The 45th Annual Pee Wee Russell Memorial Stomp was, as predicted, a fabulous event. Presented by the New Jersey Jazz Society and held at the gorgeous Birchwood Manor in Whippany New Jersey, the musicians brought their game, heartily encouraged by stylish dancers and listeners.
Four live bands performed for us, with very brief intermissions between the sets. First up was David Ostwald's Louis Armstrong Eternity Band, with David Ostwald (tuba), Bjorn Ingelstam (trumpet), Adrian Cunningham (clarinet & alto sax), Jim Fryer (trombone), Ken Salvo (guitar & banjo) and Rajiv Jayaweera (drums).
Up next was Dick Voigt's Big Apple Jazz Band, with Dick Voigt (piano), Danny Tobias (cornet), Joe Licari (clarinet), Tom Artin (trombone), Mike Weatherly (bass and vocals) and Steve Little (drums).
After a short intermission, the Keith Ingham Quintet performed, with Keith Ingham (piano), Dmitri Kolesnik (bass), John Eckert (trumpet), Jack Stuckey (clarinet) and Steve Little again on drums.
Closing the afternoon was the Warren Vache Quintet with Warren Vache (cornet), Harry Allen (tenor sax), James Chirillo (guitar), Nicki Parrott (bass) and Eliott Zigmund (drums).
For more information about this annual event, and other fantastic jazz programs, contact the New Jersey Jazz Society at
http://www.njjs.org/
