VIDEO: Tickled Ivories, but No Dueling Pianos

The Derby Deli & Dueling Piano Bar is directly off the 405 freeway Crown Valley Parkway exit, inside the l on the second floor. Parking is free.

Douglas is one of two pianists who work there regularly.  He’s casually dressed in jeans, and when I ask, he tells me that he and his partner Steve never use a last name. I can just call him Douglas, like everyone else does, he advises me. It was all very mysterious.

Before he takes a seat at the piano, Douglas passes out cards that encourage people to write the title of the song they want to hear and the artist who sings that song, then sign their names. There’s a space to write what the guest is celebrating that evening (if anything) and a short list of Derby Dueling Piano rules. No. 1? “Sing and have fun.” 

Everyone seems prepared to do that! No. 2 encourages patrons to request songs and reminds us that requests with the highest tips are played first. 

No. 3 reads “Take Control.” When one pianist is playing a song you hate, you can stop that song by tipping the other pianist and requesting another tune. And so the dueling begins! No. 4 reminds us that “instant requests cost $20,” and No. 5 cautions that guest singers pay a sponsor fee of $20,  which covers so-called “courtesy mic rental.”

Once Douglas has walked the tables in the room, handing everyone a card with a pen to fill out their requests, he takes his seat at the piano. With long, nimble fingers, he tickles the keys, playing familiar melodies and encouraging those having dinner or drinks to sing along.

His first song is “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling.” Douglas sings in a loud, assertive voice and stops appropriately at the "hook" of the song, jumping up from the electric grand piano and directing the audience with flailing arms to fill in the words for him. We obediently croon,“and it’s gone, gone, gone,” and then we all burst into laughter like old friends at a family party. 

People march up to the piano with paper money tucked around their request cards. It’s Wednesday, and even though Steve, the other pianist, hasn’t shown up, there’s still a jovial atmosphere. Douglas is quite adept and handles the situation with humor and competence.

There’s a wastepaper basket under the piano keys. As Douglas sings and plays the requested tunes, he balls up the request sheets and tosses them here. His repertoire is massive, and when he isn’t quite sure about the lyrics to some song, or needs help with chord changes, his laptop is handy. The one-man band flips the laptop open and pulls up the music charts faster than our waitress can bring us matzo ball soup and a pitcher of beer.

The Derby menu boasts New York deli-styled food, and the famed Jewish soup is delicious and authentic on a chilly California night. Douglas rips into “Great Balls of Fire,” making those keys jump up and down and conjuring up images of Jerry Lee Lewis. Next came a country song to honor a visitor from Montana. She gets up and dances with a girlfriend of hers, demonstrating to the room how to do a two-step at the insistence of Douglas.

He’s full of jokes and has a comfortable, ongoing rapport with the patrons. To accompany the dance, Douglas passes out cowboy hats to match the music, then rushes back to play a honky-tonk piano. Someone asks for the Barry Manilow song “Mandy," and he performs it flawlessly, followed by Elton John's “Benny and the Jets.” His piano playing is executed with complete ease. Taking a wild guess, I figure that Douglas is classically trained and can play most anything.

Derby Deli & Dueling Piano bar makes the evening lighthearted and enjoyable. I may have missed the dueling pianos, but I got the gist of how it works. Douglas asks me to come back on a Friday or Saturday when there are also a horn section and violinist. He says things get pretty animated and exciting on weekends. I think I’ll follow his suggestion.

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