boogie-woogie

American  

[boog-ee-woog-ee, boo-gee-woo-gee] / ˈbʊg iˈwʊg i, ˈbu giˈwu gi /

noun

Jazz.

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

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boogie-woogie British  

/ 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

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Etymology

Origin of boogie-woogie

1925–30, rhyming compound perhaps based on boogie

Example Sentences

He’s especially keen on a new boogie-woogie song that he wrote.

From Los Angeles Times

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