JIMMY YANCEY | BOOGIE AND BLUES ALBUM | 1939-1940

Jimmy Yancey was born in Chicago around the mid-1890s, during a period when the city was rapidly emerging as a center for blues music. He began his artistic life as a tap dancer, performing publicly as a child and touring Europe before reaching adolescence. As an adult, he took on work with the Chicago White Sox grounds crew and played piano informally in his spare time. He had no formal musical training, could not read notation, and never treated music as a profession. Nonetheless, by the time of these recordings, he was held in high regard by fellow musicians, rent party attendees, and the broader community of informal performers who shaped early blues culture.

The recordings featured here, made in 1939 and 1940 for the Bluebird and Victor labels, are among the few surviving examples of Yancey’s playing. He recorded infrequently and showed little interest in promoting himself. His style was closely tied to the environments in which he performed: intimate settings, modest audiences, and listeners who were already familiar with the musical language of the blues.

Yancey's playing is direct in structure but rich in character. He avoided decorative flourishes, relying instead on a firm, repetitive left-hand rhythm to anchor his pieces, while the right hand drifted through melodic lines with quiet confidence. The result is music that feels grounded and reflective, shaped more by habit and personal rhythm than by performance conventions.

One of the standout tracks in this collection is La Salle Street Breakdown. Named after one of Chicago’s most significant streets, the piece reflects a steady, unhurried approach. The tempo is relaxed but assured, allowing space for the right hand to wander without losing contact with the underlying rhythm. There is a sense of memory in the pacing, as if the piece is tracing something half-remembered but never quite resolved. It is understated in form but leaves a lasting impression, especially when heard without expectation or distraction.

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Tracklist:
0:00 Yancey Stomp
2:47 La Salle Street Breakdown
5:58 South Side Stuff
9:07 Two O'Clock Blues
12:09 State Street Special
14:49 Steady Rock Blues
17:50 Tell 'Em About Me
20:34 Rolling The Stone
23:17 Slow And Easy Blues
25:52 The Mellow Blues
28:33 Lean Bacon
31:44 Lucille's Lament
34:55 East St. Louis Blues
37:42 Jimmy's Stuff
41:02 Big Beartrain
44:14 How Long Blues (No. 2)
47:22 I Recieved A Letter
49:59 How Long Blues (No. 1)
53:03 Beezum Blues
56:24 Five O'Clock Blues

Yancey didn’t leave behind much in the way of formal legacy. No big tours, extensive discography, or even students in the traditional sense. But recordings like these have kept his name alive. They give a window into a style that wasn’t designed for the spotlight, but which has lasted long after the rooms he played in emptied out.

#boogiewoogie #piano #jazz