“Young people don’t necessarily need to know who Albert Ammons was before they can fall in love with Boogie-Woogie. They just need to hear something that makes them feel something. If the music makes you smile, dance and want to move, it is alive — no matter when it was created.”

Katharina Alber: Let The Good Times Roll

Katharina Alber, widely known as "Boogie Kathi", is a dynamic Austrian pianist and vocalist who has earned international recognition in the genres of Boogie-Woogie, traditional Blues, and Swing. Born in Tyrol, she began playing classical piano at the age of five. Her initiation into improvisation was heavily influenced by her grandfather and legendary jazz pianist, Artur Rogger, while the defining turning point in her career came when she discovered Boogie-Woogie through lessons with pianist Robert Roth. Whether performing as a soloist or leading her own bands—such as Boogie Kathi & the Muddy Bluesmen and the Boogie Kathi Swing Project—she stands out for her driving rhythm, magnetic stage presence, and expressive voice.

(Katharina Alber, widely known as "Boogie Kathi" / Photo by Michel Piedallu)

Her top accolades include winning the Austrian Blues Challenge (2025) and representing Western Austria at the European Blues Challenge (2026). Alongside touring across Europe and the US, Alber is the founder and artistic director of the successful Boogie & Blues Festival in Tyrol, bringing pure energy and joy through her music.

Interview by Michael Limnios

You started with classical piano, but your grandfather was a jazz musician. How was the transition from classical discipline to the freedom of Boogie-Woogie?

I started playing classical piano when I was five but my love always belonged to Swing, Jazz & Blues Music.

Playing Blues & Boogie-Woogie opened a completely different world for me. Suddenly, I could improvise, take risks and let my personality speak through the piano. My grandfather, Artur Rogger, was a jazz musician in Innsbruck, so I grew up with this kind of music.

Austria is famous for classical music. How is the local Boogie-Woogie and Blues scene today? Is there strong support from the Austrian audience?

Austria has an incredible musical tradition, and classical music is obviously a huge part of our cultural identity. But there is also a very passionate Blues, Boogie-Woogie and Jazz community.

The scene is not enormous, but it is very dedicated. There are wonderful musicians, festivals and audiences who genuinely love this music. I have been lucky to experience that support myself, both with my concerts and with my festivals in Tyrol.

I also think Austrian audiences are very open-minded. If you give them good music, energy and an authentic experience, they will come with you — whether they know Boogie-Woogie beforehand or not.

Beyond the classic legends of the genre, are there any contemporary artists from different musical styles that influence your playing today?

Absolutely. I love the great Boogie-Woogie and Blues legends — Albert Ammons, Meade Lux Lewis, Fats Waller and Erroll Garner are very important influences for me.

But I listen to many different things and I’m especially inspired by musicians who have a strong individual identity, like Elton John and Pink. 

I think influences can come from everywhere. Sometimes a rhythm, a groove, a sound or simply the attitude of another artist can inspire an idea at the piano. The important thing is to take those influences and turn them into something personal.

“A seated audience can be incredibly intense too, but when people start dancing, clapping and shouting, I naturally become more physical and playful. I might push the tempo, take more risks or extend a groove because I can feel that the audience wants to go further. For me, Boogie-Woogie should never feel like something you only listen to with your arms crossed. You should feel it in your body.” (Photo: Katharina Alber aka Boogie Kathi, bringing pure energy and joy through her music)

We often see you incorporate New Orleans R&B and Funk grooves into your playing. How do you connect traditional Boogie-Woogie with these styles?

For me, they are much closer than people sometimes think. Boogie-Woogie is all about rhythm, groove and movement. New Orleans R&B and Funk have that same physical quality.

I love taking the traditional left-hand patterns and combining them with different rhythmic ideas, syncopation and New Orleans-style grooves. I can start with a very traditional Boogie-Woogie feeling and suddenly push it somewhere unexpected.

Boogie-Woogie piano has historically been male-dominated. How does it feel to be one of the few prominent female soloists in Europe today?

I honestly don’t spend too much time thinking about being one of the few women. I want people to remember me because of my music, my energy and my personality — not simply because I am a woman playing Boogie-Woogie.

But of course, I am aware that women have historically been underrepresented in this part of the piano world. If my presence on stage inspires another young girl to sit down at a piano and think, “I could do that too,” then that makes me very happy.

The piano doesn’t care whether you are male or female. You sit down, you play, and the music has to speak for itself.

Boogie-Woogie is dance music. How does your energy change when you play for a wild, dancing crowd versus a seated audience?

Oh, completely! When people are dancing, I can feel the energy coming straight back from the audience. It becomes almost a conversation between the piano and the crowd.

A seated audience can be incredibly intense too, but when people start dancing, clapping and shouting, I naturally become more physical and playful. I might push the tempo, take more risks or extend a groove because I can feel that the audience wants to go further.

For me, Boogie-Woogie should never feel like something you only listen to with your arms crossed. You should feel it in your body.

“I started playing classical piano when I was five but my love always belonged to Swing, Jazz & Blues Music. Playing Blues & Boogie-Woogie opened a completely different world for me. Suddenly, I could improvise, take risks and let my personality speak through the piano. My grandfather, Artur Rogger, was a jazz musician in Innsbruck, so I grew up with this kind of music.” (Photo: Katharina Alber aka Boogie Kathi, a dynamic Austrian pianist and vocalist who has earned international recognition in the genres of Boogie-Woogie, traditional Blues, and Swing)

Many view Boogie-Woogie as vintage music. How can this genre evolve and stay fresh for younger generations without losing its traditional soul?

I think the key is not to try to make Boogie-Woogie “young” by changing it into something it isn’t. The music already has an incredible energy.

What we can do is bring it into today’s world. Experiment with different grooves, combine it with Blues, Funk, R&B or New Orleans influences, create exciting shows and, most importantly, make the audience part of the experience.

Young people don’t necessarily need to know who Albert Ammons was before they can fall in love with Boogie-Woogie. They just need to hear something that makes them feel something.

If the music makes you smile, dance and want to move, it is alive — no matter when it was created.

If you could travel back to 1930s Chicago or Detroit, which piano legend would you absolutely love to play a duet with?

That is a very difficult question! But if I could choose one, I would probably say Otis Spann.

I would love to sit at the piano with him and experience that incredible energy firsthand. Imagine being in a room in 1930s Chicago, sitting beside one of the pioneers of Blues Music and simply starting to play together.

I wouldn’t even want to prepare a song. I would just want to hear what would happen when two pianos start talking to each other.

And then, of course, I would probably want to stay there for a very, very long time!

Boogie Kathie - Home

(Katharina Alber, widely known as "Boogie Kathi" / Photo by Michel Piedallu)