Now it's Singing not Spittin' Mick as Easterby duets on Cole Porter classic
Brace yourselves and prepare for a rare and extremely unexpected musical treat.
One does not expect to see or hear Mick Easterby both dancing and occasionally singing to the Cole Porter romantic classic Night And Day – yet in the name of charity that is what he has done.
The master trainer, farmer and land collector has released through the Racing Post a video of him supporting friend Adrian Greenwood, who this week performed Porter's exquisite love song to a barn full of Easterby's horses.
He did so on a 115-year-old piano Easterby hopes someone will volunteer to restore and revive so he can then auction it for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, a charity he has supported in the past by selling Roman artefacts and one of his coats that was only marginally younger than the artefacts.
In a remarkable music video, Easterby, wearing a seasoned green jacket, flat cap and neckerchief, plays a form of air violin with his walking stick and sings the words "night" and "day" at appropriate intervals. Like the late Luciano Pavarotti, he also carries a white hankie. Unlike Pavarotti, Easterby then uses the hankie to blow his nose mid-song.
"My granddad bought that piano in 1903 and carried it away using a pony and cart," said Easterby.
"I want to auction it for the air ambulance but after all these years it needs varnishing and tuning. There's woodworm as well. A professional piano person could fix it, though."
Any piano doctors keen to assist Easterby can call his yard on 01347 878368 or see him on Saturday at his own Sheriff Hutton point-to-point, where his family will be represented by the appropriately-named veteran chaser My Old Piano.
Greenwood, whose Easterby-trained Mr Snugfit finished second in the 1985 Grand National, plays a piano every week to cheer patients at the famous Jimmy's Hospital in Leeds. The song he chose to play with his trainer was first heard in 1932, one year after the arrival into the world of Easterby, who celebrates his 87th birthday on Good Friday.
"I like Cole Porter and I like a dance," said Easterby.
Anyone watching his video could not disagree.
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