Jumping Out the Woodside

First recorded in 1938 by the legendary Count Basie Orchestra.

Why I Love This Song

I like this song for various reasons:

• Family Tradition: I was brought up on this music, the music of big band and swing. My grandad had a 30-piece big band called the VCO (the Versatile Concert Orchestra). Every week, I would go and watch him play this tune.

• Inspiration: I would also go and watch my hero, Jules Holland, who would play it too.

• Personal Experience: Now that I've grown up, I've been incredibly lucky to be involved with a show called the Jules Holland Boogie Woogie and Blues Spectacular. Every year, I join Jules for a Julian piano show.

A Memorable Moment

A few months ago, Jules said to me, "Tom, come and join me on this show." I had no idea what we were going to play.

• We walked on stage, and he looked at me and said, "Tom, do you know Jumping at the Woodside?"

• I replied, "No."

• He said, "Okay, great, we're in G, here we go."

And just like that, we started playing.

Musical Impact

You know, we just flew! I had no idea what was happening, but we played this song.

• Emotional Connection: It means a lot to me. It's a great tune that spent four weeks at number 11 on the Billboard charts.

• Classic Status: It's an absolute classic.

What Makes It Special

I like it because there's loads of room for improvisation. There's plenty of space for you to do your own thing with it.

• Melody: It has a really nice, simple right-hand melody based around the G pentatonic scale.

• Influence: It's been covered by so many legends, from Oscar Peterson to you.

So, let's get going!