every performance to the group and play what they want to hear – songs that they grew up listening to. I have a song list of close to 200 tunes that covers a lot of ground. I can play standards from the 30s & 40s, country, pop, blues, jazz, rock & roll – you name it and I can probably pull out a song from that era.