In three decades of professional writing, I don't think I've ever used the word "twee." But I'm about to. Look it up. Dictionary.com says "twee" means "affectedly dainty or quaint." Put another way: ...

Although Jerry Lee Lewis devoured boogie woogie at the age of ten, he soon incorporated it with gospel and country to develop his own style of rockabilly. But he always admired the giants of boogie ...

Fresh Air's jazz critic reviews Boogie Woogie and Blues Piano, a new box set featuring remastered recordings from music greats such as Chicago's Jimmy Yancy, Meade Lux Lewis and Pete Johnson. It also ...

First, balloon-shaped Meade Lux Lewis and Pete Johnson faced each other across grand pianos. Then came Erroll Garner, and finally big Art Tatum, his almost sightless eyes turned to the wall. If ...

We need to be upfront with you. The Reader is free. Producing it isn’t. And without your support, we can't continue. So we need you to chip in, even if it’s just a few bucks. The average donation is ...

Boogie-woogie piano master Pete Johnson was born this day in 1904 in Kansas City, Mo. He worked regularly in boogie-woogie trios and duos with Albert Ammons and Meade Lux Lewis. Singer Clarence Beeks ...

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