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12-year-old stuns man with boogie-woogie beyond his years
An old soul lives in this young man.
Aubrey Murray
11.18.20

Public pianos have sparked all kinds of creativity onto city streets. It turns out people love to play and people also love to listen to those magical keys.

If you’ve ever stumbled on a live street piano show you know just how hypnotizing they can be.

Flickr/Michael Ursino
Source:
Flickr/Michael Ursino

I mean, it’s hard not to stop and enjoy the talents of a random stranger. A professional British pianist named Brenden Kavanagh was caught by surprise one day when he heard a sound very dear to his heart.

That’s when he saw a 12-year-old named Nathan shining his boogie-woogie skills on the public piano!

YouTube/Brendan Kavanagh
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YouTube/Brendan Kavanagh

Nathan was playing like his life depended on it. He was jamming on those keys better than most 12-year-olds, that’s for sure. While Nathan played away Kavanagh rested his arm on the piano enjoying his remarkable skills.

Kavanagh was amazed by this youngster’s old soul sound and had his camera guy capture the amazing performance.

YouTube/Brendan Kavanagh
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YouTube/Brendan Kavanagh

Young Nathan played that fast upbeat style just like the legends of boogie-woogie. Kavanagh was convinced this young talent was his piano doppelganger. He even said to his camera guy that all the kids missing is a pair of blacked-out shades like him.

He stood starstruck by Nathan’s clean and groovy jams. Every person that passed by felt the exact same way.

YouTube/Brendan Kavanagh
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YouTube/Brendan Kavanagh

You can see everyone slow down to watch the old soul crush this piano solo so effortlessly. Other’s even pulled out their phones to record Nathan’s epic skills! Once you see his performance you’ll understand why.

Kavanagh was so moved by Nathan’s groovy tunes, he joined him on the piano!

YouTube/Brendan Kavanagh
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YouTube/Brendan Kavanagh

The solo boogie-woogie concert became a marvelous duet and this crowd was definitely in for a treat.

Nathan and Kavanagh’s sounds complimented each other so well, if you closed your eyes you’d think it was just one person playing.

YouTube/Brendan Kavanagh
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YouTube/Brendan Kavanagh

That’s when I knew Kavanaugh did in fact find his piano doppleganger! Can you imagine being in the airport and stumbling upon this incredible show? Now, that’s what I call being in the right place at the right time.

The boogie-woogie piano style has been captivating audiences since the early 1920s.

Flickr/Anastasia Razmadze
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Flickr/Anastasia Razmadze

Boogie-woogie is a genre of blues that was definitely the type to make people get on their feet and dance! It was at its peak between 1920 and 1945 and has been the root to many other styles of music.

This style’s chaotic and jazzy rhythm may not be the most prestine piano sound, but it sure does take killer skills to make boogie-woogie sound so awesome.

YouTube/Brendan Kavanagh
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YouTube/Brendan Kavanagh

Thankfully, old souls like Nathan still bring the boogie-woogie piano to life! Without young talents being inspired by these classic sounds who knows if the boogie would still be alive today.

British pianist Kavanagh has specialized in boogie-woogie piano, dedicating most of his career to the style.

YouTube/Brendan Kavanagh
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YouTube/Brendan Kavanagh

He teaches online classes and also plays as often as he can on any piano he finds. When he came across Nathan’s incredible talent, you could tell just how excited he was to see youngsters playing the boogie-woogie. Music has the power to bring all sorts of strangers together.

It’s so beautiful to see people connect and just pause for a moment to listen or enjoy playing.

YouTube/Brendan Kavanagh
Source:
YouTube/Brendan Kavanagh

Even though communal pianos probably won’t be around for a while, it’s nice to remember what life was like just a year ago. I’m so happy Nathan and Kavanagh were able to share this connection and maybe even stay in contact!

Keep an eye out, I wouldn’t be surprised if Nathan was the next star of boogie-woogie piano!

Watch this groovy performance below

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