Who broadcasts live from his home every Friday night, and has for the past three months been entertaining people around the world with his family-friendly, welcoming, witty banter, singing and stylings on the piano?
Not Jimmy Fallon. Or Stephen Colbert. It’s Ted Baker, parishioner of the Catholic Community of Christ Our Light in Cherry Hill, from his home in Moorestown, N.J.
Photo by Dave Hernandez
Lawyer by day, this family man trades one bench for another once a week, entertaining his Facebook Livestream viewers with “Quarantunes”: a mix of familiar pop, jazz, rock and worship standards. Elton John, Billy Joel, James Taylor, Tony Bennett and others.
“I’ve had a blast, I get so much joy from it,” he says.
So does, it seems, the people watching every Friday night. In addition to family and longtime friends, he has seen people log in from such far-off places as Australia, Kenya and Belize. Even priests from Pakistan.
His show “has replaced the night out” for individuals and families stuck inside during the COVID-19 pandemic, Baker says. “This music has connected people. The show is something people look forward to.”
Describing his love for tickling the ivories, he says “there’s never been a time where a piano wasn’t a part of my life.” As a 2-year-old he received a piano at Christmas.
Baker isn’t unfamiliar with audiences. In high school, he and his friends played weekends at local venues. When Baker was a senior at Saint Joseph’s University, the music director abruptly departed. Baker ended up taking his place.
“I found myself playing for thousands” at university Masses, concerts, baccalaureates and special occasions, including the time the Prime Minister of Ireland visited the campus. “We went out for a pint of Guinness,” Baker remembers.
Before Saint Peter Celestine Parish was part of the merger that resulted in Christ Our Light more than a decade ago, he was involved in music ministry there. Later, for a time, he was Director of Music Ministry at Saint Simon Stock Parish in Berlin, his hometown.
When the lockdown began three months ago, Baker began noticing musicians such as John Legend and Chris Martin performing from their own homes. This, coupled with the encouragement of friends, was the genesis for the livestream.
Just hoping to entertain others, his first show 13 weeks ago, a Friday at 6:30 p.m., lasted two hours and received about 140-150 views.
“I was surprised” at the viewership, and decided to keep it going, Baker says.
Baker keeps it loose and comfortable for performances, providing an intimate Friday night setting.
He welcomes viewers as he sees them pop into the feed, and also interacts on-camera with an integral part of the show — his 14-year old daughter, Macy, who is “the fuel for the show, keeping it going,” acting as camera operator and “cheerleader” for him, monitoring the Live Feed, taking song requests, and engaging in father-daughter banter.
“Our chemistry is fun,” Baker said. She’s become as ubiquitous as him on Friday nights.
His wife, Megan, and sons Daniel, 18, and Joseph, 16, also serve as part of the live studio audience, clapping after each piece and calling out song requests.
There is no planned setlist for the nights, he says. The chosen ones come from a combination of requests and his own tastes.
“Sometimes, I think of the next song while playing the current one,” he says.
Occasionally, his day job as a lawyer representing families in cases involving the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCCP, formerly DYFS) takes him right up to the piano without dinner. A glass of wine, though, is ever-present on the Estonia piano he holds court over.
Baker is not afraid to have some fun in the wardrobe department, either. One Friday saw him perform in a tuxedo, and another saw him recreate Elton John’s sequined Dodgers baseball uniform look.
Now that New Jersey is lifting some restrictions, including allowing outdoor dining, Baker is not sure if the regular Friday shows will continue, but he has begun to think about providing special performances for charity in the future.
His past shows all remain in perpetuity, though, on his “Ted Baker” Facebook page for those looking for some classic tunes and a comfortable atmosphere. Baker is happy and grateful to be able to able to provide pleasing sounds in an unpleasant time.
“This music has connected people and given them an escape,” he says.
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