Sun City Stomperz (photo courtesy of Ernie Landes, leader of Sun City Stomperz)
Helen Daley
The Sun City Stomperz started the band in 2005 and are still going strong. That should say something for the quality of the band. Their mission in 2005 was to spread the joy of Dixieland Jazz around the Sun City area, and they have done that and more for 18 years.
The band also appears at the annual Arizona Classic Jazz Festival, this year Nov. 2 to Nov. 5. The theme for the special/educational festival sets this year is “Come Swing With Me,” and the Stomperz will be featuring songs introduced during 1923 and 1924.
Swing is considered a style of jazz with a larger band and a smoother beat than Dixieland. The number 1 and 2 swing songs in 1923 were “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers” and “Swingin’ Down the Lane,” and in 1924 they were “It Ain’t Gonna Rain No Mo” and “California, Here I Come.” The most popular dance from the 1920s was the Charleston.
After no programs for the summer, the Arizona Classic Jazz Society is happy to start our 2023-24 jazz season in September. Please join us for a fun afternoon with the Stomperz in the San Tan Room at the Crowne Plaza Phoenix – Chandler Golf Resort, One San Marcos Place, Downtown Chandler, from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 17. The cost is $15 for Arizona Classic Jazz Society members and $20 for non-members (become a new member on the 17th and get in free; yearly membership is $35/couple and $25/single). Credit cards are not accepted at monthly events, so please bring cash or your checkbook. The public is welcome.
There will be two dance floors and the choice of table or theater seating. For more information, go to www.azclassicjazz.org or call 480-620-3941.