PIANO BOOGIE MASTER MARK LINCOLN BRAUN, AKA MR. B, WAS BORN IN FLINT (MI) IN 1957, WAS CONVERTED TO THE BLUES AFTER LISTENING TO JIMMY YANCEY. AFTER SETTLING IN ANN ARBOR DURING THE SEVENTIES, HE BECAME A REGULAR ATTENDANT AT THE BLIND PIG CLUB, DELVING INTO THE BLUES TO THE CHORDS OF LITTLE BROTHER MONTGOMERY AND BOOGIE WOOGIE RED WHILE THE JAZZ OF RAY BRYANT AND HORACE SILVER WERE MAKING A PLACE IN HIS PARTICULAR STYLE OF PIANO PLAYING. SINCE THEN, MR. B HAS PERFORMED ALL OVER THE WORLD CARRYING THE BOOGIE WOOGIE LANGUAGE AS A FLAGSHIP IN SPREADING THE GENRE AND MAINTAINING THE TRADITION OF THE PIANO AS AN ESSENTIAL INSTRUMENT OF BLUES MUSIC SINCE THE EARLY YEARS OF THE 20TH CENTURY. BRAUN HAS NOT ENJOYED MASS POPULARITY AMONG FANS AND MEDIA, BUT HIS PIANO LANGUAGE HAS SHOWN HIM AS ONE OF THE MOST DYNAMIC AND EXEMPLARY BOOGIE WOOGIE PIANISTS AMONG MUSICIANS OF HIS GENERATION AND RECOGNIZED AS ONE OF THE MOST FAITHFUL TO THE TRADITION. "PIANO BLUES TODAY!" IT WAS RECORDED LIVE JUST WITH THE HELP OF VETERAN AND LAUDED DRUMMER PETE SIERS AND PERFECTLY SUMMS UP MR. B'S SKILLS AND THE VALIDITY OF HIS PROPOSAL TODAY.