boogie-woogie nights - Al boogies with the best...

(See pics from 1st night at: 3rd Annual Boogie Woogie Piano Festival)

(Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/447430301975972 )

Submitted by Al Kanovsky 11/16/12

Okay. Jitterbugs--this is music 101---Time Signatures---They're the numbers at the beginning of a piece of music. One on top of the other, like this 4/4  . The top is # of beats to------ahhh-it's too complicated. If you really need to know this kind of stuff then Google "time signatures".

Suffice it to say there's two/quarter time up to eight/quarter time.  Two like in the Texas Two Step, Three like in the waltz, Four like in swing and be-bop and BLUES, Five like in Brubeck, Six like in orchestral stuff and EIGHT like in Boogie-Woogie. Last night at Arts Garage it was definitely, without doubt nor hesitation, 8/4 time. Eight beats at its best. Piano Bob gathered up a gang of piano players that "shook it up".

Out of New Orleans, Memphis, and even Key West, they showed up to play the first night of the two day 3^rd Annual South Florida Boogie Woogie Piano Festival at Arts Garage in Delray. Piano Bob started it off with Boogie, Ragtime, bit of Stride and some BLUES. Backing Bob was George Caldwell on upright bass. Next up was "English Bob" Andrews. From New Orleans and you could tell. He brought up Joe Panker(drums) to add a little lift to the music. "English Bob"(do you wonder where he's from?) then introduced Barry Cuda (I did not make that up) who gave us a history lesson, via piano solos and vocals of BLUES and Boogie dating from 1861(Cuba) to 1971(New Orleans). Victor Wainwright closed out the show. He recently returned from doing a BLUES Cruise on Celebrity. Victor is as versatile an entertainer as you would want to meet. He had the audience join in on a couple of songs and his rendition of the break-up song "Roberta, Roberta" will stay with me for a long while. The formal performance over, a couple of guys, along with Tom Worrell joined in a good old fashioned, two piano, jam. There's another performance on Friday night with a different line up that includes:

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2012
8:00pm JIM McKABA - Pure Chicago Style Blues Boogie
9:00pm TOM WORRELL - Direct From New Orleans Boogie Blues
10:00pm KELLEY HUNT - Deep South Boogie Blues Songstress
11:00pm LEE PONS - Boogie “Dr. John” New Orleans Style
12:00midnight PIANO BOB'S After Hours Jam with the Guest Players

If you read this in time, it would be an evening well spent.
(See pics from 1st night at: 3rd Annual Boogie Woogie Piano Festival)

*added note: Piano Bob can JitterBug albeit New York "Lindy" style.  

 

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