In the early 80's, I organized and presented a series of piano gigs in the basement of the old Blind Pig café in Ann Arbor; MI. Participants included Big Joe Duskin, Gene Taylor, William Bolcomb, Jim Dapogny and myself. After a hiatus that spanned almost twenty years, I again began to organize and present pianists.

In 1998 a house party extraordinaire was organized by Monique Duchene and Lori Saginaw in the home of Steven Gao and Marilyn Tsao which housed a Model D Steinway Concert Grand Piano. The theme of the party was all things French, and 2 pianists from France (Philipe Lejeune and John Pierre Bertrand) joined Bob Seeley and I for a great time at this fine instrument. The house was packed with people who enjoyed fine French cheeses and wines while we played for several hours.

The following evening we presented the 1st Annual Blues and Boogie Piano Orgy at THE ARK in downtown Ann Arbor. The format was and continues to be 4 solo sets followed by a series of duets, a rare treat for our audiences to witness musical dialog at its inception. The event sold out at 400 seats, and laid the foundation for what is now known as Mr. B's Annual Blues and Boogie Piano Celebration. In 2003 we performed at 2 venues, THE ARK and the Firefly Club, and presented 6 pianists. The Celebration is expecting to feature 7 pianists at 3 venues in 2004. In addition to the concert performances, the Celebration is working to present Community Outreach programs with the Ann Arbor District Library, the Ann Arbor Public Schools, the Michigan State University Jazz Studies Program, and the University of Michigan School of Music.

Since 1998 we have presented many of the worlds premiere jazz pianists, with an emphasis on including those that play with strong blues roots. In 2004 we expect to perform for about 1200 people, and an unknown number of students. In future years, we hope to broaden the scope of our presentations to be able to include a greater number of pianists in more venues, and to expand our educational component as much as possible.

While traditional blues and boogie piano playing are at the heart of what we do, we believe it's important to recognize the broader palette of expressions that constitute the entire spectrum of jazz piano; to celebrate the form as a whole, and to encourage the cross pollination that occurs when musicians are brought together.