Asia Minor (instrumental)

"Asia Minor" is a 1961 instrumental recording by Jimmy Wisner (operating under the name Kokomo so as to not alienate his jazz fans). It is a rock and roll adaptation of Edvard Grieg's "Piano Concerto in A Minor", using shellac on the hammers of a cheap piano so as to induce a honky-tonk sound. He was turned down by 10 labels and had to release the track on his own label Future Records. The song became a hit, reaching No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 35 on the UK Singles Chart, despite having been banned by the BBC, which at the time refused airplay for music found to violate various standards, including pieces deemed to "[distort] melody, harmony and rhythm".