Sun City Stomperz
Helen Daley
The Roaring 1920s became known as the Jazz Age. Jazz, Blues, and Swing bands dominated that era. The music was carefree and upbeat. One of the biggest forms of entertainment was dancing, and dances such as the Charleston, the black bottom, the shimmy, foxtrot, collegiate shag, and Lindy hop were added to more classical dances such as waltz, tango, and samba. Dancers learned steps from Broadway plays and movies. Many of those dance crazes are still popular today. The Charleston was introduced in the Broadway show Runnin’ Wild in 1922.
Ten of the most popular 1920s musicians were Willie “The Lion” Smith, Jelly Roll Morton, King Oliver, Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bechet, Eddie Lang, Jack Teagarden, Bix Beiderbecke, Duke Ellington, Fletcher Henderson.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have the music styles of the 1920s resurge in the 2020s? Many Traditional Jazz bands playing today have made their own arrangements of the old-time favorites from a century ago.
The Sun City Stomperz will take center stage as the Arizona Classic Jazz Society starts their new season on Sunday, September 15, to showcase the wonderful music of the first three decades of the 20th century. One set will feature a Top 10 song from each year of the 1920s.
The Sun City Stomperz have been delighting music lovers on the west side of the Valley since 2005. Their bandleader Ernie Landes plays trombone and became enamored with Traditional Jazz while attending Stanford University. Bob Scobey and Turk Murphy were popular in the San Francisco area at that time. The rest of the band is comprised of talented local musicians: Clark Chaffee (drums), Steve Means (reeds), Matt Mooney (banjo), Dan Reed (trumpet), Lloyd Shaffer (piano), and Chuck Stewart (tuba).
The Stomperz will perform for your listening and dancing pleasure from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 15, 2019, at the Crowne Plaza Phoenix – Chandler Golf Resort, One San Marcos Place, Chandler. Cost is $15 for ACJS members; $20 non-members (become a new member and get in free on the 15th; yearly membership $35 couple, single $25). For more information, go to www.azclassicjazz.org or call
480-620-3941.