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Ethan Leinwand -- solo piano

The piano has played a tremendous role in the history of blues. For nearly 50 years, the piano was at the forefront of popular blues - shaping, innovating, and at times, dominating the landscape. Nowadays, however, early blues is mainly remembered and celebrated for its guitar players and its folk roots. Forgotten are the immensely talented and influential bluesmen who banged the 88s. Lost are the rich and varied piano styles that emerged from ragtime and ultimately came to define the blues.

St. Louis-based pianist Ethan Leinwand tells this story of the low-down piano and brings the music back to life. Hear barrelhouse blues and boogie-woogie performed in all its raucous exuberance, while learning about its history, players, and distinct regional styles.

Originally from Middletown, CT, Ethan has spent time living in New Orleans and Brooklyn, NY. He moved to St. Louis in the summer of 2014, after a short visit convinced him that, with its thriving blues community and storied music history - particularly on the piano - St. Louis was the ideal place to live and work. In addition to performing solo, he plays in multiple projects including The Bottlesnakes (a piano/guitar duo with Nick Pence), The St. Louis Steady Grinders (with vocalist Miss Jubilee), and his band from NYC, Chickentown (a trio with Joaquin Cotler on vocals/washboard and Seth Johnson on guitar). He also performs regularly with The Tom Hall, Mat Wilson, and Miss Jubilee and The Humdingers.