Anonymous black musicians, longing to grab a train and ride away from their troubles, incorporated the rhythms of the steam locomotive and the moan of their whistles into the new dance music they were playing in jukes and dance halls. Boogie-woogie forever changed piano playing, as ham-handed black piano players transformed the instrument into a polyrhythmic railroad train.Alan Lomax, Chapter 4, "Lonesome Whistles", p. 170, The Land Where the Blues Began, New York: The New Press, 1993.
Anonymous black musicians, longing to grab a train and ride away from their troubles, incorporated the rhythms of the steam locomotive and the moan of their whistles into the new dance music they were playing in jukes and dance halls. Boogie-woogie forever changed piano playing, as ham-handed black piano players transformed the instrument into a polyrhythmic railroad train.Alan Lomax Chapter 4, "Lonesome Whistles", p. 170, The Land Where the Blues Began, New York: The New Press, 1993.