Roding Valley

Jazz Appreciation

Convenor - Roy

Venue - The Home of a member in Theydon Bois

Day and Time - 3rd Wednesday monthly from 2.30pm to 4.30pm

This is now a shared group with Buckhurst Hill and Epping Forest

The Aim - To look at the History of jazz music. This is by looking at the lives and hearing the music of those pioneers that created this sensational music way back then. So come and foot tap with us.

Over the past three months I have told story of the piano style known as Boogie-Woogie. On the 20th December I began with Boogie-Woogie. I ended the story of Boogie-Woogie at our meeting on 21st February with a flourish from Fats Domino and Jerry Lee Lewis, the latter used a lot of Boogie Beat in many of his Country style hits, most of them are familiar to many of us.

At our meeting on the 21st March I moved on to my next distinctive style of Piano Jazz music. This is known a STRIDE. It is called STRIDE as the fingers during the course of the compositions of both hands stride up and down the keyboard, in almost every case at high speed. So to play this kind of piano jazz you need very nimble fingers and thumbs too.
In order to illustrate and demonstrate this, I showed a video on YouTube, as I had with Boogie-Woogie, of how to play Stride Piano. If you care to see the video for yourselves then you will know what I mean. .

It is difficult to find out exactly when stride style was actually was first played. The earliest examples I could find were compositions by James P.Johnson, who before 1920 had recorded piano rolls. His 1921 recordings on disc were Carolina Shout (A standard recorded by most Stride Piano players, including Hank Duncan, Dick Hyman, Don Ewell and of course James P. Johnson}. The other recordings from 1921 by James.P. Johnson that we listened to were, Harlem Strut and Keep off the Grass. There are many other other recordings too composed and played by James P. Johnson over the years. We heard from those stride players I have already mentioned. I have 6 well and not so well known players who contributed to the albums of stride style pianists to play for your pleasure. Some stride pianists had their own groups whilst others played with well known jazz bands at the time like Joe 'King' Oliver and many others.
Boogie-Woogie and other types of traditional and Swing Jazz Music have seem to be almost forgotten except by a few stalwarts. Although there are a few young pianists that are still playing both Boogie-Woogie and Stride styles. In the main, time has not been kind to many of the veteran players, who are getting old, have passed away or indeed retired from playing. Thankfully we have a wealth of their music to listen to and watch those pioneers on YouTube or indeed on CD. Jazz will continue to evolve. I will be continuing my story of Stride piano at my next meeting.

Sadly, due to lack of support from members over recent months, like several Roding Valley groups, I am placing group meeting on hold until July 17th, when I hope that my jazz appreciation group will attract more members. I hope that I will be able to continue. This is up to the members. In the meantime I would like to thank Keith Ballard for hosting the meetings over the past years.

Click on a picture below to see it full-size with more details.

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More Group Pages
World History Afternoon Tea Group
Art Appreciation Book Club - Non-Fiction
Book Group 1 Canasta
Chess (Redbridge u3a) Concerts
Creative Writing Cribbage (BH u3a)
Cryptic Crosswords Current Affairs
Curry Club Discussion Group
Duplicate Bridge Group Family History
Film Club Gardening Group 1
Gardening Group 2 Gardening Group 4
Golf for Fun (Redbridge u3a) Jazz Appreciation
Kayaking Keep Fit
Latin Lives of Artists
Motor Cycle Riders Outings
Practical Art Pub Lunch Group
Quiz Club Rummikub
Science Group Scrabble
Singing For Fun (BH u3a) Spanish Conversation
Stitchery Tenpin Bowling (Redbridge u3a)
Theatre Walking Cricket (Redbridge u3a)
Walking Group Whist
Wine Appreciation