What sort of music brings a smile to your face?
Try this – Jools Holland, Charlie Watts and friends in a style that consistently turns my the corner of my mouth into a smile. It lifts my spirits. Piano in the Boogie Woogie style goes way back to 1930s America.
They came to the wider attention at a famous Spirituals to Swing concert on December 23 1938 at Carnegie Hall, NY. Here is a quote from John Sebastian’s review of January 3 1939,
“The Boogie Woogie Pianists: Perhaps no other part of the presentation received so much applause as these masters of the giant jazz passacaglias, Meade “Lux” Lewis, Albert Ammons and Pete Johnson. Over ostinatos in the left hand, the nimble right hands of these virtuosi pounded out music which was insistent and compelling…it was incredibly wonderful.”
The early specialists had some majestic names Meade ‘Lux’ Lewis, Albert Ammons, Willie ‘The Lion’ Smith, though one of the people in the clip below luxuriates in the name of Axel Zwingenberger! Hey, never mind their names these guys can all play the piano until I simply cannot stop smiling. Seems as easy as ABC.
Does it work for you?
