More than a year after the Savoy 80th anniversary celebration at the Alhambra Ballroom, I have finally managed to post (thanks to iMovie ‘08) the video tribute I put together as part of the festivities. The music video features Ella Fitzgerald (probably the Savoy’s most famous musical export) and Louis Armstrong singing Stompin’ at the Savoy. To their lively rendition, I’ve matched a number of clips showing many of the Savoy’s great dancers from Shorty George to Frankie Manning to Sugar Sullivan and more scorching the floor (and air). When I get a moment, I hope to draw up a list of folks. One notable missing from the final piece is Dawn Hampton. I deeply regret not including a clip of her, an oversight born largely because I turned this around in less than a week. One of the reasons I did not get around to posting this video after the event was my desire to correct the omission. But it proved hard to tinker with, especially the further I got away from the project. After 18 months on the shelf, I’ve decided to post it. I plan on adding a bonus clip of Dawn after the end. I will republish it then.

Posted on October 19th, 2007 by chad