"Stompin' at the Savoy" is a 1934 jazz standard composed by Edgar Sampson. It is named after the Savoy Ballroom.[1]
Although the song is credited to Benny Goodman, Chick Webb, and Edgar Sampson, and the lyrics by Andy Razaf, in reality the music was written and arranged for Chick Webb's band by Sampson, who was the band's alto saxophonist. It was recorded as an instrumental by both Webb and Goodman, whose recording was the bigger hit. Lyrics were added by Andy Razaf, who wrote the lyrics to many popular songs. Goodman and Webb got their names added to the song when their bands recorded it.[1]
In Benny Goodman's version of 1934, the piece is written in 32 bar song form with 8 four bar phrases arranged AABA. The A sections use a Db6, Ab9, Db6, Ddim, Ebm7, Ab7, Db,Db chord sequence. With chord sequences on the downbeat to bring out the swing. The B phrases use a Gb9/G9, Gb9, B13/D13, B13, E9/F9, E9, A13/Ab9b chord sequence. The swing is medium fast.
The recording by Chick Webb's orchestra rose to number ten on the charts in 1934. In 1936 the piece was taken to the charts by Ozzie Nelson and Benny Goodman. It has been recorded by Charlie Christian (1941),[2] Art Tatum (1941), Clifford Brown and Max Roach (1954), Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong (1956), Jim Hall (1957),[3] Ahmad Jamal (1958)[4] and Sarah Vaughan (1964).[1]
Judy Garland recorded the song in 1936. Then in 2007, Nikki Yanofsky, a Canadian jazz-pop singer, collaborated with Grammy Award-winning musicians Herbie Hancock and Will.i.am (from The Black Eyed Peas) to record a crossover version of this swing era hit.
The song was also heavily featured throughout Woody Allen's 2000 film Small Time Crooks.