videos by Harold McAleer

Piano and Leader – Frank Stadler, Reeds – John Clark, Banjo and Vocals – Jimmy Mazzy, Cornet – Scott Philbrick, Trumpet and Vocals – Dave Whitney, Trombone – Lee Prager, Sousaphone – Al Bernard, Drums – Bobby Reardon

Seacoast Stompers are a Traditional Jazz and Swing band led by pianist Frank Stadler.  Frank has a list of everything they’ve played in the nearly five years the Band as been at the Acton Jazz Café; he tries to avoid repeating tunes played recently.   Last month, they broke tradition by playing all their old favorite and most requested tunes.  This month it was back to normal, with no repeats of anything played for many months.

But they always begin with their theme song, At The Jazz Band Ball,  with Albie giving this one extra emphasis on sousaphone.  A medium swing tune followed, Between The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea.

 

 

You never know what will happen with Jazz musicians, that’s why this never gets dull.   John Clark took out a smokin’ Coleman Hawkins tenor sax – new instrument for John, making use of the rich lower register, keeping this listener enthralled all afternoon,  Beale St. Blues, Undecided.

 

 

 

 

 

Dave gave New Orleans the respect it deserves with fine trumpet and a Whitney vocal.

 

 

 

 

Jimmy’s unpretentious sincerity comes through with Porter’s Love Song to a Chamber Maid along with many quips that we can’t print here. Never give Jimmy a microphone!
Fidgety Feet had feet tapping, check out Lee having fun trading trombone with Albie’s tuba.

 

 

Frank was swinging from start to finish on the new Yamaha piano;  Rosetta, a tune that Earl Fatha Hines’ recorded in Chicago in 1939.

 

 

Eva Balazs, tiny as she is, found a really high stool to perch on so she could clearly see his impressive piano fingers.  Her feet were dangling 2 feet from the ground, but she was enthralled.

There are four Sports’ TVs in the Café. Our Sport is Jazz – no one was watching the Red Sox or Bruins.

 

John Clark choose the next one, a scorching San, dazzling polyphony by the front line.  Bei Mir Bis Du Schoen, Sundown.

Carrie’s Mazzy’s choice was a lyrical I’ve Got a Feeling I’m Falling:

Fran D’Agostino, Tuesday night JazzJam host, took charge of the sound system.  He had his guitar with him, and sat in playing catchy riffs on Things Ain’t What They Used To Be.

Break time.  Sax and cornet soon returned with a trio on a hot Tuxedo Junction, with Dave Whitney on drums! You never know!

There’ll Be Some Changes Made, nice interchange between drum and tuba. Albie was featured with Jimmy’s vocal on Louisiana Fairytale, the theme song for This Old House and a Paramount Jazz Band favorite.

John took out his clarinet for a Slow Boat to China, which was anything but!  It sizzled! He’s the youngest in this crowd.  He was drawn to jazz in the Library at Connecticut College when he became immersed in its vast collection of Traditional/Dixieland Jazz, and absorbed every recording.   (Thank you, Jeff Barnhart!)

You never know what’s coming. They tried S’Wonderful with NO sound system, which is generally the norm for our Trad Jazz Bands, and sounded just fine to me.  But they couldn’t hear the piano and banjo from the back of the Café.

 

 

Sound on.  Something between Dixie and Swing – Scotty began  I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate, fun tune.  Whitney took the vocal on The Preacher.

 

 

 

They closed with a fiery, wild Somebody Stole My Gal.

The Seacoast Stompers are an imaginative and versatile Traditional Jazz and Swing Band.  You never know what they will do next.  The Band is here at the Acton Jazz Cafe on the first Saturday of the month for the rest of this year – next one is July 6th.  Join us for some fun Jazz and Swing!