Richmond Shephard / Lively Arts

Read at: lively-arts.com

BOOGIE STOMP, written by John Campana,    is one of the best, most entertaining shows in town.    Two virtuoso pianists, Arthur Migliazza and Bob Baldori, take us on a musical trip thru the past ninety years of American music, showing us, in brilliant duo-piano renditions, the influence Boogie Woogie has played in Rock and Roll, Rhythm and Blues, jazz, pop music, and even Big Band music. There’s an amazing “St. Louis Blues.”
From chord one, and through the show, I had to restrain myself from jumping up and dancing. These guys have the fastest fingers in the west, they sing, and Bob does a harmonica riff that’s like a Picasso painting- abstract, clear, and exciting. He’s a master.    The intricate point, counter point of these two delightful piano magicians gives us a musical feast.   It is directed with great flair by Kirk Gostowski. What a Show!

At the Elektra Theatre,
300 W. forty-third St., Wed

“..is a journey you will be glad you took – educational, inspirational, and just plain fun.”

View at: ELJNYC.com

by Laurie Lawson

You will have to search far and wide to find two pianists more talented than Bob Baldori and Arthur Migliazza. In John Campana’s BOOGIE STOMP these guys tear up two pianos as they take you on a musical odyssey through the history of Boogie Woogie. Defining this music genre as Rhythm, Improvisation, and Syncopation over the Blues, this 100-year journey includes songs influenced and perfected by the likes of Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, Benny Goodman, Louis Prima, and many more legends. And it’s not just fantastic piano music you will hear. Baldori blows a mean harmonica and is handy with a more modern keyboard. Having worked with Chuck Berry for years, he is full of behind-the-scenes anecdotes along with a plentiful supply of corny jokes. He plays sublimely off of the younger Migliazza, both verbally and musically. There is no doubt that these two are thoroughly relishing what they are doing, and they work diligently to make sure that you enjoy it too. The whole experience is enhanced by vintage video projections and pictures.

BOOGIE STOMP is a journey you will be glad you took – educational, inspirational, and just plain fun.

– Laurie Lawson –

Two brilliant, devoted musicians playing the music they love—what could be better? Bob Baldori and Arthur Migliazza are two brilliant musicians with an overwhelming jones for Boogie Woogie music and its many artistic descendants. Their encyclopedic knowledge of popular musical forms over the last century is breathtaking, but their playing of and dedication to their chosen repertoire is even more amazing.

Boogie Stomp! at the Chain Theatre takes the audience on a fascinating tour of more than a century of American music beginning with ” Boogie Stomp” which was a classic of the form: steady, repeated bass line in the left hand under a varied melody played by the right. Strangely absent from the program was any representation of Ragtime, but, perhaps including Ragtime would have been too much of a good thing.

Bob, the older and more experienced of the two, was the congenial host and narrator of the evening, entertainingly revealing the lowdown origins of this music in bordellos, juke joints and street corners. He spoke of many of the Boogie and Blues legends, beginning with Earl Fatha Hines, Bob Seeley and slightly more contemporary artists like Fats Waller and Chuck Berry all of whom provided the chronological arc of the music these two played. Arthur’s ” St. Louis Blues” took the tune from lowdown blues to thumping boogie. Bob played the harmonica and sang in a twangy voice on “Shake That Boogie” recalling the memory of Sonny Boy Williamson while Arthur tickled the ivories. The squeaks and squawks of the harmonica gave the tune a heft. Hersal Thomas’s “Suitcase Blues” came with a colorful story of the institution of rent parties while “Okemos Breakdown” celebrated Bob’s hometown (with photos of the young Bob projected onto the cutout screens of the backdrop). The first part ended with a rowdily improvised “ Fourplay,” played four-hand on one piano leading to some hilarious choreography involving entwined arms and legs.

