Just in time for Lundi Gras (Fat Monday, the night before Mardi Gras/Shrove Tuesday) the Mainstay in Rock Hall presents the US Army Blues Swamp Romp in a very special Monday concert as part of it celebration of the music of New Orleans. The concert is Monday February 20 at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free. For information and reservations call 410-639-9133. Information is also available at the Mainstay’s website http://www.mainstayrockhall.org.
Swamp Romp is the Louisiana influenced unit of the US Army Blues, the jazz band subset of the United States Army Band known worldwide as “Pershing’s Own.” Fronted by Graham Breedlove from Lafayette, Louisiana on trumpet and Harry Watters from Huntsville, Alabama on trombone, Swamp Romp plays a wide mix of New Orleans classics, Dixieland, ragtime, their own compositions and some contemporary works with New Orleans influenced arrangements.
In a review of their CD “Voodoo Boogaloo,” All About Jazz calls them “lively, effervescent,” a “diverse gumbo of phenomenal talent” and a “stellar group with a musical jambalaya that cooks with that very special hot Southern spice to it.” The group has performed on the “Emeril Live” show and also traveled to New Orleans to help build homes with Habitat for Humanity and to play concerts in post-Katrina storm ravaged areas of that city.
About Graham Breedlove, Jazz Times magazine writes: “Breedlove has chops…and is the leader of a tight, forceful band.” The International Trumpet Guild’s Journal calls him, “…one of the most exciting trumpet players on the planet!” Breedlove’s compositions have appeared on NBC’s “Today Show” and Food Network’s “Emeril Live.” He has performed with The Saturday Night Live Band, Ray Charles, Darius Rucker and Doc Severinsen and is listed in the book “Trumpet Greats,” a biographical dictionary of about 2,000 famous trumpeters since the Baroque Era. He has appeared on over 100 recordings including back-to-back Grammy winning CDs in 2004 and 2005 and his own CD “Coming Home.”
Harry Watters serves with the United States Army Band in Washington, DC and teaches Jazz Trombone at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. After graduation from the University of North Texas, he spent four years touring and recording with the renowned Dukes of Dixieland. While working at night on Bourbon Street, a sleep-deprived Watters attended the University of New Orleans by day, serving as the graduate assistant to Professor Ellis Marsalis. He has performed with Doc Severinsen, Al Hirt, Pete Fountain, Wycliffe Gordon, Lou Rawls, Maureen McGovern and the Boston Brass. He has appeared as a featured soloist with the Syracuse Symphony, the Baton Rouge Symphony, the Louisiana Philharmonic, the Tulsa Pops, the West Virginia Symphony, the Moldovan Festival Orchestra and the U.S. Army Orchestra.
The Mainstay (Home of Musical Magic) is the friendly informal storefront performing arts center on Rock Hall’s old time Main Street. It is a 501(c)(3), non profit dedicated to the arts, serving Rock Hall and the surrounding region and committed to presenting local, regional and national level talent, at a reasonable price, in an almost perfect acoustic setting. Wine, beer, sodas and snacks are available at the bar. The Mainstay is supported by ticket sales, fundraising including donations from friends and audience members and an operating grant from the Maryland State Arts Council. . For information and reservations call the Mainstay at 410-639-9133. More information is also available at the Mainstay’s website http://www.mainstayrockhall.org.
Upcoming Mainstay performances include:
Feb. 23 Conservatory Classic Jazz Band
Feb. 26 Potomac Guitar Trio
March 3 Jazz Samba – a tribute to the Stan Getz / Charlie Byrd album at 50 with Scott Silbert, Nate Najar, Chuck Redd and Tommy Cecil
March 8 Lynn Roberts Quartet
March 10 Quiet Storm
March 17 Warner Williams and Jay Summerour