MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Travelers at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport were baffled this week as to whether the man sitting at one of the airport's pianos was a total beginner or a professional jazz player.
Witnesses reported seeing the piano player, later identified as Daniel Nyman, running his hands repeatedly up and down the keyboard, plunking out strange harmonies that might have been either world-class jazz or random collections of disparate notes.
"It's just impossible to tell," said Mark Meese, who happened to hear the playing as he walked through the terminal to catch a flight. "He's either the best jazz player of the century or a guy who just touched a piano for the first time in his life today. Judging based on the sound of his playing, there's no way to know."
Several jazz aficionados reached for comment were also confused by the videos of Nyman's playing that started popping up online.
"Look at that speed and precision... and the soul he puts into the rhythms," said professional jazz critic Dwayne Chompsky. "Unless he's doing all of that completely by accident with no intention whatsoever. Either way, it's fascinating."
At publishing time, conflicting reports indicated Nyman was either in discussions to sign a recording contract or start taking piano lessons every Thursday.
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