Boogie Woogie

Overview

As mentioned in Lesson 1, the 12-bar blues was one of the most popular African American musical forms in the early to mid-twentieth century. In this lesson, we look at the blues as a genre, focusing on two specific types: the rural blues and the urban blues. These two types of blues shared many characteristics, but at the same time, they are clearly distinguishable from each other. Early blues recordings also make an excellent case study of race records and the treatment of African American musicians in the recording studio and by the recording industry. In addition, we will see some other blues-inspired music, such as boogie woogie and blues-based or blues-inspired popular songs.

Objectives

Examine two specific types of blues to understand the musical form, instrumentation, harmony, and lyric content of each
Consider the listenership of each type of blues music, examining how these musics were recorded, marketed, and consumed by both white and African American audiences
Examine the specific aspects that are key to African American music, such as call and response and blue notes
Identify the 12- bar blues form
Identify the performers associated with rural blues
Identify the performers associated with urban blues

Typical Boogie Woogie

Another kind of blues-influenced music grew up among piano players in the lumber and turpentine camps of Texas and Louisiana. It soon spread to the inner-city clubs of the midwest, and became particularly popular in Chicago. In boogie-woogiea style of blues played on the piano that is characterized by eighth-note ostinatos in the left hand and highly ornamented melodies in the right, eighth-note ostinato patterns generate a driving rhythm in the left hand while the right hand embroiders that pattern with a variety of highly ornamented melodies. Recordings such as Pinetop Smith’s "Pinetop’s Boogie Woogie ♫" show off these repeated bass figures and rhythmically contrasting right-hand melodies. Boogie-woogie was music meant for dancing, and it was a staple of Chicago "rent parties." A tenant might host a rent party if he was unable to make his rent payment one month. During these parties, a hired pianist would play boogie woogie music all night while people danced, drank, ate, and socialized. Everyone who attended would chip in some money, and usually the host earned enough by the end of the night to not only pay for the expenses of the party (including the pianist’s fee) but also to cover their rent that month.

“The blues. It runs through all American music. Somebody bending the note. The other is the two-beat groove. It's in New Orleans music, it's in jazz, it's in country music, it's in gospel.”

-Wynton Marsalis

“Because the blues is the basis of most American music in the 20th century. It's a 12-bar form that's played by jazz, bluegrass and country musicians. It has a rhythmic vocabulary that's been used by rock n' roll. It's related to spirituals, and even the American fiddle tradition.”

-Wynton Marsalis

"The advent of boogie woogie was the first time African American musicians succeeded in creating a piano music that was within the emotional tradition of African American music."

Jazz In America