"King Porter Stomp" is a jazz standard by pianist

Jelly Roll Morton Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe (later Morton; c. September 20, 1890 – July 10, 1941), known professionally as Jelly Roll Morton, was an American ragtime and jazz pianist, bandleader, and composer. Morton was jazz's first arranger, proving that a gen ...

, first recorded in 1923. The composition is considered to be important in the development of

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

.Magee, Jeffrey. "'King Porter Stomp' and the Jazz Tradition", p.46, ''Current Musicology'', 71-73 (Spring 2001-Spring 2002), p. 22-53

It became a hit during the swing era, when it was recorded by Benny Goodman.

History

According to Jelly Roll Morton, the tune was composed in 1906 and was the first "

stomp Stomp may refer to: *Stomp (strike), a downwards kick using the heel Music and dance * ''Stomp'' (album), by Big D and the Kids Table, 2013 * Stomp (jazz), a type of rhythmic jazz tune popular in the 1920s *Stomp (theatrical show), a percussive p ...

" in the

history of jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major f ...

. Morton first recorded the number in 1923 as a piano solo, but did not file a

copyright A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, educatio ...

on the tune until 1924. That year, Morton recorded a duet version with

Joe "King" Oliver Joseph Nathan "King" Oliver (December 19, 1881 – April 8/10, 1938) was an American jazz cornet player and bandleader. He was particularly recognized for his playing style and his pioneering use of mutes in jazz. Also a notable composer, he wr ...

on cornet. Morton said that he had actually written the tune almost 20 years earlier, and that it was named after his friend and fellow pianist Porter King. On July 1, 1935, Benny Goodman and his orchestra recorded Fletcher Henderson's arrangement of the number, backed with " Sometimes I'm Happy". It was released July 31 as Victor 25090, and became a sizeable hit and a standard of the

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s ...

era. Goodman's recording featured the well known trumpeter of the day

Bunny Berigan Roland Bernard "Bunny" Berigan (November 2, 1908 – June 2, 1942) was an American jazz trumpeter and bandleader who rose to fame during the swing era. His career and influence were shortened by alcoholism, and ended with his early demise at the ...

. Fletcher Henderson had recorded his own arrangement several times with his own band during the 1920s and early 1930s.

Harry James Harry Haag James (March 15, 1916 – July 5, 1983) was an American musician who is best known as a trumpet-playing band leader who led a big band from 1939 to 1946. He broke up his band for a short period in 1947 but shortly after he reorganized ...

recorded a version in 1939 on Brunswick 8366. Other big bands also recorded the tune, as did more traditional jazz groups. Late 1960s "space-age" bandleader Pat Williams recorded the song on his 1968 Verve LP ''Shades of Today''. In 1975,

Gil Evans Ian Ernest Gilmore Evans (né Green; May 13, 1912 – March 20, 1988) was a Canadian–American jazz pianist, arranger, composer and bandleader. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest orchestrators in jazz, playing an important role i ...

and his orchestra arranged a new cover in '' There Comes a Time'' album, with Tony Williams,

David Sanborn David William Sanborn (born July 30, 1945) is an American alto saxophonist. Though Sanborn has worked in many genres, his solo recordings typically blend jazz with instrumental pop and R&B. He released his first solo album ''Taking Off'' in 19 ...

and George Adams among others. The American jazz trio

Air The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing f ...

recorded the tune for their 1979 album '' Air Lore''.

Notes

External links

Morton and Porter King

King Porter Stomp on NPR 100
1906 compositions 1923 singles Jazz compositions Songs written by Jelly Roll Morton 1920s jazz standards Benny Goodman songs {{1920s-jazz-composition-stub

History

See also

Notes

External links