The Village Stompers - ''Washington Square'' - 1963 "Washington Square" is a popular instrumental from 1963 by the New York City-based jazz group The Village Stompers. Named after the famous park in New York City, "Washington Square" became a hit single reaching No.2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the week ending 23 November 1963 (the same week that U.S. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated), kept from the summit of the Billboard Hot 100 by Dale and Grace's hit song "I'm Leaving It Up t