“Tennessee Waltz,” made famous by Patti Page, was given a refreshing interpretation by Bob, full of breathless hesitations and changes of tempo. Arthur’s “Bumble Boogie” was astounding, his hands a blur as the notes tumbled out in a torrent. Also brilliantly resuscitated was Benny Goodman’s “Sing Sing Sing” in a tribute to the Big Bands. The two guys caught the pounding of Gene Krupa and the whoop of Goodman’s clarinet. It was difficult to keep butts in seats! Bob’s son happened to show him how an electric keyboard could sound like a human voice leading to “By Myself,” a bluesy, but lighthearted evocation of deeply felt emotions. Stirring up images of the trains that helped disseminate this music, “Honky Tonk Train”—backed up by appropriate show and tell on the screens—certainly caught the sounds of pistons churning and wheels pounding the tracks. The finale, “Mojo” came with stories of the legendary Muddy Waters and the sad disappearance of the Boogie Woogie (except as it was absorbed into Rock & Roll). “Mojo” which also included more energetic harmonica playing, was a fitting way to end the program with a bang.

Sonny Boy Williamson, who is considered the Godfather of the blues harp (harmonica) and wrote “Shake the Boogie”  before he was murdered and another musician, Rice Miller, claimed his name and sound. Maldori is on the harmonica here while Migliazza works the piano, the two speaking/singing. Another songwriter who is showcased—Hersal Thomas—wrote “Suitcase Blues”  before dying at age 20.

There are also easily recognizable songs in the repertoire like Waters’s “Got My Mojo Working,”  which they encourage the audience to sing along to. We enthusiastically join in, some even barking when Maldori directs us. Chuck Berry gets a couple of shout-outs with “I’m So Glad I’m Living in the USA”  and “School Days,”  which Baldori fascinatingly demonstrates is a “note for note”  rock version of “Honkey Tonk Train Blues,”  written by Meade Lux Lewis in the 1920s, minus the guitar and lyrics.

My favorite moment of the night was one they say is improvised from the times when they’ve turned up to gigs and there’s only one piano. As Baldori explains, “Normally we call it four hands but since we’re in New York we thought we would call it foreplay.”  They sit next to each other on the single bench although at various points Migliazza moves about, hilariously sitting behind Baldori while never pausing his playing. He also shows off his dance skills when Baldori plays solo and afterward jokes, “I almost started twerking. But you need the VIP tickets to see that.”

Campana, Gostkowski and choreographer Trina Mills have put together a rollicking show, working without a story and really only the musicians, their instruments and clips from the documentary to fill out the performance. With the joy and enthusiasm that Baldori and Migliazza exude, it transcends being simply a concert and becomes a meaningful and completely engaging exploration of the connection between history, art, pop culture and craftsmanship.

Do you feel nostalgic? Do you feel like dancing? Or do you need an introduction to the world of boogie woogie? Whatever the case, Boogie Stomp! is the show to catch.

From the moment you enter Elektra Theater, you are welcomed to an intimate and, at the same time, creatively charged space. The drapes and seats are deep red, and the two pianos are set partially facing each other and partially you, the audience. It feels as if you have come in while the musicians were taking a break from their rehearsal. When they enter the stage, they immediately let their energetic and rhythmical sound grab you, and you respond by tapping your feet almostwithout realizing it.

Bob Baldori and Arthur Migliazza took us upon a wonderful journey which included 100 years of American piano music; they improvised, played solo, duets, and two pianos, and shared stories.

A particularly interesting tale was about the “rent parties” that took place in the black households of the 1920s. Musicians were hosting gatherings where neighbors and friends were invited to listen to music and drink. The attendees were throwing money on the floor and the hosts were able to make their monthly rent that way. The audience was so impressed by this story that dollar bills from several directions started flying on stage!

Their performances were enhanced by projections of historical footage, but, most importantly, by their genuine love for this music. Their sincere intention to communicate this made the audience participate, sing and clap along. Both performers are excellent musicians, and it is particularly interesting that they represent two different generations, being thus the embodiment of the show’s goal — connecting the past to the present and give it a future.

The intimate atmosphere at the Elektra Theatre prepares its audiences with giddy excitement to enjoy Bob Baldori and Arthur Migliazza’s explosively memorable performances in Boogie Town!.

