Music of the Mountains: Where to be and what to see -- Scott Johnson of the Rampart Street Stompers (and Bonus: Al Jardine and The Beach Boys at Caribou Ranch!)
Manage episode 446943955 series 3433904
Scott Johnson primarily lives in Boulder with his wife and two kids, but the family also owns a house in New Orleans, located on North Rampart Street.
Over a decade ago, he played a gig and mentioned that he would have loved to learn how to play the sousaphone, as at the time he played upright and electric bass. A trumpet player and friend playing the gig with him said that he would help Johnson learn the ropes. This motivated Johnson to teach himself the instrument, and feeling comfortable playing New Orleans jazz, he gathered friends of his to form a band to play that jazz: the Rampart Street Stompers, a name that tributes his house.
The band focuses on traditional New Orleans jazz from the 1920s and ’30s, from Louis Armstrong to Louis Prima, and the lineup has changed slightly over the years to home in on that particular sound.
The current lineup consists of Johnson as band leader, sousaphone player, and vocalist; Fred Renken on trumpet; Fred Rollenhagen on trombone; Michael Bocim on clarinet; Al Scholl on banjo and guitar; Steve Balgooyen on drums; and Corinne Johnson, Scott’s daughter, as a vocalist.
Other members have included Josh Schnabel on banjo and ukulele, Ellie Brown on vocals, and Justin Peterson on trumpet. Johnson calls the band a middle ground between Preservation Hall Jazz Band and Tuba Skinny, the latter of whom Johnson credits with inspiring the band in the first place.
Also, stay tuned to hear responses from Al Jardine of The Beach Boys to questions about that band's time at Caribou Ranch in Nederland!
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