Dr. K, The Boogie-Woogie Guy
A musical and entertaining interlude.
The amazing piano skills of Brendan Kavanagh, AKA, Dr K, were triggered when his father stumbled upon an abandoned upright piano at a construction site. With sheer determination and some well muscled friends, he lugged the century-old instrument up four flights of stairs to the family’s modest home.
This serendipitous acquisition marked the beginning of Brendan’s formal musical education, under the guidance of local piano instructors. As his proficiency in classical music flourished, fate once again intervened, leading him to the tutelage of the renowned concert pianist and Holocaust survivor, Nelly Ben-or. Under her mentor-ship, Brendan’s passion for classical music blossomed, even as he indulged in the occasional boogie-woogie on her prized Steinway.
If you own a smart phone, you must have seen him. He is often featured quite prominently on my Google feed, entertaining tourists, nuns, children, some homeless and some very odd people who hang around the airport or the shopping mall where he plays a community piano.
Though receiving formal piano instruction, it seems Brendan’s introduction to boogie-woogie came later in his teenage years, sparked by the electrifying performances of Jools Holland on Channel 4’s ‘The Tube.’ Through serendipitous encounters…
