104
1
202 * 268
23/08/2024
12+
In the middle of winter 1944, a huge wooden crate is dropped behind US lines in Eastern Belgium. Munitions? Red Cross parcels? No. A piano. A “Victory Vertical.”
Much to the delight of the 106th Division, Private John Coleman’s fingers are soon flying and Sergeant Kenneth Brown finds his silky tenor voice, as young Andrew Parks faithfully turns the pages of the music. But when Nazi tanks threaten to attack and the camp has to be abandoned, along with all “non-essential equipment,” the three GIs must make a choice: forsake the piano and the hope it has inspired or stay behind and risk being accused of desertion. This story of three men and a piano plays out to the accompaniment of the classic tracks of jazz, swing, and blues that are an intrinsic part of America’s musical history.
