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Erwin Helfer, a Chicago boogie woogie innovator and master, has been forging
his own piano music legacy. Born in 1936, Erwin has been playing and performing
for over forty years. The sounds and personalities of past boogie woogie and
blues pianists have nurtured Erwin's musical growth. For many years, Erwin accompanied
Mama Yancey, the wife of Chicago blues piano patriarch Jimmy "Papa" Yancey,
and later recorded one album with her. He was also mentored and influenced by
Cripple Clarence Lofton, Speckled Red, and Sunnyland Slim. During the 60's and
70's, Erwin released two piano duet albums with his performing and recording
partner of ten years, Jimmy Walker. On their first album, Peter J. Welding,
one of the preeminent blues historians and scholars of all time, wrote that
Helfer had "mastered the rhythmic and melodic subtleties" of the blues piano
style. Other Helfer recordings include "Heavy Timbre", a compilation of Chicago
blues pianists, several Lps for his own record label Red Beans, and two CDs
for Austrian Label CMA. Erwin has the chops, the feel, and the drive of the
masters but he also pushes the "classic" blues piano music forward in a totally
new direction. His music is graceful, spirited, and at times beautifully dissonant.
Erwin's classical music training allows him to hear and interpret the simple,
percussive blues and boogie piano style like no one else. Yet, his classical
training is not overbearing on his own piano approach; that is, his playing
is fluid and carefree, not stiff. Chicago has long recognized its musical treasure,
Erwin Helfer. He performs regularly at Chicago clubs and annually at the
Chicago Blues Festival garnering rave reviews from publications such as The
Reader and Chicago Magazine. His local gigs and frequent European tours have
created a strong and loyal following in Chicago and overseas. (From the liner note of the CD "I'm Not Hungry, but I like to eat - Blues"- The Sirens Records SR-5001) His most recent European tours include Berlin Jazz Festival and Debrecen Jazz Festival, the oldest Jazz Festival in Hungary. |
