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By request:close up video of pianist's hand position on Meade Lux Lewis' Honky Tonk Train Blues. Original arrangement plus improvised choruses. Recorded at Fritzels during Mardi Gras week 2007 in New Orleans.
The best boogie woogie ever written as played by Jim Hession
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Ryan Burrage on Alto Sax, Jacques Gauthe on Clarinet, Jim Hession on Piano and Will Buckingham on Bass. One of those great fun nights at Fritzel's while the "Three Musketeers" try to get one up on the other, trying to see who could make the other ones laugh!
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The Memphis Blues was written in 1912 as "Mr.Crump" for a candidate running for mayor of Memphis. By 1913 it was republished under the name of the "Memphis Blues". It was the first huge hit for Handy. In this cut Jim incorporates many early versions of this blues, including those by Jack Teagarden, Louis Armstrong and Kenny Ball.
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Jim uses the framework of Pinetop Smith's
"Original" boogie woogie to improvise in the eight to the bar format. Pinetop's Boogie dates from 1928 and was arranged for the Tommy Dorsey orchestra a few years later, becoming a hit again as "TD's Boogie Woogie." That's what I'm talkin'bout......
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Boogie Woogie has never ceased to be a powerful influence in traditional jazz, mainstream jazz, modern jazz as well as rock n'roll. The blues and boogie woogie are the great unifiers: they transcend time and space. Jim plays the head," Beat Me Daddy Eight To The Bar", and takes off from there in an improvised rendition.
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Jim Hession-piano
Ryan Burrage-alto sax
Jacques Gauthe-clarinet and soprano sax
Bryan Besse-drums
Recorded live at the Bourbon St Jazz club. Quartet plays Jerry Jumonville original