Tappuccino performing in mid-Missouri

Stacie Strong | Mar 16, 2009 | 0

Tappuccino, with tapper Stacie Strong, pianist Pack Matthews, horn player Alan Arnold and conga drummer John Markovitz

Live in the Midwest but never seen live rhythm tap?  Tappuccino will be performing on April 2 in Warrenton, just about 45 minutes outside of St Louis.  Read on for more information!

Live jazz takes an unusual twist when tap dancer Stacie Strong joins pianist Pack Matthews, horn player Alan Arnold and conga drummer John Markovitz at the Bell Star Theater in Warrenton on April 2 as part of the Warren County Fine Arts Council Winter Concert Series.  

The four perform together as "Tappuccino - A Quartet With A Quirk," offering up a varied repertoire that includes not only the type of big band-era swing standards (such as "Stompin' at the Savoy") that are normally associated with tap dance but also bop, hard bop, blues and Latin tunes.  In their Warrenton performance, the group also serves up two original melodies - "God's Addiction" and "Masters of the Universe" - that were penned by band member Pack Matthews.

As unusual as it may seem to see a tap dancer performing with a live jazz combo, it's actually a tradition that dates back to the 1930s and 1940s, when big name bandleaders such as Cab Calloway and Count Basie all traveled with their own tap dancers.  Still, Tappuccino isn't simply recreating the happy days of yesteryear - it is adding its own unique stamp to the tradition by taking it into the twenty-first century with new steps, new rhythms and new presentation.  

"Both tap dance and jazz music have come a long way since the thirties and forties," says Strong.  "Charlie Parker, Sonny Rollins, Miles Davis - we do songs by many of the great jazz artists.  As for the tapping - well, it's a whole new world out there.  Ever since Savion Glover came along, tap dancers have had to be fast as well as musical.  The entire dance vocabulary has changed since the days of the big MGM musicals."

In fact, Strong's style of dance is known as rhythm tap, in which the sound of the taps is the most important aspect of the performance.  "While audiences love the visuals involved in having a tapper on stage, musicians really appreciate the way we integrate the tones and phrasing of my taps into the entire musical experience," says Strong.  "There's really something for everyone."

The innovation in Tappuccino's instrumentation doesn't stop with Strong's tap dancing - all of the members of the band make their own distinctive contributions.  Horn player Alan Arnold not only pulls double duty with blisteringly fast solos on the alto and tenor saxophones, he also has been known to play his recorder on certain pieces, adding a haunting and vaguely medieval tone that audiences love.  Conga drummer John Markovitz adds authentic south-of-the-border stylings to Tappuccino's Latin tunes, but also provides unique swing and bounce to the group's other selections.  Pianist Pack Matthews holds down the melody and bass line at the keyboards, in addition to composing for the group.

Tappuccino plays at the Bell Star Theater, 112 E. Boonslick Road, Warrenton, at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 2, 2009.  The performance is sponsored by First State Community Bank of Warrenton and is free of charge to the public.  For  additional information, please e-mail msjazztapper@gmail.com or call (312) 479-0235.

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Tap, Performance (all tags)