Deep Morgan Blues • St. Louis Boogie-Woogie Piano (1929) • Ethan Leinwand

Here’s Henry Brown’s classic solo blues piano side, Deep Morgan Blues. I’ve always loved this piece. I’ve recorded this twice (on Youtube and on my first album) using it as a springboard for improvisation. Recently I’ve been studying the record more, and this version is much closer to the record. Deep Morgan Blues is sparse and low down, but with Henry Brown’s signature drive, keeping it plodding along oh so satisfyingly. There’s variation in the left hand , from the off beat rock ( and 1 , and 2, and 3, and 4) to a meandering quarter note walk that leaves standard 4/4 measures in its dust. In the end, though, it’s Henry Brown’s melodic melodic I so love. His turnarounds and the way he bounces off the V chord are so rich and warm and playful. This is the magic of Henry Brown, in my opinion: the juxtaposition of grooves that pull you down and melody that tug you up. Subscribe to my channel to learn more about barr