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VIDEO: Watch Pianist Jazz Up Viral Videos with Original Scores

Inspired by Oscar Peterson, Charles Cornell has a quirky take on famous videos

Charles Cornell's viral videos set to jazz piano are finding an audience
Charles Cornell

Hearing Oscar Peterson moved Charles Cornell to learn piano, but his own original compositions set to viral videos have now brought him Internet fame.  

Based in Denver, Colo., Cornell, a professional musician, has been posting his quirky videos—which feature him seated at a keyboard and the video he’s lampooning superimposed to his right—for the past few months. The videos come from different corners of the Internet, like an old Orson Welles wine commercial, a Terry Crews Old Spice commercial, and others. It all started with him setting select tweets from Donald Trump’s Twitter accounts to music.

Eventually he stumbled across a video that rapper Cardi B had posted to her Instagram account. He saw the comedic potential, made a recording, and then Cardi B shared it on her Twitter. He’s been producing similar videos ever since.

Before his viral fame Cornell had just independently released his album Tales, featuring his work as a musician, minus the comedy.

According to Cornell’s website, Oscar Peterson’s music was what set him on the jazz path. He had taken piano lessons starting as a child, but after hearing Peterson, which Cornell describes as “the most important factor in my musical trajectory,” he set out to find a new teacher. That involved a local PBS telethon auction, an assist from his grandmother, and eventually two lessons that led to a five-year stint with his instructor Lee Shaw.

“She taught me about improvisation, harmony and, most importantly, that music is a language,” says Cornell. Check out the full story on his website.

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To watch Cornell’s videos, check out the compilation below, or click here for his YouTube channel.