The explosive combination of boogie-woogie piano and a full big-band sound makes for a thrilling spectacle. Pianist and composer Ladyva captured that excitement with her original number, “Ladyva’s Stomp.” Recorded at the Pertuis Big Band Festival in southern France, the performance features the Barcelona Big Blues Band, led by Ivan Kovacevic, who created the big-band arrangement. Julien Sabdès filmed the performance, Bruno Minisini handled the audio, and Ladyva edited the finished video. Uploaded in August 2025, it attracted one million views within a week and has since passed 4.7 million views.
Ladyva’s performance is mesmerizing, combining impressive speed and precision with a relaxed, playful stage presence. Despite the considerable technical demands of fast-paced boogie-woogie, she makes the intricate piano passages appear almost effortless. Her smiles, glances and visible enjoyment add enormously to the performance. One enthusiastic viewer praised her ability to play the lead without appearing to miss a note while still sharing smiles and winks with the audience. That joyful showmanship is a major part of what makes her performances so engaging.
The interplay between Ladyva’s piano and the Barcelona Big Blues Band gives her composition an exciting new dimension. One viewer memorably described the arrangement as a “Boogie Woogie Concerto #1 for Piano and Big Band.” Following the online success of the performance, “Ladyva’s Stomp (Live),” featuring the Barcelona Big Blues Band, was released as a digital single in November 2025. Official piano-solo sheet music for the composition is also available to purchase through Ladyva’s website.
The performance also struck a chord with musicians who remain passionate about the genre. A 77-year-old saxophonist commented that they had never loved anything more than playing music from this era and thanked Ladyva for helping to continue its tradition. Another viewer argued that the best way to keep the music alive was simply to play it with tremendous energy. The Pertuis collaboration extended beyond this original composition, with Ladyva and the band also performing Jerry Lee Lewis’s rock-and-roll classic “Great Balls of Fire.”
That second performance provided another exhilarating showcase for the collaboration. Released on YouTube in December 2025, their rendition of “Great Balls of Fire” came from the same Pertuis concert and also attracted a large online audience, passing one million views. The arrangement allowed the musicians to apply their powerful big-band sound to a familiar rock-and-roll favourite, while Ladyva contributed both spirited piano playing and vocals. The performance was subsequently issued as a live single across major streaming platforms.
The chemistry first displayed in Pertuis has since developed into an ongoing musical partnership. Ladyva and the Barcelona Big Blues Band reunited for concerts in Spain and have further appearances scheduled in France, including Jazz en Tech in Céret in August 2026. Their April 2026 performances at Barcelona’s Jamboree club sold out, demonstrating the considerable enthusiasm surrounding the collaboration. By combining the foundations of boogie-woogie and rock and roll with the scale and power of a big band, they are introducing this exuberant music to new audiences.