Boston Herald Article

By Joe Fitzgerald  |   Monday, August 15, 2011  |  

http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Columnists

Photo by Kelvin Ma

Sometimes, while giving beginner piano lessons to little kids on the Lower East Side of New York, Tuffus Zimbabwe, the keyboard man on "Saturday Night Live," is reminded that all success stories had to begin somewhere, including his own.

"It's hard to get kids interested, and even harder to keep their attention because they get bored so fast," Zimbabwe said. "And that's when I remember that I have to be patient, because I used to be that little kid and a lot of great people had patience with me."

　

At 28, he has no recollection of the iconic stars who launched "SNL" back in 1975, comedic legends such as Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner, Jane Curtin, John Belushi, Laraine Newman and Garrett Morris.

"I kind of know their names," he said, "but don't know much about them."

What he does know, however, is that he landed the job of a lifetime when "SNL's" band leader, saxophonist Lenny Pickett, brought him aboard a year ago next month, the latest stop on a magical journey that began in the home where Zimbabwe grew up on Linwood Square in Roxbury.

"My grandmother, Mildred, who died before I was born, was a gifted singer," he said. "When I was about 4 I found a little air organ she had used as a tuning instrument. It had buttons on the side, like an accordion, and as I began to play with it I was fascinated by the sounds it made. When my parents saw that, piano lessons quickly followed."

Zimbabwe had discovered the passion in his life, which eventually led him to Berklee College of Music where classical training would complement improvisational instincts, resulting in a charismatic young artist.

He then followed a band to New York, where he enrolled at NYU to pick up added teaching credentials. That's where Pickett, an NYU professor, found him when the "SNL" vacancy occurred. An audition was scheduled and the rest is history.

Zimbabwe was back in town last night for a Berklee-sponsored concert on Fort Hill in Roxbury, just a few blocks from where his story began.

"I'd give my best at any gig," he said, "but this one was obviously special, coming back to the old neighborhood, knowing I'd be playing for a lot of people who've known me all my life, including my parents, Jomo and Diane, who invested so much of their lives in mine. None of this would have happened without them. They gave me the values to make the right choices and helped me hang in there while pursuing my dreams."

They also gave him a nugget to offer those kiddos he teaches today.

"I can tell them all things are possible," he said, "because look at what happened to me."

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/columnists/view.bg?articleid=1358814


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Jay

'SNL' pianist returns to Roxbury roots