Post 568: THE STAMFORD STOMPERS - AN UPDATE

The Stamford Stompers. have been a busy little band since they were formed in July 2014. They have played at many wedding drinks receptions, birthday parties, rural events and summer bandstand concerts in the parks. They also continued their outreach work, taking our music to the people in shopping centres, as in this video, filmed in November 2017: CLICK HERE TO VIEW.

That performance was in the county town of Lincoln, but they also greatly enjoy entertaining the shoppers and tourists visiting their architecturally-beautiful home town of Stamford.

You may watch them here - on an exceptionally hot day - playing some relaxed jazz in a park bandstand: CLICK HERE.

Performing at the Centenary Church in Boston, Lincolnshire, before a large audience on 18 July last year, they received a standing ovation.

At a wedding, Summer 2019.

As you can see, the band normally has four players, though their singer Helen also performs when a vocalist is required:

Performing for the High Sheriff's Reception at Burghley House

You can hear The Stamford Stompers playing Yes, Sir, That's My Baby  by clicking here. For a video of them playing Has Anybody Seen My Girl?, CLICK HERE.

And for the band's website, click here.

Post 160: MIDDLE EIGHT OF 'MY BLUE HEAVEN'

Sometimes you come across a standard 32-bar tune in which the 'Middle Eight' follows a slightly uncommon pattern. I have noticed this can easily flummox jazz musicians - even very good ones  occasionally.

My Blue Heaven is a case in point. If you take it in the Key of Eb, then the Middle Eight - in simple terms - is:

one bar of Ab

one bar of C7th

two bars of F minor

two bars of Bb7th
one bar of Eb/Edim
one bar of Fm7/Bb7

The progression from the Ab chord to the C7th (it's the Georgia Progression) defies the usual 'circle of fifths' and that is what presents the challenge. So you have to be careful when improvising on this kind of tune and give it some thought while practising. This is the kind of improvisation that might result.

The music for My Blue Heaven was composed by the great Walter Donaldson in 1927.

He also wrote the music for - among others - My Little Bimbo, Oh Baby, Oh Sister Ain't That Hot, 'Taint No Sin To Take Off Your Skin, That Certain Party, Yes Sir That's My Baby, At Sundown, You're Driving Me Crazy, Carolina in the Morning, I Wonder Where My Baby is Tonight, Love Me Or Leave Me, Making Whoopee, and My Baby Just Cares for Me.

What a massive contribution to our music! Maybe one of these days I shall be able to persuade a band to give a concert entirely of Donaldson compositions.

Walter Donaldson was a New Yorker. He died in 1947 at the age of only 54.