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Still Swinging after Forty-one years
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Listen to the Stompers (mp3):
Mix a march from the American civil war with a stately measure of quadrille, a creole love call and a double dose of blues. Blend through three horns and serve over smoking hot rhythm garnished with fun. Do that right and you've cooked up something like a mess of New Orleans jazz.
Beware of cheap imitations!
For a taste of the real thing catch the Valley Stompers. Dixieland band. The Stompers have been cooking the righteous recipes for over 37 years; Joe Oliver, Kid Ory, Sidney Bechet, Louis Armstrong, all that great stuff.
Bring sippin' whiskey and sail away on a trip down the
Mississippi
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The Valley Stompers have been playing original Dixieland Jazz in Wellington since 1971 and are playing better than ever. They are always developing new arrangements and adding numbers. This type of jazz is fun and tunes are never played the same twice in a row. It is high energy music with improvisation from all the instruments.
It is a complete mystery just what valley the band is named after. Some think it is the Hutt Valley. Others claim they can prove it is the Ngaio valley, Wilton Valley, Plimmerton Valley, Aro Valley or any one of the hundreds of valleys in Wellington. |
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Many
readers will remember the band from student days when the Stompers were a
leading part of the Dixieland jazz revival in
Wellington. They featured every
Wednesday evening for 13 years from 1975 in what was then the Western
Park Tavern in Thorndon.
The Wellington Jazz club
hosted the forty year birthday party for the band in April 2011.
It is not just the name of the band which has stood the test
of time. Total number of years of service shared
by the existing players is about forty
seven. |
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Mike Bain joined the Stompers in May 2003. Mike plays clarinet and other reeds. He brings a wealth of experience to the group. It is rumoured he can even read music! Watch this space! The Stompers are adding new material to their repertoire featuring Mike's exciting dexterity. |
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| Howard Thompson joined the Stompers about seven years ago as drummer. Howard has many years experience with our style of music and brings the added dimension of rhythm to the excitement of the band |  |
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Roger Metcalfe, (sousaphone) has been with the group for nearly 40 years. His pride and joy is his vintage side valve V8 powered Holton Bb sousaphone which gives the group its distinctive line up. Probably more importantly Roger is the major source of the band's swing. The sousaphone literally rocks from side to side with Roger operating with one hand in his pocket!. Roger has the only trained voice in the band. |
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Mike Green's membership totals 29 years. He is a Kenny Ball supporter and budding composer. He also leads the group on stage and does 99.99% of the vocals. He can prove that his trumpet is the loudest sound source in the band. He is the best looking band member by far.
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Chris Caudwell (trombone) joined the group in the late 1990s. He is a Jack Teagarden fanatic but usually follows Kid Ory's style to keep the groupies happy. He suspects that his trombone can make more noise than Mike's trumpet but is too polite to try and prove it. He has a remarkably limited range of vocals confined to two tunes recorded by singing trombone players. He has been known to play other instruments when no one is looking. |
| Alastair Carr joined the Stompers about eight years ago on banjo and guitar. On banjo he retains the traditional Dixieland sound on which the group is based. On guitar he brings a beautiful harmonic sound which emphasises the sweet tones on the horns and makes for good dancing. |  |
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It is not widely
realised that many of the most famous Dixieland numbers such as Basin St
and Bourbon St are named after real places in the French Quarter of New
Orleans which are unchanged today.
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The band is available for public and private functions. Contact Chris Caudwell on 04-973-3204, Roger Metcalfe on 04-233-0344 or EMail to caudwells@paradise.net.nz
