"Something Old, Something New ..."

Winfrith Newburgh seemed to band members to be a rare name to conjure with - was she possibly a stalwart Victorian dowager and leader of a Ladies' Temperance League, or perhaps an Edwardian operatic soprano? Our Illustrious Leader maintained that it was actually a nearby settlement of sorts, but then he lives in Broadmayne. To the rest of us (living in the wider world) it inevitably became referred to as 'Winifred Atwell' (in honour, of course, of our Leader's plangent ivory-tickling) ...

This concert in the fine church (and excellent acoustic) of St Christopher was a Stompers gig with a difference! Yes, indeed! On this occasion we had a theme, and our very own Professor WikiJazz left no anecdotal stone unturned in creating a fine programme around the well-known wedding adage. We played numbers old, new, borrowed (that is, plagiarised) and blue (with the able assistance of Hamish, of course), and even managed a nod towards 'a sixpence in the shoe' with Bad Penny Blues (only very recently added to our repertoire). In fact, so extensive was our Leader's research on this theme that we had to omit enough material for a couple more concerts.

The organising team at St Christopher's had rustled up an enthusiastic and appreciative audience for us, and made the band very welcome, even to the extent of a fine array of canapés and liquid refreshment during the intermission (which we enjoyed as much as playing for the good people of Winfrith!). Many thanks to our hosts for the invitation and enthusiastic reception - we suspect that although this was our first 'themed' concert, it almost certainly won't be our last!