By Claire Dietz
When you’re walking downtown, it isn’t hard to spot one of the many pianos dotting the cityscape. You probably see them every day, so you might not even notice them anymore; they’re little more than an afterthought.
But for Chase Garrett, they were the beginning of an idea: to start the Blues and Boogie Woogie Piano Stomp. The Stomp is a one-night-only event held annually in Iowa City since its conception seven years ago, in which piano lovers from all over can come and celebrate their passion.
“I started advertising the first Piano Stomp five years ago by playing the outdoor pianos downtown,” he said. “I really didn’t know how people were going to react. But as soon I started playing a boogie-woogie beat, people began dancing, singing, and even playing along.”
This year, Chase Garrett’s seventh-annual Blues & Boogie Woogie Piano Stomp will take place at 7 p.m. Friday at the Englert Theater, 221 E. Washington St.
For Garrett, boogie-woogie has the ability to transcend dividing factors.
“No matter your age, gender, race, or religion, boogie-woogie does not discriminate,” he said. “In fact, [it] only wants to make people happy and have a great time, so for me, boogie-woogie is pure unadulterated joy.”
The idea for the Piano Stomp was simple: two pianos, an upright bassist, a horn section, a percussionist, vocalist, and four international pianists come together on stage for a night of blues and boogie-woogie.
Josh Duffe, the percussionist for the group, has been a part of the Piano Stomp since last year, but he has long been surrounded by music.
“Music was in my environment, because my dad played the guitar and sang, and my mom played piano and sang,” he said. “As a child, I was mostly self-taught … I played in my first band in seventh grade, and they needed a bass player. I then taught myself to play bass.”
David Gomez, another band member, started playing the saxophone when he was 12 but didn’t become involved with jazz until a few years ago. This year is his first year with the ensemble.
“It was a trumpet player friend of mine who introduced me to blues and jazz in 2007,” he said. “I immediately got intrigued about the freedom of it and how you could really express yourself while playing these styles.”
Al Naylor, who plays the trumpet, is in his first year playing in the ensemble, but he has previous experience with the group — last year, he was the conductor and arranged a piece with Garrett.
Despite initially wanting to play the trombone, Naylor was pushed by his band director to play the trumpet because his “arms would never be long enough.”
All these years later, he sees the wisdom in his mentor’s comments and is happy about his decision to switch.
“It’s hard to miss hearing the trumpet,” he said. “Playing and hearing those high notes, feeling what it’s like to soar above the band with melodies that I made up. It was a very heady time for a young man.”
Naylor, who began playing in the ’60s, had “tremendous opportunities” to play with some of the greats.
“The blues is something that has always been a part of me,” he said. “It came very naturally to me, and I have been lucky to play with and jam with many great jazz and blues musicians.”
He has played with the likes of Bob Dorr and the Blue Band, Aretha Franklin, the Temptations, the Four Tops, Frank Sinatra Jr., among many, others.
Lluís Coloma, an international addition to the ensemble, is a piano player from Barcelona, Spain, who said he looks forward to playing for an Iowa City audience. He began playing the piano at 9 years old, and it can be seen in the way he talks about his craft.
“I love piano; for me it is the most complete instrument ever,” he said. “All kinds of music played [on the] piano I can enjoy it. [From a young age], I was really good with rhythm. That’s what I like most. After I watched the movie Great Balls of Fire, about Jerry Lee Lewis’s life, I just got crazy about rock & roll. [Then], later on, I fell in love with blues and boogie-woogie.”
Duffee gave perhaps the most concise summary of what all the musicians hope for when onstage.
“When we, the musicians, see and hear the audience getting into what we’re doing, we feel that connection on stage,” he said. “Chase has put a lot of time and effort into organizing this great event for Iowa City, and it’s great to see the community support he has through sponsorships and volunteers.”
