Boogie-woogie pianist Henri Herbert returns to Maui
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Renowned for his live performances, boogie-woogie pianist Henri Herbert has emerged as one of the most exhilarating figures in today's blues and rock scene.
His keyboard technique, energy and stage presence have captivated audiences, with MusicRadar noting, "There are few piano players on the planet who can feed so much power, emotion and sheer adrenaline-fuelled virtuosity into their performances."
Set to perform Saturday at ProArts Playhouse, Herbert's repertoire includes original material and interpretations of songs associated with the artists who inspired him. His most recent album, "Get It While It's Hot," was praised by Americana Highways as a "straight-out driving old school rock 'n' roll collection." Louder Than War called it "an earthshaking collection of songs steeped in the raw energy and wild spirit of rock and roll."
Rocking tracks like "Texas Boogie" and "Blood from a Stone" channel Jerry Lee Lewis on the album, and Herbert transformed Jimi Hendrix's "Fire" into a boogie classic.
Born in France, Herbert developed a passion for piano at an early age, listening to his father's record collection. "It was quite unusual for someone my age to be into that music," Herbert recalled. "It was Oasis, Blur and the Spice Girls, and I was into Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard and Chuck Berry. I wanted to just play boogie-woogie. Even at 6 years old, I very much had that in mind. I was kind of weird. I used to style my hair like the 1950s and try to look like Elvis and look like a rocker."
Obsessed with Lewis, Herbert got hold of some of his classic Sun recordings and would play along to the records, trying to figure them out. "That continued until I was about 16, when I started to do lots of solo gigs," he recalled. "I also loved Little Richard and Elvis by that time."
Boogie-woogie originated in Black communities in the early 20th century and became an important building block of blues, rhythm and blues, and rock 'n' roll. Its characteristic repeating bass patterns create a propulsive rhythmic foundation, while the pianist's right hand improvises above it. Pianist Charles "Cow Cow" Davenport is credited with making the earliest boogie-woogie recordings in the 1920s.
Herbert came to British national attention and international attention through a YouTube video of him playing in public at one of London's major train stations in the documentary "Street Piano: Instrument of Change," which racked up 75 million views.
"I'd heard about these pianos in London," Herbert explained. "So I thought I'd have a go. My friend was there with his phone and filmed it and whacked it up on his channel. It sat there for a couple of years, not doing anything. Then suddenly it blew up. That's the crazy thing about YouTube."
He was on holiday when friends started calling him about the views. "Suddenly it was 1 million, 2 million, 20 million," he said. "It was crazy, but very good for me because it exposed my performance to a lot of people. It's a stroke of luck. The planets aligned for me."
Herbert is completing a new album with guest stars such as Kim Wilson of the Fabulous Thunderbirds, New Orleans' Grammy-winning Rebirth Brass Band, North Mississippi Allstars co-founder Luther Dickinson and Texas blues guitarist Carolyn Wonderland.
"The record was made over a year of driving up and down the USA finding these great musicians, and we recorded everything live," he explained. "I'm particularly excited about the Kim Wilson collaboration. I think it will introduce boogie-woogie piano to a whole new set of people who may not have ever listened to it or not for a long time."
Having opened shows for some guests on the record, he said, "To record Luther Dickinson, I had to literally come off stage in Austin and drive through the night to get to Nashville to record him."
Experiencing some of America's key music cities like Memphis, Nashville and Austin, he was particularly taken by New Orleans. "It was a big eye-opener. With the Rebirth Brass Band, we got together in a room and banged out a couple of real groovy tunes. All these flavors come through on the record, filtered through my love of American music."
Herbert will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at ProArts Playhouse. Tickets are $26 to $42 at ProArtsMaui.org.