The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1944-07-29

degeneracy" 1t was possible &c
maybe he was on the defensive be-
cause he did not happen to have
any boogie woogie in his repertoire
But then, q few weeks later along
came a superintendent Of schools a,
an educational convention announc-
ing that boogie woogie has the same
effect as "a stiff drink Of BOOZE
that II is "debasing and degrading
and that sooner or later il might
be necessary to "legislate" agains,
it. Obviously. this attitude Is on the
verge Of becoming a trend and
ought to be looked into
The whole business has put par
ents in a difficult position because,
Of course. most Of them do not know
what boogie woogie is and they have
no respectable way OF finding out
They would not dare TO ask Junior
for IL he could tell them that would
mean that he was already flirting
with corruption, and il he claimed
not to know they would be tempted
10 think he was equivocating. In q
case like that, quite evidently some
body has TO be brave enough to sub
ject himself to the banefp influence
Of the vice In order 70 reveal the
facts and thus help others to resis,
il.
Boogie Woogie and Marijuans
Have Nothing In Common
Be it known. then. that boogie
woogie has nothing in common with
marijuana or opium or any OF those
other things that you slip into dark
dens to take a few furtive drags Of
II is team you bear IT'D style OF
piano playing! You may possibly
have heard a bit Of IL on the radio
but not much, because il probably
constitutes less than one-tenth OF
per cent Of the total jazz output
Of the moment. Can you remember
perhaps some time when your radio
was discoursing Jazz (by chance, OF
course) and you suddenly had ar
almost irresistible impulse toward
delinquency. which il you had been
ten years younger you would have
been unable TO conquer? That was
boogie woogie, beyond doubt.
In case you have never had thi:
emotional experience. however, il i:
quite easy 10 recognize boogie
woogie by objective means, for II:
form Is clearly defined. II is il
A time and il has aground bssS
that is, the left hand Of the pianis'
plays over and over the same figure
one or two bars long. usually eigh
notes TO the bar. CRemenb tina
startling title, Beat Me, Daddy
Eight to the Barr" No sinister i'm
plications in it at all. but only n
indication that the piece Ii identities
was booGie wooeie.) Aonfnst tai
bass the pianist improvises melodie.
with his right hand for IS long a.
his inspiration lasts.
Boogie woogie is q form OF tho
blues. faster in tempo. fuller Of body
because OF the very active bass. anc
likely 10 be less plain.ive as a con.
sequence. Although there are 4
great many different kinds Of bass
figures that can be chosen, il takes
a mighty good musician TO keep
things from becoming monotonous
with any one Of them. Perhaps Cor
that reason many Of the mos; gifted
jazz pianists, even those with a spe-
cial flair for boogie woogie playing,
are only moderately enthusiastic
abou: II. They can take II or leave
H. The late Fats Waller. for one,
did not like booeie woogie and
would not play il al all.
This very self-imposed handicap.
however. is the thing that gives the
style IS special appeal 10 its out
snd-ou; fans. They enjoy the chal-
lenge Of that repeti;ious bass and
the way !; has OF forcing the i'm
provlser TO be especially inventive
and resourceful.