WELCOME TO THE STATESIDE STOMPERS

New Orleans, or Dixieland Jazz, is a lively upbeat form of jazz that started in the dance halls of the 1920s. The Stateside Stompers take this music into the 21st century with a thoroughly modern edge: 'a sound that transcends all ages'. The band perform as the traditional New Orleans seven or eight piece line-up, featuring trumpet, clarinet, trombone, sax, piano or banjo, sousaphone and drums. They will, however, sometimes play steel guitar, cornet, bass sax, upright bass and washboard! They also perform in smaller combinations.

A London trumpet player, Robin Smith, formed The Stateside Stompers in 1995. From his extensive contacts in the London jazz scene, Robin brought together a group of the very best Dixieland players in the country to create a new Dixieland band. Following the band's first performance at a colleague's wedding, the word of their exciting and innovative style spread. The Stateside Stompers have now become a major force in bringing Dixieland jazz to every corner of the UK.

They recorded their first CD in 1998 at a recording studio in South East London. Since then the band has performed in London Studios on the South Bank, the London Eye, Dickens and Jones and 'The Salient' on the River Thames to name a just a few. Film credits include the Kenneth Bramagh/C4 collaboration "Shackleton". The Stateside Stompers also perform across the country for corporate events, weddings and parties.

The band promoted a charity showcase night in February 2000 at the Rivoli Ballroom in South East London, in aid of the Musicians Benevolent Fund. This provided an ideal opportunity to extend The Stateside Stompers' audience. The evening was a roaring success with over 200 people dancing to numbers such as, 'Muskrat Ramble' and 'Just a Closer Walk'.

For more information about The Stateside Stompers please contact the band leader Robin Smith.