The Best of Piano Music: Blues

Looking for some great blues piano tunes? Check out our list of the best of the best, featuring artists like Otis Spann, Ray Charles, and more.

The Birth of the Blues

Piano music has long been a favorite of music lovers around the world. The blues is a genre that is often associated with the piano. Piano music has the ability to touch the soul and evoke emotions. The blues is a genre of music that is often sad and mournful.

The Origins of the Blues

The blues is a style of music that originated in African-American communities in the American South in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The style is characterized by blue notes, soulful vocals, and a written or improvised narrative about personal struggles and hard times.

The roots of the blues can be traced back to West Africa, where the music of enslaved Africans was brought to the Americas by way of the transatlantic slave trade. In the United States, the blues developed in regions where there was a large population of African Americans, such as the Mississippi Delta and Louisiana. In these areas, the music was influenced by European-American folk music, spirituals, work songs, and field hollers.

The first recorded blues song was “Crazy Blues” by Mamie Smith, which was released in 1920. The popularity of “Crazy Blues” led to a recording boom of blues music in the 1920s and 1930s. During this time, a number of influential blues musicians emerged, including Bessie Smith, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and others.

The blues continued to be popular after World War II, with artists like Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, and Willie Dixon helping to shape the sound of Chicago blues. In the 1960s and 1970s, electric blues bands like Cream and Led Zeppelin popularized the genre with rock audiences. Today, the blues can be heard in many different styles of music including jazz, rock ‘n’ roll, and country.

The Spread of the Blues

The first recorded use of the word “blue” in reference to music was in 1867, when an advertisement in the New York Herald referred to a forthcoming song called “Mr. Superman Blues” by Harry T. Pleasant. It is likely that the word “blues” was already being used informally by musicians at that time to refer to a particular type of music, but Pleasant’s song is generally considered to be the first use of the term in print.

The blues spread from its origins in the American South to other parts of the country, and from there to Europe and beyond. In the early 20th century, blues music became an important part of mainstream popular music in the United States and elsewhere.

There are many different subgenres of blues, including country blues, urban blues, electric blues, and more. Each has its own distinct history and sound.

The Best Blues Piano Music

Piano blues is a unique and special genre that is a favorite of many music lovers. The best blues piano music incorporates a variety of styles and influences. This article will explore some of the best blues piano music and provide a brief overview of each style.

The Best of Piano Blues

The piano has always been an important part of blues music, providing both a soloing instrument and a vehicle for accompaniment. In the hands of a skilled player, the piano can convey a wide range of emotions, from sorrow and sadness to joy and exuberance.

Whether you’re a fan of the classic early blues pianists like Jelly Roll Morton and Fats Waller, or the more modern players like Otis Spann and Dr. John, there’s no shortage of great blues piano music to enjoy. Here are just a few of our favorite examples.

The Best of Boogie Woogie

The best boogie woogie piano music is characterized by a shuffling rhythm, often in 8th notes. It’s perfect for dancing, and has a feeling of forward momentum. The best boogie woogie pianists are often able to improvise and create interesting and complex patterns.

Some of the best known boogie woogie pianists include Meade Lux Lewis, Pete Johnson, Albert Ammons, and Dave Brubeck. If you’re looking for some of the best boogie woogie piano music to listen to, here are a few suggestions:

-“Mellow Down Easy” by Meade Lux Lewis
-“Roll ‘Em Pete” by Albert Ammons
-“Shout for Joy” by Dave Brubeck

The Best of Ragtime

Ragtime is a music genre that enjoyed its peak popularity between 1897 and 1918. Its main characteristic is a distinctive rhythmic pattern that creates an off-beat or syncopated sound. This Various Artists compilation features some of the best known and most influential ragtime songs, including “The Maple Leaf Rag” by Scott Joplin, “The Entertainer” by Jelly Roll Morton, and ” Shim-Me-Sha-Wabble” by Sidney Bechet. If you’re a fan of ragtime or simply want to explore this fascinating genre, this album is a great place to start.

The Future of the Blues

The blues is a genre of music that is steeped in history and tradition. The blues has its roots in the African-American experience, and it has been a major influence on the development of jazz and rock and roll. The blues is a unique form of music that is characterized by its own distinctive sound.

The Future of Piano Blues

The piano has been an integral part of the blues since the genre’s inception in the late 19th century. In the early days, pianists such as W.C. Handy and Scott Joplin would often play in bars and brothels, providing accompaniment for both dancers and singers. As the blues evolved, so too did the role of the piano, with artists such as Jelly Roll Morton and Meade Lux Lewis helping to pioneer a new style of “piano blues” that would come to dominate the genre in the 1920s and 1930s.

In more recent years, however, the popularity of piano blues has diminished somewhat, owing to the rise of other styles such as rock & roll and jazz. Nevertheless, there are still a number of talented pianists keeping the flame burning, and it’s safe to say that the future of piano blues is in good hands. Here are just a few of the artists who are helping to keep this vital tradition alive.

The Future of Boogie Woogie

Despite the popularity of Boogie Woogie in the 1930s and 1940s, the style went into decline in the 1950s. A number of factors contributed to this, including the rise of rock and roll, which drew young listeners away from Boogie Woogie and other forms of blues. Additionally, many of the leading Boogie Woogie pianists died or retired in the 1950s, leaving the scene without some of its most important innovators.

Despite these challenges, Boogie Woogie continued to be performed and recorded by a handful of dedicated musicians in the following decades. In recent years, there has been something of a revival of interest in Boogie Woogie, with a new generation of pianists keeping the style alive. It remains to be seen what the future holds for Boogie Woogie, but it seems clear that this unique form of blues music will continue to capture the imaginations of listeners for years to come.

The Future of Ragtime

Ragtime was one of the earliest syncopated styles of music and was popularized in the late 1800s. The style is characterized by a strong rhythmic pulse with accents on the off-beat. Ragtime was typically played on piano, but it also influenced other instruments such as guitar, banjo, and drums.

Ragtime fell out of favor in the 1920s with the rise of jazz, but there has been a recent resurgence of interest in the genre. Some ragtime composers are still active today and there are several ragtime festivals held around the world each year. The future of ragtime looks promising as more people rediscover this unique and fun style of music.