Two You-Tube music videos of interesting music.

[elagache]

Dear WeatherCat Musicologists, . . . . .

On Thursday I was listening to JazzRadio.com Guitar Jazz station when I heard something very interesting - but it really wasn't Jazz.  The band was called GrooveQuaker.  With a name like that I had to investigate!  I found this You-Tube video of the band performing:

https://youtu.be/6hWMCFCS6KM

The German band consists of a guitar duo plus an additional fellow that does percussion.  No doubt, extremely eclectic music, but I know that Stu and some other guys on this forum are serious guitar players.  I thought they might be interested in a very different guitar playing technique.

A little too New Age styled for you?  Okay, I've got something else that is simply a lot of fun.  Have you heard the Boogie Woogie style of piano?

The following is an excerpt from  Jools Holland's "Later" TV Program, September 2009 showing Jools Holland performing with the "ABC and D of Boogie Woogie." 

https://youtu.be/H8c52MfpqPs

If you are in a hurry skip past the interview at the beginning and get to the point where the pianos start getting a workout.  If you don't get a kick out of this, you may not have a pulse! 

Cheers, Edouard 

[Blicj11]

Listened to both of the links and liked them both. Thanks for sharing.

[elagache]

Dear Blick and WeatherCat audiophiles,

Listened to both of the links and liked them both. Thanks for sharing.

It turns out that GrooveQuaker does have an album that is available in the United States.  You can buy it at CD-Baby:

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/groovequaker

One of these days I'll sit down and actually listen to the previews to see if I like enough to buy it.

Also, there is a lot more Boogie Woogie music out there than you would imagine.  Unfortunately, the original heyday of Boogie Woogie music was in the 1930s-40s.  So any recordings from the period have poor sound quality.  Nonetheless, there are a number of contemporary artists who have taken up this demanding style of piano playing.  With some searching, I've managed to collect over 6 hours of this sort of music - enough to make a playlist that can go the whole day.  It is a refreshing change of pace and a pick-me-up on a gloomy day.

Cheers, Edouard 

[Blicj11]

I really liked the video of the old timers playing the piano from back in the day that was part of the Jools Holland video. It was fun to watch.

[elagache]

Dear Blick and WeatherCat fans of nifty old-time music!

I really liked the video of the old timers playing the piano from back in the day that was part of the Jools Holland video. It was fun to watch.

Me too! Boogie Woogie is neat to listen to, but it is so much more amazing when you see how these pianos are played!

Cheers, Edouard 

[elagache]

Dear WeatherCat musicologists,

I finally got my act together and previewed the GrooveQuacker album mentioned above.  The previews were encouraging so I bought the album as an MP3 download (2/3 the price of a CD.)  If you like this sort of acoustic folk-styled music with a high degree of musicianship, it is definitely worth taking the time to listen to the previews.  It is music similar in tradition to Leo Kottke, Billy McLaughlin, and Michael Hedges.

A little too introspective and eclectic for you?  Well, I happened to have picked up another Boogie Woogie album at the same time!

https://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bigclayton

Although, I don't think that's the most Boogie Woogie bang for your buck on CD-Baby though.  That album would probably be Drivin' the Boogie by Chris Conz Trio:

https://www.cdbaby.com/cd/chrisconztrio

which I purchased a few months back.  Amazingly, between old music and making some searches for Boogie Woogie music, I've managed to create a playlist of almost 10 hours of this sort of music.  It is definitely a nice pick-me-up on a gloomy day.

Cheers, Edouard