Bayoogie Masters

The masters of Blues & Boogie Woogie

An elegant vaudeville blues evening in the style of the early 1920s
Since 2020, Düsseldorf jazz guitarist and bluesharper Wolfgang Scheelen has been organising an evening with the best musicians from the worlds of blues, jazz and boogie woogie. From 2025, pianist Christian Christl will take over the organisation of the event series. Wolfgang Scheelen will also be on stage as a musical mentor. The idea of the event remains unchanged: To bring the masters of blues and boogie woogie to Düsseldorf.
On Wednesday, 9 April, Wolfgang Scheelen and Christian Christl will present the Vaudeville Blues singer Scarlett Andrews. She is one of the very few singers in the world who has fully dedicated herself to the elegant blues of the early 1920s.
In the "Roaring Twenties", popular music in America changed decisively. Whereas previously there had only been rustic blues and sophisticated ragtime, new styles developed from both. Influences from New Orleans and the big cities of Chicago, Kansas City, St. Louis and New York were added. This gave rise to boogie woogie as piano music, the musically expanded vaudeville blues and Dixieland jazz and swing.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the first travelling shows emerged, which travelled from city to city with their own ensemble and tents for the performances. Based on the French "vaudeville", which means "city of joy", countless vaudeville shows were on the road. Most of them featured artists, jugglers, comedians and music. This was usually performed by elegant ladies accompanied by a small combo or just a pianist. Probably the best-known singer of the vaudeville shows was Bessie Smith, who recorded the first major sales success on disc with "Downhearted Blues" in 1923. The little black disc, which was completely new at the time, sold over a million copies in a very short space of time. Bessie Smith became the star of her time.
Scarlett Andrews sings the songs of this era like no other. She has been invited to festivals and clubs in France, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Belgium, Norway and Spain.
Wolfgang Scheelen, guitar & harp, and Christian Christl on piano are a well-rehearsed team and have played dozens of large and small concerts.

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