Entertainment
Four guys gather around piano — steal the spotlight with fast and loose ‘boogie-woogie’ jam
“Do you know boogie-woogie?”
Cedric Jackson
12.05.19

Imagine walking through the subway station, rushing on your way to work. Then, suddenly, you hear the raucous sounds of a boogie-woogie song being played on the piano. But it’s not one person playing — it’s four.

Brendan Kavanagh is known for his ability to bring people together through music.

He often gives impromptu performances in public. He even encourages people to play the piano with him. His favorite genre happens to be boogie-woogie.

YouTube Screenshot/Brendan Kavanaugh
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YouTube Screenshot/Brendan Kavanaugh

Known as Dr. K Boogie Woogie, Kavanagh is a pianist and entrepreneur.

He was once a teacher. Now he performs in public spaces and gets people involved in the art of boogie-woogie.

“Dr K has a PhD in English literature and used to work as a secondary school English teacher … but disillusioned with the state of modern education he decided to pack it in to become a YouTube sensation,” reads the tongue-in-cheek description on his Facebook page.

Inspire More
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Inspire More

Kavanaugh is often shown at the beginning of videos asking his signature question: “Do you know boogie-woogie?”

Then he sits down at the piano and wows them all.

“His videos have now been viewed hundreds of millions of times on YouTube. Indeed, he has arguably introduced a whole new generation to Boogie Woogie style piano via the internet,” reads his Facebook page. “With his impromptu live concerts at various public pianos, he’s also brought back the excitement of unplanned and unofficial live music to a younger generation who would otherwise never experience the ‘vibe’ of authentic boogie and blues played in real time in a real place.”

YouTube Screenshot/Brendan Kavanaugh
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YouTube Screenshot/Brendan Kavanaugh

This time, Kavanaugh wasn’t playing alone.

Instead, he was one of four players at the piano in the subway station. These three other men who hopped on to play with him were from four different generations. Yet, they were all playing together on the same instrument.

The lively music instantly drew a crowd. Some people pulled out their cell phones to capture a video. Others simply watched with smiles on their faces. One little boy hopped up and down in excitement and even danced a little.

YouTube Screenshot/Brendan Kavanaugh
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YouTube Screenshot/Brendan Kavanaugh

For the first half of the performance, only three men were on the piano.

That alone is pretty impressive. But then to everyone’s amazement, a fourth player hopped on. He seamlessly took the high part. It added another layer to the rocking boogie-woogie improvisation.

People on the internet couldn’t get enough of the performance. They loved the music. But most of all, they loved the infectious joy and energy of the players.

“I had the biggest smile on my face watching this,” said one commenter. “Phenomenal.”

YouTube Screenshot/Brendan Kavanaugh
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YouTube Screenshot/Brendan Kavanaugh

It was amazing to see how the whole subway station stopped in the middle of the day to enjoy a song together.

“Well done,” said one commenter. “Many a smile was born to this boogie woogie on this day. Thank you for such a wonderful inspirational video.”

YouTube Screenshot/Brendan Kavanaugh
Source:
YouTube Screenshot/Brendan Kavanaugh

Kavanaugh has a gift for boogie-woogie music. But more than anything, he has a gift for bringing people together.

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