"Shreveport Farewell" - Ragged Barrelhouse Blues Piano from Little Brother Montgomery

Here I am messing around with a great tune from Little Brother Montgomery. He first recorded this in 1936 - part of an epic 1-day session which saw the release of 18 sides, all of which he captured in one take! Shreveport Farewell is a great example of how ragtime and early jazz are important components of the barrelhouse blues sound. This piece uses a striding bass and is not in a 12-bar blues form, and yet, it maintains a definite blues feel. It should be noted that barrelhouse doesn't always have a boogie-woogie feel. Little Brother's versatility and the wide range of influences that make up barrelhouse piano are both well on display in this tune. Shout out to the great Carl Sonny Leyland, who first showed me how to play this tune! Subscribe to my channel to hear and learn more about barrelhouse blues, early boogie-woogie, and other low-down blues piano stylings! For more info about Ethan, visit: http://www.ethanleinwand.com

Added 30 Mar 2026