I think he started a little earlier than that. When I met him in 1970 he had a little Farfisa combo organ and a big Leslie speaker cabnet. Plus a stand up piano at his apartment.

What you might point out to your student is that a lot of the music that George plays is not from the piano tradtion. Yes, he has listened to and incorporated a lot of Professor Longhair { New Orleans style } , Teddy Wilson, Art Tatum, ect. But he also listens to a lot of Hawaiian guitar, celtic harp, asian koto, and other forms of music. I would think that any student or musician would be well advised to keep their ears open to a lot of different styles of music to see how they can use them to shape their own unique style. If you check out Georges website www.dancingcat.com you'll get some more info. One thing I admire about George is at his concerts they pass out a program that has an extensive discography of artists that he suggests that people listen to. He also donates a portion of every nights proceeds to a local food bank or similar organisation.