Arthur Migliazza
Born1980 (age 42–43)
Hyattsville, Maryland
GenresJazz, blues, ragtime, boogie woogie
Occupation(s)Musician
Instrument(s)Piano
Years active1993–present
Websitearthurmigliazza.com

Arthur Migliazza (born 1980) is an American blues and boogie woogie pianist.[1][2]

Early life and education

Arthur Migliazza began studying classical piano at age nine in Washington, D.C., but soon switched to playing blues at age 10 when exposed to it by his teacher.[3] At age 11, Migliazza moved to Tucson, Arizona, with his family and played his first professional show at age 13 at the Tucson Blues Festival, opening for Little Milton.[3][4]

Migliazza's most notable teachers growing up were Judy Luis-Watson, Ann Rabson, Mark Braun and Henry Butler.[5] Many of his interactions with these teachers were not on a regular basis, but rather by correspondence.[6] From 1991 to 2001, Migliazza also attended Augusta Blues Week in Elkins, West Virginia, for one week every summer.[7] It was there that he befriended and learned from other blues musicians such as Cephas & Wiggins, John Jackson, Steve James, Del Rey, and Saffire – The Uppity Blues Women.[8]

Throughout junior high and high school, Migliazza worked as a solo musician and as part of a piano and drums duo called The Blues Kats, mostly performing at Tucson social events and retirement homes.[9][10] In 1996 the duo released its first and only album, Funja, [11] and in 1997 the duo was a runner-up in the Tucson Area Music Awards for best blues act.[12]

After graduating, Migliazza moved to Hiroshima, Japan to teach English for a year under the JET Programme.[13][14]

Teaching

Migliazza began teaching private piano lessons at age 15 and has also appeared on the faculty at Augusta Blues Week in Elkins, West Virginia, and Centrum Blues Week in Port Townsend, Washington, many times since 2001.[5] In 2015, Hal Leonard published Migliazza's signature "8-Lick" teaching method in a book called How to Play Boogie Woogie Piano.[15][16] The success of this book prompted Migliazza to author an article for wikihow also called How To Play Boogie Woogie Piano and start the first online school for boogie woogie piano instruction called School of Boogie.[17]

Solo performances and bands

Migliazza is most known for his solo performances, which blend virtuoso piano playing with historic storytelling and anecdotes.[18] He continues to perform around the US and internationally as a solo act.[19]

His first band was the Blues Kats, formed in 1994 in Tucson, Arizona, with drummer Joe Martinez and they released an album in 1997 called Funja.

From 2007 to 2011, Migliazza produced an annual dueling boogie woogie piano event in Tucson, called The Booginator with Eric-Jan Overbeek (aka Mr. Boogie Woogie).[20][21][22]

In 2011, Migliazza teamed up with former Chuck Berry piano player Bob Baldori, to perform Baldori's original stage play about the history of Boogie Woogie music called Boogie Stomp!. This led to the release of an album together, Disturbing the Peace in 2018 under the name 'The Boogie Kings'. The duo enjoyed many US and international tours, including two sold-out tours of Russia on behalf of the US Embassy, and two extended Off-Broadway runs in New York City, in 2014 and 2015.[23][24]

While living in Seattle in 2013, Migliazza performed with the rockabilly group The Dusty 45s.[25]

In 2016, an unpublished original work of Migliazza called "Gimme Attention" was adapted to the J-pop style by the Japanese pop star Kazumi Morohoshi, and released as a signal. Migliazza performed with Morohoshi on stage at Zepp Tokyo for Morohoshi's birthday concert and release of the single.[26][27]

Awards

  • Best Keyboardist in Tucson (TAMMY Award) - 2005[28]
  • Arizona Blues Hall of Fame - 2010[29]
  • Finalist - International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee, (The Blues Foundation) - 2010[8]
  • Best Keyboardist in Washington State (South Sound Best of the Blues Awards) - 2014 [30]
  • Finalist - International Blues Challenge in Memphis (The Blues Foundation) - 2014[31]
  • Best Self Produced CD - Laying it Down (South Sound Blues Society) - 2014[32]

Discography

  • Funja (The Blues Kats) - 1996
  • Arthur Migliazza - 2004
  • Pumping Ivories - 2006
  • Positively 17th Street (17th Street Band) - 2009
  • Burn Your Bridges (with Tom Walbank) - 2009
  • Laying it Down - 2014
  • Bumble Boogie - 2017
  • Gimme Attention (Kazumi Morohoshi) - 2016
  • Disturbing the Peace (Boogie Kings) - 2018

