Barry Cuda isn't called the Pianimal for being shy and retiring. Whether he's playing with other musicians or doing a single, this you can count on: the man came to entertain you, and he will! Cuda is not just a smoking piano player, he's also an excellent singer and a total showman. Blues, boogie, and barrelhouse piano styles are just a few of Barry Cuda's talents. He plays wonderful ragtime, swing, and stride. The Green Parrot is the sweetest rowdy bar you'll ever find. The atmosphere is funky, and the crowd is great. I can't think of a better venue for Cuda, or anyone else for that matter. The Playboy people know how to pick 'em!
Barry began with a Willie Dixon tune that says, "It makes a man go crazy when a woman wears a dress so tight". Cuda has such command of his instrument, you can feel New Orleans and the Delta in your bones. His sense of humor is wonderfully skewed. He spoke of eating rabbit (it was Easter Sunday). He named him Peter, but you can't tell his mama. She'll cry her eyes out. He then plays "Here Comes Peter Cottontail' in New Orleans funk, complete with accent, explaining that people come to Key West for 'west and wewaxation'.
"Hey Bartender" is a great song Floyd Dixon recorded first that was covered by the Blues Brothers. Bessie Smith's "Backwater Blues" is a true story about a Mississippi River flood that took a thousand lives, mostly black. Back then nobody cared. Thaank God for change! Even though he says things like. "Meanwhile, back at the wanch", Barry Cuda is a serious and superbly talented musician blessed with more than his share of soul and an astronimical I.Q. The theme from "The Honeymooners" is an instant hit. Jackie Gleason's memorable song brings cries of "to the moon, baboon" and every other Honeymooner's cliche from the delighted crowd. Cuda is Cayo Hueso's answer to Randy Newman.
This is pure, unadulterated entertainment. Barry Cuda is making everyone happy, a great gift. We hear a 1926 Louis Armstrong tune followed by a Latin waltz requested by a patron, "Waltz de Amor". The next request was for "Chicken Rhythm". It began with a taste of "Dawn" from the Peer Gynt Suite and quickly degenerated into a crazed romp complete with sound effects (Eat your heart out, Rufus Thomas). Slim Gaylord and Louis Jordon's classic "Choo Choo Cha Boogie' was a fine example of jump blues or hip jive, your choice. Barry Cuda's running commentary is outrageous.
But there is another side of Cuda. Gershwin, stride, swing, ragtime, the great songs of the thirties and forties are putty in his hands. Cuda can go from raunchy to total class with the location of the gig. The serious side is fascinating and just as entertaining. Barry Cuda is definitely not a one trick pony. You can find him at Sloppy Joes, the Parrot, and other locations. Check Now Playing for days and times. Sometimes he gigs with his eleven year old protogee, Little Boy. Wherever you find him you'll be entertained. And you'll never forget him!