Boogie-Woogie Pianist Matthew Ball

Mar 24, 2015

$251-500

Byline

Jocelyn Shaw, Librarian, Hackley Public Library, Muskegon, Mich.

Matthew Ball, a boogie-woogie pianist from the Detroit area, was invited to perform at the Hackley Public Library. Matthew performs an upbeat show of ragtime, boogie-woogie and blues piano favorites from the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. Some of his arrangements include American standards like "Swanee River," "Over the Rainbow," "The Entertainer," "In the Mood," "Sheik of Araby," "Chopsticks Boogie," "Bumble Boogie" and many more.

Advanced Planning

Planning for this program started after Matthew Ball contacted us in the late spring/early summer for a program in November. Ball is a pianist who specializes in boogie-woogie arrangements. (Boogie-woogie is an upbeat style of blues piano that was popular from the 1920s to early 1940s.) We checked him out on YouTube and knew that another library in the area had booked him as well.

Marketing

To promote the event, we advertised it in our newsletter, on our website, the local online calendars, the local TV station's calendars and on all our social media outlets.

Budgeting

The only cost associated with the program was the fee for the performer. As of 2015, Ball's fee ranges from $300 to $550. He sometimes offers a discount for multiple branch performances depending on travel, length of concert and number of shows.

Day-of-event Activity

Set-up for the event primarily involved preparing the room for the performance.

Program Execution

The program exceeded our expectations. Ball played exquisitely and explained the history behind most, if not all, of the songs. We had 90 people attend, which is the most we've ever had for a musical program!

Advice

The only unexpected challenge we had with the event was how popular it proved to be. Have plenty of chairs available and a stage or riser for the performer.