This show is the most satisfying theatre experience everyone should have the opportunity to see. The production is a beautiful conglomerate of American Piano Music over the course of 100 years, which music lovers, new-comers to theatre and/or music, and professional musicians, can thoroughly enjoy. The show’s score is passionately played by a team of truly gifted artists: award-winning Blues and Boogie Woogie pianist Arthur Migliazza and the show’s producer, writer and professional pianist Bob Baldori. Baldori also directed the award-winning documentary Boogie Stomp!,on which the current stage play is based.

The show is inspired by Mr. Baldori’s professional relationship with Chuck Berry, who is labeled as one of the greatest pioneers in Rock n’ Roll history. The three elements that paved the way for rock n’ roll were experimentation with rhythm, syncopation, and improvisation, and the show uses a historically musical timeline to demonstrate each of these. The charismatic and playful banter between Baldori and Migliazza throughout Boogie Stomp! make the show all the more endearing to watch, as well as intrigue its audience members with the history behind the birth of blues and boogie-woogie music.

It is the combination of Bob Baldori’s warm humor with soulful harmonica playing and the cool & effortless presence of Arthur Migliazza at the piano that makes Boogie Stomp!a show you won’t want to miss. The smooth yet zesty flow that this show contains transforms its show-goers into keen & attentive, desirable eared audience members.

Get your mojo working and fire it up, with Boogie Stomp!

Two extraordinary pianists, Bob Baldori and Arthur Migliazza, provide all the jivey music, the snappy commentary and the wonderfully playful fun in their hugely entertaining concert Boogie Stomp! Masters of their brand of keyboard artistry, namely playing/interpreting of Boogie Woogie, the Blues, and Ragtime, they notably bring two lifetimes of love and dedication to this totally American genre. Their love for this music is evident in every note they play, every song they sing and every comment they make.

Baldori could use a little help picking out some nice looking clothes to wear (that Hawaiian shirt and skin tight jeans are pathetic), but once he gets to tickling those keys and on occasion playing his harmonica with awesome virtuosity, our attention is strictly on the music. He’s been playing the piano since he was 3, and also wrote and directed an award winning documentary, also titled Boogie Stomp!

Baldori’s amazing career recording and performing with such jazz and blues luminaries as Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley among many others can be summed up simply by saying he is a truly terrific one-of-a-kind musician. He not only serves as primary narrator (the excellent text is credited to John Campana) of the history of the blues with which has been so closely identified, but fills the room with his enthusiasm and exuberant playing.

Migliazza was also somewhat of a child prodigy and has played professionally since he was 13. His award-winning career, includes playing the Blues on some of the great stages of the world as well as being inducted into the Arizona Blues Hall of Fame. Good looking and younger than his partner, Migliazza is another dazzler on the keyboard and more than holds his own in contrast to Baldori’s quips with endearing and wry touches of humor.

Together these two are tearing up the Electra Theatre with their piano artistry. They use their flawless techniques in a couple of duets that are astounding complex as well as fun to watch. These are spaced between solos, the show’s rather informal narrative thread and some nice visuals.

A revelation to me is the influence on the blues made by the steam engines that powered the trains of yore with their rhythms and sounds. This is terrifically integrated into the program and accompanied by some creatively edited film clips of the old trains in motion. Lovers of the old trains, like myself, will be in a state of bliss.

For many, however, the the background stories of their mentors and such legendary musicians as Bob Seeley, W.C. Handy, and Earl “fatha” Hines that provide an extra dimension to their music journey. But this is not a classroom but a party celebrating the social, economic and roots of the blues and the African-American culture.

These two great guys seated (sometimes) at two grand pianos have previously shared their talents with audiences in Russia, Canada and South America, but a return to New York after a year’s absense means that anyone who missed them in their last visit is getting another chance. The joy and the excitement they generate with their own unique blend of (in their words) “rhythm, improvisation, and syncopation” is at the heart of their versions of blues, jazz, swing, as well as some R & B and Rock. Classics are highlighted but given a newly individualized identity through their piano artistry.

You’ll be hard pressed not to swing and sway and jive with them as they shake the rafters with “St. Louis Blues,” Shake that Boogie,” “Bumble Boogie” and that show-stopping concerto based on the original Louis Prima song “Sing, Sing, Sing” (but made famous by Benny Goodman’s big band.) The audience at the performance I saw was unable to sit still and not become part of this terrific two hour celebration that’s been expertly directed by Kirk Gostkowski.

