Music enthusiasts who attended the Waterfront Blues Festival were treated to a special performance from the one and only Doña Oxford.
However, it wasn’t just a show – she also gave them a “lesson” on boogie-woogie too!
Get ready for a vibrant musical act that’s as much fun to watch as it is to listen to.
Oxford is a master in the genre and has been nicknamed the “Goddess of Soul, Blues & Boogie.”
She’s someone you really need to see in action to grasp her incredible talent.
During the Portland, Oregon festival, Oxford took the stage with her keyboard and several other musicians.
But before they begin performing in the video, she has a question for the crowd. Oxford asks:
“Ya’ll know what boogie-woogie is? Can I play a little boogie-woogie?”
The crowd excitedly replies “yeah” to which she informs them, “I’m gonna show you what the boogie-woogie is … I’m gonna school ya.” For how skilled of a boogie-woogie keyboardist Oxford is, they were in for a real treat!
Oxford starts with her left hand moving at lightning speed on the keyboard. Only a moment later, she takes over the keys with her right hand too. It’s boogie-woogie time!
The performance quickly becomes a high-energy act that includes multiple instrumentalists, dancers, and Oxford grooving along while she plays (in heels too).
Doña Oxford is no stranger to bringing musical entertainment to audiences around the world.
On top of her incredible keyboard playing abilities, she’s also a songwriter and soulful vocalist. According to Oxford’s website, many believe the combination of her vocals and rock-and-roll piano playing is similar to, “Gladys Knight meets the Rolling Stones.”
Oxford has a long list of legendary rock and blues artists she’s played with over the years as a keyboardist.
Van Morrison, Keith Richards, Buddy Guy, Harry Shearer, and Julia Fordham are just a few of the many!
It’s near impossible to sit still listening to boogie-woogie music. So by no surprise, the crowd can be seen clapping, dancing, and tapping their feet. However, it could be too that Oxford and her band’s energy are contagious!
It was finally time for a lesson on the style. At one point, Oxford addresses the crowd and asks:
“Do you want to know why we call it the boogie? Do you want to know why we call it the boogie-woogie?”
Instead of simply explaining her answer, the musician also gives them a demonstration.
Oxford tells them:
“Well you see, it’s because we’re playing the “boogie” on the left hand and we’re playing the “woogie” on the right hand. So when you put them together that’s the boogie-woogie.”
She then shows the crowd what it sounds like only using her left (boogie) hand. Eh, it’s good, but it seems to be missing something…
Oxford tells the crowd with passion, “The boogie ain’t nothing without the – woogie!”
She then jumps back onto her keyboard in full boogie-woogie style and completely rocks it! The video is nearly eight minutes of non-stop energy and pure talent on stage. It’s been “liked” more than 38K times on YouTube and gathered numerous comments from viewers who’ve been blown away.
One viewer wrote:
“Set that keyboard on “FIRE”!!!!!!!!!!! Wow……..”
It’s a boogie-woogie performance that might have you reaching for your dancing shoes. You can enjoy it for yourself by pressing play below!
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