References

  1. ↑ "Arthur Migliazza | Boogie Woogie Pianist". Arthurmigliazza.com. Retrieved 2019-07-10.
  2. ↑ "How to Play Boogie Woogie Piano". Halleonard.com. Retrieved 2019-07-10.
  3. 1 2 Jasper, David (2018-12-06). "Piano man Arthur Migliazza". Bendbulletin.com. Retrieved 2019-07-10.
  4. ↑ Lipson, Jim. "Anything But the Blues". Tucson Weekly. Retrieved 2019-07-10.
  5. 1 2 "Blues Faculty Addition: Arthur Migliazza on Piano". Centrum.org. Retrieved 2019-07-14.
  6. ↑ Aaron, Peter. "Arthur Migliazza: The Boogie Man". Chronogram.com. Retrieved 2019-07-14.
  7. ↑ Posted by Michael Limnios Blues Network on April 14, 2014 at 5:34pm; Blog, View. "Interview with boogie woogie piano man Arthur Migliazza - keeping it hip, real, fun and up to date". Blues.gr. Retrieved 2019-07-14.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. 1 2 Ikenn, Lauren. "Tucson's rising blues star: Arthur Migliazza – Arizona Sonora News Service". Retrieved 2019-07-14.
  9. ↑ "Tucson Weekly: City Week (June 26 - July 2, 1997)". Tucsonweekly.com. Retrieved 2019-07-10.
  10. ↑ "City Week (October 17 - October 23, 1996)". Tucsonweekly.com. Retrieved 2019-07-10.
  11. ↑ "Blues Access: New Releases". Bluesaccess.com. Retrieved 2019-07-10.
  12. ↑ "1997 TAMMIES Winners!". Tucson Weekly. Retrieved 2019-07-10.
  13. ↑ "JETWit.com - Part 190". Retrieved 2019-07-10.
  14. ↑ "Listen Up: Boogie Stomp! Stars Bob Baldori and Arthur Migliazza Reveal the Albums That Rocked Their World". BroadwayBox.com. Retrieved 2019-07-10.
  15. ↑ Migliazza, Arthur (2015). How to ... play boogie woogie piano. Hal Leonard. ISBN 978-1495007910.
  16. ↑ "Boogie Woogie Piano School | The Eight Licks". Schoolofboogie.com. Retrieved 2019-07-14.
  17. ↑ "Boogie Woogie Piano School | Private Lessons". Schoolofboogie.com. Retrieved 2019-07-14.
  18. ↑ Lipson, Jim. "It's a Living". Tucson Weekly. Retrieved 2019-07-14.
  19. ↑ "Arthur Migliazza | Boogie Woogie Pianist". Arthurmigliazza.com. Retrieved 2019-07-14.
  20. ↑ "Booginator 3 - Mr. Boogie Woogie in Tucson - Swanee River". YouTube. 2008-04-01. Retrieved 2019-07-14.
  21. ↑ "Booginator 2: Dueling Boogie Woogie Pianos". Archive.org. Retrieved 2019-07-14.
  22. ↑ Migliazza, Arthur. "Boogie woogie musicians set for their fourth piano thrilla". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved 2019-07-14.
  23. ↑ "Boogie Stomp! | Off-Broadway | reviews, cast and info". TheaterMania.com. Retrieved 2019-07-14.
  24. ↑ "The Artists". Boogiestomp.com. Retrieved 2019-07-14.
  25. ↑ "Dusty 45s". Seattlesymphony.org. Retrieved 2019-07-14.
  26. ↑ "Gimme Attention / 諸星 和己". PetitLyrics.com (in Japanese). 2016-10-01. Retrieved 2019-07-14.
  27. ↑ "Arthur Makes his Tokyo Debut with Japanese Pop Legend Kazumi Morohoshi". Arthurmigliazza.com. Retrieved 2019-07-14.
  28. ↑ Patrick, Renee (2014-11-05). "Sunriver Music Festival Boogie Woogie & Brew Concert". Cascadeae.com. Retrieved 2019-07-14.
  29. ↑ "Arizona Blues Hall Of Fame". Azblueshof.com. Retrieved 2019-07-14.
  30. ↑ Reynolds, Ross (2018-10-24). "WATCH: Love Songs, 'In The Blues Sense Of The Word'". Stage.kuow.org. Retrieved 2019-07-14.
  31. ↑ Marshall, Matt (2014-01-24). "IBC Live: The Finalists!". Americanbluesscene.com. Retrieved 2019-07-14.
  32. ↑ "Update 20: "Laying It Down" on the Grammy Entry List!!! · NEW Studio album from Arthur Migliazza! - LAYIN IT DOWN". Kickstarter.com. Retrieved 2019-07-14.
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