What Does Jazz Have to Do with "Beat the Clock"? You'd Be Surprised.

When we relocated to Chicago one of my goals was to make new friends. Little did I realize that one of the first would be the city's premiere jazz organist. His name is Chris Foreman and he plays the Hammond B3 -- a massive machine, built in Chicago, with two keyboards and 25 foot pedals.

I was at the Green Mill jazz club last Friday, where Chris has played happy hour for years. He ended one song and told the crowd where he first heard it -- on the game show "Beat the Clock" in the late 1960s. He asked if anyone knew who hosted the show, and I raised my hand: "Jack Narz. He's from my hometown of Louisville." Chris loved it. When his set ended he came to sit next to me at the bar and we talked "Beat the Clock" for 20 minutes. He explained how, as a young organist, he used to listen to Dick Hyman's incidental music on the show and run to his own keyboard to duplicate it. He still can do it all -- the theme song, the music they played before each stunt, everything. And he asked me a favor -- would I know of any source where he could find tapes or DVDs of that show -- anything from the 1969-71 period. And he's called me to check on my progress. So if you can help a guy out, let me know. And here's a clip of Chris in action -- he is the real deal.