Fletcher Henderson: Whiteman Stomp
Track
Whiteman Stomp
Group
Fletcher Henderson
CD
A Study in Frustration/Thesaurus of Classic Jazz (Columbia 57596)
Musicians:
Russell Smith (trumpet), Tommy Ladnier (trumpet), Joe Smith (trumpet), Jimmy Harrison (trombone), Benny Morton (trombone), Don Redman (clarinet, alto sax), Buster Bailey (clarinet, alto sax), Coleman Hawkins (clarinet, tenor sax), Fats Waller (piano), Kaiser Marshall (drums),
Charlie Dixon (banjo), June Cole (tuba)
.Composed by Jo Trent & Fats Waller. Arranged by Don Redman
.Recorded: New York, May 11, 1927
Rating: 92/100 (learn more)
Like an ace reporter, Fletcher Henderson always got there first. Three months before self-crowned "King of Jazz" Paul Whiteman could wax Don Redman's arrangement of Fats Waller's tribute, Fletcher scooped "Whiteman Stomp." Henderson's charts such as "King Porter Stomp" later helped crown Benny Goodman "King of Swing." Scoop himself, though, was never coronated. Sometimes it's better to arrive late, after things settle down. This track, for instance, is a fascinating but ultimately bewildering kaleidoscope, as artistically ambitious as another Whiteman commission, Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue (1924), yet so insistently unpredictable it's scary. "Whiteman Stomp" must be heard to be disbelieved.
Reviewer: Alan Kurtz
Tags: 1920s jazz · avant-garde · big band
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