Boogie Woogie piano legend Bob Seeley will perform in a duet concert with Daryl Davis, the Mainstay’s favorite Boogie Woogie piano master from Baltimore, at the Mainstay in Rock Hall, MD on Wednesday June 20 at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $20. For information and reservations call 410-639-9133. Information is also available at the Mainstay’s website .
The Mainstay rarely does Wednesday concerts but when Bob Seeley, who has been called the world’s greatest living boogie woogie piano player, said that was when he was available to do a concert in tandem with Daryl Davis, the Mainstay jumped at the chance. This will be a two piano concert with both pianos on the Mainstay’s small stage and the two masters working the crowd and each other for all they are worth.
Bob Seeley, who will be 84 this year, plays regularly in his native Detroit and travels for occasional concert tours and special boogie woogie events which is how he originally met Daryl Davis.
Seeley plays boogie woogie, stride, rags and blues and his repertoire spans piano-music from the entire 20th century, and into the 21st. He has been a fixture at the piano bar at Charlie’s Crabe in suburban Troy, Michigan, just outside of Detroit, where he entertained the locals and visiting dignitaries for more than 30 years. He has played Carnegie Hall several times and most of the major venues throughout Europe.
In the book about the boogie woogie style of playing, “A Left Hand Like God,” published in 1988, Peter Silvester writes “His solos are notable for their coherence and logical progression, which propels them to a satisfying climax. Of all the contemporary pianists, Seeley reproduces the sound and spirit of Meade Lux Lewis with the most conviction and sometimes even surpasses the master.” Seeley’s most conspicuous influence was Meade Lux Lewis, one of the three giants of boogie woogie (along with Albert Ammons and Pete Johnson). Lewis was one of the first to record boogie woogie in 1929 and is acknowledged as one of the early masters of the style. Lewis was a great friend of Seeley’s. Seeley first met him during a Detroit gig in the late 1940s and a longstanding friendship in the 1950s and 1960s developed which influenced Seeley’s very rhythmical playing style.
Seeley also had a chance to chauffer and play piano with Art Tatum, the great jazz pianist noted for his complexity and speed, who reportedly was duly impressed with the music of the relative youngster. Eubie Blake was also among Seeley’s circle of friends and mutual fans.
Seeley is an all-around pianist whose interest and repertoire span piano music from the entire 20th century. It includes the music of Kern, Gershwin and Debussy as well as the standard works of ragtime, stride, blues and of course boogie woogie. Well versed in classic blues, Seeley worked for a while as accompanist to Sippie Wallace, the great blues vocalist who was rediscovered in the 1980s, toured with Bonnie Raitt and would eventually be nominated for a Grammy.
Boogie woogie as a style probably developed in East Texas in the late 1800s and early 1900s with strong influences from southern blues and early New Orleans jazz. It later was a strong influence on the development of Swing, Rock’n’ Roll, Western Swing and the Chicago Blues. Seeley says, “It is a dynamic, exciting form of blues, it’s happy blues. Blues is timeless, and much of American music has its foundation in blues.”
Daryl Davis is a favorite on the Eastern Shore. Based in Baltimore, he is an exciting performer and a master of the boogie woogie style himself. He earned his Bachelor of Music degree from Howard University, where he was a member of the Howard University Choir and Jazz Vocal Ensemble. In addition to being a vocalist, guitarist, composer, and keyboardist, Davis is also an actor and author.
In 1985, Pinetop Perkins, then 72 and one of the greatest Blues and Boogie pianists, selected the then 27 year-old Daryl Davis to succeed him on piano and vocals in the Muddy Waters Legendary Blues Band. Davis is also a regular in Chuck Berry’s band and Johnnie Johnson, Berry’s original pianist, has praised his ability to authentically master a style that was popular 30 years before he was born.
As a performer, Daryl Davis has worked with countless greats such as Elvis Presley’s Jordanaires, The Coasters and of course, Chuck Berry. He was the featured pianist on Cephas & Wiggins’ 1992 Grammy winning album, “Flip Flop and Fly”. As a composer, in addition to his own hits “Boogie Man” and “Broadminded” and many other originals, he scored the popular children’s story “Abigail”.
The Mainstay (Home of Musical Magic) is the friendly informal storefront performing arts center on Rock Hall’s old time Main Street. It is a 501(c)(3), non profit dedicated to the arts, serving Rock Hall, MD and the surrounding region. It is committed to presenting local, regional and national level talent, at a reasonable price, in an almost perfect acoustic setting. Wine, beer, sodas and snacks are available at the bar.
The Mainstay is supported by ticket sales, fundraising including donations from friends and audience members and an operating grant from the Maryland State Arts Council.
For information and reservations call the Mainstay at 410-639-9133. More information is also available at the Mainstay’s website
Upcoming Mainstay performances include:
June 23 Red June
June 29 Byron Stripling with the Chuck Redd Quartet
July 6 The Seldom Scene
July 14 Buskin & Batteau
July 21 Rôles de Dame
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