Boogie Woogie, that classic blend of Blues, Rhythm & Blues, and Jazz, is back in New York City, thanks to John Campana’s Boogie Stomp!, featuring pianists extraordinaire Bob Baldori and Arthur Migliazza.

First rising to fame in the early 1920’s, Boogie Woogie led the way for pop music in America in the 20^th Century. A collection of classic hits that defined the genre as it is today, Boogie Stomp! is two hours of non-stop fun. From Muddy Waters to Chuck Berry, The Beach Boys, Buddy Holly and Benny Goodman, there is an eclectic enough offering in this show to get every audience member dancing in their seat.

Performed by two bonafide Boogie Woogie experts, Baldori and Migliazza are positioned on stage next to each other in front of their dueling grand pianos. With a lifetime of experience in the business, Baldori has played with Chuck Berry for the past 40 years in over 100 performances. This is evident in his stylings, technique, and from the hilarious and entertaining stories that are told in between songs. As his counterpart, Migliazza is a skilled and formidable musical opponent. Together the two take turns singing, playing the piano or keyboard, or cracking jokes to the audience to vary the pace.

Though the musicians are both technical and impressive throughout the entire evening, the most exciting and powerful moment of the evening is when Baldori breaks out his harmonica for a passionate and bluesy solo, while Migliazza leads the way on piano. In general, the evening is filled with a variety of songs that transcend genres and succeed in keeping things interesting. The pacing of the show is also expertly cultivated, and slower jazz tunes are bookended by upbeat dance tunes and crowd pleasing American Classics.

Presented in Midtown, The Elektra Theater is an intimate space that has a classic vibe to it: that of the old late-night Jazz venues that didn’t rely on huge sound systems but rather the acoustic design of the space. Catering to nostalgia for a time when pop music was still young and much more influential, Boogie Stomp! is an enjoyable ride that succeeds in demonstrating the timelessness of the classic songs that paved the way for the contemporary music of today.

InBoogie Stomp!, pianists extraordinaire Bob Baldori and Arthur Migliazzadefine the blues as rhythms for dancing that were originally created by recently freed African-Americans. Not surprisingly, American piano music is all about rhythm, improvisation and syncopation over the blues

This music was based on an oral tradition and created by anonymous composers who passed down their ideas. It thrived in honky-tonks, bars and rent parties. And for two hours it is thrilling audiences at The Chain Theatre in Long Island City, where Baldori and Migliazza perform many of the classic songs made famous by legendary blues men and women.

Seated at separate baby grands Baldori and Migliazza play amazing duets of “Suitcase Blues,” “Okemos Breakdown” (a breakdown is a wild party) and the Chuck Berry classic, “Back in the USA.” Then for the last number of the first act, they sit at the same piano for “Fourplay,” an original and improvised work. Hands fly over each other at amazing speed, and at one point Migliazza actually sits behind Baldori as they continue on their roll, never missing a beat.

Migliazza does several astounding solos of “St. Louis Blues” and “Bumble Boogie;”  and Baldori performs a bluesy version of “Tennessee Waltz” that might make Patti Page rise from her grave and applaud. Baldori also plays the harmonica on several numbers, including “Shake that Boogie” and Muddy Waters’ signature song, “Mojo.”

In “By Myself,” Baldori plays a synthesizer set on voice mode. As Baldori sings, it sounds as if he were backed by a doo-wop group.

While Baldori and Migliazza play, Guillermo Laporta’s projections show famous jazz musicians performing, grainy cityscapes of the great jazz era and images pertinent to the songs. It’s all very interesting – if you can take your eyes away from those flying fingers.

Boogie woogie disappeared as a force in music during the early 50s, but it survives in modern jazz and rock n’ roll. And it lives on in artists like Baldori, who has played with blues and rock legends from Bo Diddley to Chuck Berry during his 40 year-career, and Migliazza, a younger-generation musician who has learned from mentors such as Henry Butler, Ann Rabson and Mr. B. As long as these men can set the stage on fire, the music that is America’s greatest cultural contribution to the world will never die.