Jesse O’Brien
KEYS/PIANO
Jesse O’Brien was introduced to music by his father Michael (OB) and by the age of 16 was playing with artists like King Biscuit Boy, Ronnie Hawkins and Levon Helm.
In the last 2 years Jesse has performed with Colin James, Tom Wilson, Sass Jordan, Buddy Guy and The “Nashville” TV show Reunion Tour along with Colin Linden and his band.
He has been Maple Blues Awards Keyboard player of the year 3 out of the last 4 years and played keyboards on many Juno winning albums including “ This Is From Here” by Harrison Kennedy which Jesse also produced.
Workshops
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In this workshop, we will explore the style, feel & classic licks of some of the giants of blues piano and demonstrate how they have inspired a whole new generation of players.
From Boogie Woogie to Slow Blues, we will look at left-hand patterns, essential riffs, and grooves, and make sure everybody understands them and play away.
We will explore playing solo and along with others. In addition to the basics if there are any specific things you were hoping to learn, you’ll have a chance to ask and we will work on them. It’s recommended to bring a set of headphones (any quality) in the event, you’d like to work on something individually while the class is playing something else.
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We will look at the many styles of the incomparable Otis Spann.
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Going through the music of legends Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Fats Domino & the great Johnnie Johnson who played on Chuck Berry records.
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We will look at greats like Ray Charles, Dr John & Professor Longhair and how they all blend different styles into their blues playing such as Jazz, country, gospel & N’Orleans.