Sandy Brown Jazz

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Jazz As Art

Duke Ellington

Stompy Jones

When you listen to music, you sometimes conjure images in your mind. Our Jazz As Art series invites you to listen to a piece of jazz and as it plays, scroll down the page and see which of the pieces of art I have chosen comes closest to the pictures in your mind. Hopefully, this will introduce you to recordings and art works you might not have spent time with before.

Stompy Jones is a Duke Ellington composition that was first recorded by his Orchestra for the Victor label in 1934. As far as I can see, the personnel for that first recording was:

Duke Ellington (piano, leader); Barney Bigard, Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney, Otto Hardwick (reeds); Cootie Williams, Louis Bacon, Arthur Whetsel, Freddy Jenkins (trumpet); Tricky Sam Nanton, Lawrence Brown (trombone); Fred Guy (guitar); Wellman Braud (bass); Sonny Greer (drums).

The tune appears again with quite a different approach by Duke Ellington and Johnny Hodges on the 1958 album Side By Side. For this article I am using the 1934 version. I haven't been able to find out the inspiration for 'Stompy Jones' - perhaps someone knows?

Here are the pictures I have chosen to go with the music. See what you think - is there a picture that works best for you?.
(I think this only works if you spend time with each painting).