boogie-woogie

[ boog-ee-woog-ee, boo-gee-woo-gee ]

noun

, Jazz.

1. a form of instrumental blues, especially for piano, using melodic variations over a constantly repeated bass figure.

boogie-woogie

/ ˈbuːɡɪˈwuːɡɪ; ˈbʊɡɪˈwʊɡɪ /

noun

1. a style of piano jazz using a dotted bass pattern, usually with eight notes in a bar and the harmonies of the 12-bar blues

Word History and Origins

Origin of boogie-woogie¹

1925–30, Americanism; rhyming compound perhaps based on boogie

Example Sentences

His mother was an avid singer of spirituals and a next-door neighbor, Lucy Jackson, helped Jones learn to tap out boogie-woogie on the keyboard.

From Los Angeles Times

“It’s the bluesy rock ‘n’ roll boogie-woogie that you can dance to.

From Seattle Times

He started with a boogie-woogie piano, tossing out melodic ideas that Carey would respond to with lyrics.

From Seattle Times

Artists like Gaye and Wonder literally laid the groundwork with their works that inhabited multiple genres like R&B, blues, boogie-woogie, and up-tempo jazz.

From Salon

Roger took piano lessons while growing up on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and was soon laying down boogie-woogie numbers.

From New York Times