Fletcher Henderson - Sugar Foot Stomp

[Swing Band Heaven]

Here are two disks I was playing today and I thought I'd do some transfers and share them

First up is Fletcher Henderson and his band playing "Sugar Foot Stomp"

PLAY SUGAR FOOT STOMP

Second up is Ambrose and his Orchestra playing "Then I'll be Tired Of You"

PLAY THEN I'LL BE TIRED OF YOU

[Henry]

Sugar Foot Stomp has quite a recorded history, beginning with King Oliver and his Creole Jazz Band's recording of the similar Dippermouth Blues. One thing that Sugar Foot and Dippermouth have in common is the spoken phrase "Oh play that thing," which occurs in various places in the several recordings. The other fundamental similarity is that Stomp and Blues both have the 12-bar blues structure. Fletcher Henderson recorded Sugar Foot Stomp numerous times, and the arrangement popularized by the Benny Goodman band was FH's.The definitive history of Fletcher Henderson is by the late Walter C. Allen, "Hendersonia: The Music of Fletcher Henderson and his Musicians, a Bio-Discography" (Highland Park, N.J., 1973). Pages 532-536 cover in detail the rather complicated story of FH and Sugar Foot Stomp. Page 266 has details of the session posted above: recorded in New York March 19, 1931. Soloists: Claude Jones and Benny Morton, trombone; Rex Stewart, trumpet [sic! Stewart also played cornet]; Coleman Hawkins, tenor sax; FH, piano.

Many thanks for posting this transfer!

BTW (later), Stewart's three-chorus (5-6-7) muted trumpet (cornet?) solo is a gloss of King Oliver's seminal solo in Dippermouth, as is Benny Morton's parallel trombone solo (11-12-13). KO's solo was widely copied in the jazz era. This is great stuff, brilliant playing all around!

[barnettrp21122]

Just downloaded these-thanks for the nice transfers!
Bob

[syncopeter]

I luuurv this version of Sugar Foot Stomp! As early as it is, you can already hear the beginnings of Swing. The (brass) bass may still be playing in a solid 2/4 rhythm. the call-and-response plus the marvelous obbligato playing behind the solos already point to 1933 when Henderson, Carter etc. firmly established the Swing type arrangements. Again, I am very fond of these early Henderson recordings.