Alex, Ben, Charlie & David move to the Boogie Woogie mood
– by Radio RockonTour host Timothy Tilghman
Boogie Woogie music is enjoying an overdue rebirth with the fabulous talents of Alex Zwingenberger and Ben Waters on piano, Charlie Watts on drums, and David Green on upright bass. Together, this quartet is touring as the A B C & D of Boogie Woogie entertaining audiences on both sides of the Atlantic pond in celebration of 85 years of this unique piano style.
The ABC&D of Boogie Woogie proudly premiered in New York City with a grand total of nine gigs delivering a most memorable evening of magical music on Saturday, June 30, 2012, at the Iridium Jazz Club made famous by the late guitarist Les Paul located in Times Square.
ABC&D welcomed the preeminent American Boogie Woogie pianist Bob Seely on stage to play dueling duets and Lila Ammons to sing vocals on several choice songs as the musicians on stage rotated in configuration on piano. The stylish Lila is the granddaughter of Albert Ammons and her singing added a feminine dimension to the engaging performance.
The infectious selections of diverse material covered a colorful pallet of genres from Boogie Woogie bounce to Blues influences as well as Jazz vibes to R&B grooves plus enjoyable piano instrumentals showcasing the differing styles of Seely, Waters and Zwingenberger. Experiencing six seasoned hands transitioning across 88 keys apiece was musical mastery.
Zwingenberger, Watts & Green as a trio previously released The Magic of Boogie Woogie in 2010. With the exciting addition of Ben Waters, they christened themselves the ABC&D of Boogie Woogie. Now the prominent quartet is on tour in the Big Apple promoting Live in Paris, a live album recorded originally in 2010.
Ben Waters is a proud protégé of the late Ian Stewart. Stu formed the nucleus of The Rollin’ Stones with Brian Jones in the Spring of 1962. The Glimmer Twins of Jagger & Richards would soon join their R&B combo and the Stones career would begin rolling becoming legendary. 2012 is the British institution’s 50th anniversary and speculation is rampant that the gents have several surprises in store to share with their global fanbase later this year.
The Iridium Jazz Club, New York, June 30, 2012 setlist: [itunes link=”https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/low-down-dog-blues-live/id537384440?i=537385023&uo=4″ title=”Low Down Dog Blues” text=”Low Down Dog Blues”] * [itunes link=”https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/i-got-an-uncle-in-harlem/id315288538?i=315288551&uo=4″ title=”Uncle In Harlem” text=”Uncle In Harlem”] * [itunes link=”https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/whatd-i-say/id465936407?i=465936419&uo=4″ title=”What’d I Say” text=”What’d I Say”] * [itunes link=”https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/more-sympathy-for-drummer/id537384440?i=537385019&uo=4″ title=”More Sympathy For The Drummer” text=”More Sympathy For The Drummer”] * [itunes link=”https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/women-be-wise/id2245856?i=2245797&uo=4″ title=”Women Be Wise” text=”Women Be Wise”] * Spinach * You Better Learn To Boogie Woogie * [itunes link=”https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/house-party-tonight/id303128514?i=303128883&uo=4″ title=”House Party Tonight ” text=”House Party Tonight “]* [itunes link=”https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/saint-louis-blues/id17244037?i=17243976&uo=4″ title=”Saint Louis Blues” text=”Saint Louis Blues”] * [itunes link=”https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/lets-do-the-boogie-woogie/id365388585?i=365389425&uo=4″ title=”Let’s Do The Boogie Woogie” text=”Let’s Do The Boogie Woogie”] * [itunes link=”https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/chicken-shack-boogie/id266820393?i=266820586&uo=4″ title=”Chicken Shack Boogie” text=”Chicken Shack Boogie”]