James P. Johnson
Known as the father of stride piano, James P. Johnson turned ragtime's oom-pah left hand into something faster, looser, and more improvisational in 1910s and '20s Harlem. His 1921 solo "Carolina Shout," first circulated on piano roll, became the etude every aspiring Harlem stride pianist had to learn note for note — Count Basie among them.
the sound in question
1921
Carolina ShoutJames P. Johnson
we haven’t charted James P. Johnson yet
this stretch of the river isn’t mapped. we trace the watershed one artist at a time — and we’re always heading further upstream.