Brendan Kavanagh is a master of the ‘Boogie-Woogie’ piano. His open jam videos are a hit on YouTube. In this impromptu performance, Brendan is sitting at a piano in a shopping center when a young student with a violin asks to play with him.
The student is from an amateur youth orchestra in New York. They both start on a classical song, ‘Pachebel’s Canon in D,’ smiling and working together to create harmonies. People begin to surround them and record them on their cell phones.
They end the improvised classical song together, and even though there were some fumbled notes by each player, the people still clap for them and cheer. Brendan stands up and asks if anyone plays the saxophone.
The entire orchestra surrounds the piano, and no one plays the saxophone. Still, the violinist comes back and learns how to play boogie-woogie. The two musicians play on the piano together and create a great duet.
Then, a sax player comes out, and the kids cheer. He gets a solo over the piano, and they all stop for him to play by himself, and everyone claps. Next, a trumpet player comes out and does the same. They all share a fun moment, and in the end, all the kids cheer for their peers.
This isn’t the first time Brendan has done this type of thing. He is all over the internet, jumping in while people play pianos at train stations and shopping malls. He joins anyone he can find to make music and have fun.
Brendan has a Ph. D. in English, which explains his nickname, ‘Dr. K.’ He is a British piano teacher of Irish descent. He loves to play and teach ‘boogie-woogie’ piano style. The genre features heavy improvisation, and Brendan makes up melodies and riffs with the kids throughout this video.
