The Apollo Stompers was a jazz big band led by

Jaki Byard John Arthur "Jaki" Byard (; June 15, 1922 – February 11, 1999) was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, and arranger. Mainly a pianist, he also played tenor and alto saxophones, among several other instruments. He was known for hi ...

. Accounts vary on when the Apollo Stompers was formed. These range from the 1950s to the mid-1970s. For a time, two versions of the band existed: one of New York musicians, and the other of students from the

New England Conservatory of Music The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a Private college, private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the oldest independent music Music school, conservatory in the United States and among the most prestigious in the world. The ...

, where Byard taught.Stokes, W. Royal (May 27, 1979) "This Music Is Unmistakably American: Jaki Byard's Big-Band Stand". ''The Washington Post''. p. L4. He commented that he was "running up and down the road between Boston and New York and I said why not get a band together in New York, too?" For one concert, Byard used the two ensembles together, on either side of a stage at the New England Conservatory. He referred to it as his "Stereophonic Ensemble", because of the effects that could be created by having the bands playing together but separated spatially. The band played a diverse range of material, including compositions by

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...

in 1978,

Eubie Blake James Hubert "Eubie" Blake (February 7, 1887 – February 12, 1983) was an American pianist and composer of ragtime, jazz, and popular music. In 1921, he and his long-time collaborator Noble Sissle wrote ''Shuffle Along'', one of the first Bro ...

Fats Waller Thomas Wright "Fats" Waller (May 21, 1904 – December 15, 1943) was an American jazz pianist, organist, composer, violinist, singer, and comedic entertainer. His innovations in the Harlem stride style laid much of the basis for modern jazz pi ...

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based ...

, and

Charles Mingus Charles Mingus Jr. (April 22, 1922 – January 5, 1979) was an American jazz upright bassist, pianist, composer, bandleader, and author. A major proponent of collective improvisation, he is considered to be one of the greatest jazz musicians and ...

. Vocalists and tap dancers were also sometimes featured. Central, however, where Byard's own compositions; he also wrote all of the band's arrangements.Wilson, John S. (November 29, 1986) "Jazz: At the Blue Note, Basie and Byard Bands". ''The New York Times''. p. 14.

Discography

As "Jaki Byard and the Apollo Stompers": *''

Phantasies ''Phantasies'' is the name of a series of animation, animated cartoons produced by the Screen Gems#Animation studio: 1933–1948, Screen Gems studio for Columbia Pictures from 1939 to 1946. The series, featuring characters such as Willoughby Wre ...

'' (

Soul Note Black Saint and Soul Note are two affiliated Italian independent record labels. Since their conception in the 1970s, they have released albums from a variety of influential jazz musicians, particularly in the genre of free jazz. History Black S ...

, 1984) *''

Phantasies II ''Phantasies II'' is an album by the American jazz pianist Jaki Byard with the Apollo Stompers, recorded in 1988 and released on the Italian Soul Note label.

'' (Soul Note, 1988) *'' My Mother's Eyes'' (1998)

References

{{Authority control Big bands