PRJC FREE Zoom Jazz Talk: Barrelhouse & Boogie Woogie Piano w/Tom Roberts

PLEASE NOTE: RSVP ON MEETUP DOES NOT REGISTER YOU FOR THIS EVENT! YOU MUST REGISTER USING THIS LINK BY 5 PM ON THE DAY OF THE EVENT TO RECEIVE THE LOGIN INFORMATION TO ATTEND THE EVENT!

A guided listening adventure from rare original 78s featuring Barrelhouse & Boogie Woogie piano. It's like a concert in your own home.

Barrelhouse piano is a high-energy, blues-based style that originated in the early 20th-century, characterized by a driving left-hand rhythm, syncopated melodies, and a raw, dance-focused sound often played in "juke joints". It bridged ragtime and boogie-woogie, featuring techniques like chromatic bass rolls and call-and-response, heavily influencing early jazz. BoogieWoogie is an early form of jazz with wild, improvised piano, and an accented two-beat rhythm.

Join Tom Roberts and The Hot Club of Pittsburgh for a guided listening adventure of these musical styles. You'll hear early recordings directly from rare original 78s, including recently acquired mint condition Paramount records, with narrative by Tom about the performers and the music. Live-streamed over Zoom, it will be like Tom is in your own home giving a private show, but you won’t need to check your jewelry or feed him!

You’ll hear Will Ezell, Charlie Spand, Blind Leroy Garnett, Cripple Clarence Lofton, Cow Cow Davenport, Little Brother Montgomery and many more rarities in this listening oriented zoom presentation!

The Hot Club of Pittsburgh was formed during the pandemic at the insistence of record producer, radio personality, and curator of Jazz at Lincoln Center: Phil Schaap who inspired me to create a listening option to counteract the abysmal local radio scene.

Tom Roberts is acknowledged as one of the premiere exponents of early jazz piano and has performed across the globe including performances at The International Stride Summit in Zurich Switzerland and multiple appearances at the prestigious “Jazz in July” at Manhattan’s 92nd St Y with Dick Hyman.

Registration required by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight time the day of the presentation to receive the Zoom link.

The PRJC has been bringing trad jazz and swing music to the DC area for 52 years in the way of concerts, jams, and talks. Our Jazz Talk series centers around early jazz topics and features top musicians and historians. As these are all hosted on Zoom, you can enjoy them wherever you are.

The PRJC began its Jazz Talk series during the pandemic shutdown as a way to support musicians who were less able to work. The series has blossomed into an ongoing project featuring speakers from across the country focusing on trad jazz and swing topics.

You can support the PRJC or our Educational Talks and Concerts with a donation using the Paypal link.

More info is on the Events page of the PRJC web site.

Video recording of the event will be posted on the PRJC YouTube channel after it is completed.

PRJC’s programs are supported in part by the Maryland State Arts Council and the Arts & Humanities Council of Montgomery County.