13 Apr
Dancing In The Sky by Dr. Michael White
Tuesday, 13 April 2004
Published in
Traditional / New Orleans - CD Reviews
New Orleans’ premier clarinetist, Dr. Michael White, visits his roots with a beautiful presentation dedicated to the memory of some recently deceased icons of the Crescent …
07 Apr
The Church Alley Irregulars by The Church Alley Irregulars
Wednesday, 07 April 2004
Published in
Traditional / New Orleans - CD Reviews
Jazz Crusade president, Big Bill Bissonnette, began a recording project a decade ago. His intent was to preserve on disk, some of Britain’s finest traditional jazz players.…
29 Mar
If Bix Played Gershwin by Dick Hyman and Tom Pletcher
Monday, 29 March 2004
Published in
Traditional / New Orleans - CD Reviews
Although we are only half way through the year, If Bix Played Gershwin has to be a contender for my favorite traditional jazz recording in 2004. Dick Hyman, Tom Plet…
23 Mar
Uncertain Path by Rob Levit Trio
Tuesday, 23 March 2004
Published in
Traditional / New Orleans - CD Reviews
We must not wait in vain for some unspoken future opportunity, but rather be the singularity that forges fearlessly ahead in the present moment. "Rob Levit"Rob Levit lef…
23 Mar
The Two Of Us by Johnny Varro
Tuesday, 23 March 2004
Published in
Traditional / New Orleans - CD Reviews
Johnny Varro is a piano-man in the tradition of Condonites Joe Sullivan, Ralph Sutton, and Gene Schroeder. He’s a veteran of the bands of Eddie Condon, Ruby Braff an…
22 Mar
Lover by Brian Carrick's Heritage Jazz Quartet
Monday, 22 March 2004
Published in
Traditional / New Orleans - CD Reviews
Brian Carrick is one of the most dedicated clarinetists on the New Orleans revival scene today. The reedman travels internationally to perform in concert and on records wit…
12 Mar
Give Me Your Telephone Number by Boilermaker Jazz Band
Friday, 12 March 2004
Published in
Traditional / New Orleans - CD Reviews
The Boilermaker Jazz Band describes themselves as "an ecstatically fun band performing authentic hot jazz, ragtime, and swing." They're not kidding. Their music is energeti…
07 Mar
Solo Piano: 1967 - 1973 by Don Ewell
Sunday, 07 March 2004
Published in
Traditional / New Orleans - CD Reviews
Pianist Don Ewell (1916-1983) was a fellow that refused to change with the times - bebop & what followed had no impact on him at all - but in his case, that wasn’t necessar…
30 Jan
Unknown by New Orleans Delight featuring Chris Tyle
Friday, 30 January 2004
Published in
Traditional / New Orleans - CD Reviews
You can always count on New Orleans Delight to issue a new CD yearly. Pardon the pun but this new offering is delightful and features Chris Tyle as special gu…
24 Jan
International Jazz Band - 1997 by Big Bill Bissonnette
Saturday, 24 January 2004
Published in
Traditional / New Orleans - CD Reviews
Many years have passed since the first edition of Big Bill Bissonnette’s International Jazz Band back in 1964. The original front-end featured Kid Thomas Valentine a…
21 Jan
Kenny Davern Quartet at the Mill Hill Playhouse by Kenny Davern
Wednesday, 21 January 2004
Published in
Traditional / New Orleans - CD Reviews
It’s hard to believe that the kid that played with Eddie Condon is celebrating 50 years of recording history. Born in Huntingdon, NY (1935), Kenny Davern made…
10 Jan
Gentle Giant Of New Orleans Jazz by Milton Batiste
Saturday, 10 January 2004
Published in
Traditional / New Orleans - CD Reviews
Milton Batiste (1935-2001) dedicated much of his life to the preservation of New Orleans jazz and brass band music. When Harold "Duke" Dejan revived the 75-year-old Olympia…
10 Jan
Oh Brian! - Play That Thing by Brian Carrick
Saturday, 10 January 2004
Published in
Traditional / New Orleans - CD Reviews
Brian Carrick is one of the most prolific recorders on the current traditional jazz scene. The British clarinetist clings tightly to the style popularized by New Orleans re…
08 Jan
Preservation Hall Hot 4 by Duke Dejan
Thursday, 08 January 2004
Published in
Traditional / New Orleans - CD Reviews
This set marks one of three recent releases by a new record label, based upon the famous New Orleans jazz spot. Highlighting the one-time "Olympia Brass Band" saxophonist/v…
07 Jan
Riffles by Mark Shane
Wednesday, 07 January 2004
Published in
Traditional / New Orleans - CD Reviews
Duke Ellington once commented that he learned his craft in an era when piano players required both hands. The tongue-in-cheek remark held more than an inkling of truth. The…
16 Nov
Home by Liberty Street Jazz Band
Sunday, 16 November 2003
Published in
Traditional / New Orleans - CD Reviews
While surfing the web recently, I stumbled upon the site of the Liberty Street Jazz Band and was greeted by their rompin’ version of Clarinet Marmalade. Formed in 19…
02 Nov
The Isle of Orleans by Tim Laughlin
Sunday, 02 November 2003
Published in
Traditional / New Orleans - CD Reviews
Over the years I've heard my share of mediocre "Dixieland" bands, usually made up of players who will admit that what they do is just a hobby. In fact, I tend to shun the w…
30 Aug
Echoes of Swing by Jim Galloway
Saturday, 30 August 2003
Published in
Traditional / New Orleans - CD Reviews
It seems like only yesterday that I crawled up the stairs at Ye Olde Brunswick House in Toronto to see Jim Galloway’s Metro Stompers. Since then, I’ve gone from thin…
02 Aug
Private Astronomy - A Vision of the Music of Bix Beiderbecke by Geoff Muldaur's Futuristic Ensemble
Saturday, 02 August 2003
Published in
Traditional / New Orleans - CD Reviews
Geoff Muldaur has a pretty extensive resume as regards blues, folk, rock & roll and various combinations thereof (former husband/musical partner of singer Maria Muldaur, mu…
26 Jul
Yearnings by Bobby Gordon and Bob Wilber
Saturday, 26 July 2003
Published in
Traditional / New Orleans - CD Reviews
While both Bobby Gordon and Bob Wilber have appeared on numerous Arbors Jazz recordings, this is probably the first time they have recorded together. It’s a pleasure to hea…
22 Jul
Wondrous Piano - The private family recordings - 1961 by Ralph Sutton
Tuesday, 22 July 2003
Published in
Traditional / New Orleans - CD Reviews
Record collectors drool at the thought of finding long-lost recordings by their favorite artists. For Ralph Sutton fans, the day has arrived. The late pianist’s family allo…
15 Jul
Live In Concert, 1974 by The Kings of Jazz - Featuring Kenny Davern
Tuesday, 15 July 2003
Published in
Traditional / New Orleans - CD Reviews
Perhaps the Kings of Jazz are not as well remembered as the World's Greatest Jazz Band. Both groups were active in the same era, featured seven piece units an…
06 Jul
Save My Soul by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
Sunday, 06 July 2003
Published in
Traditional / New Orleans - CD Reviews
All too often, recordings are produced which offer homage to a style without offering anything new. They may be well conceived and played, but without something to distingu…
23 May
Live At The Roosevelt Grill, Volume 4 by Bobby Hackett
Friday, 23 May 2003
Published in
Traditional / New Orleans - CD Reviews
Live at the Roosevelt Grill is recorded in Manhattan. In its trendy and beautiful setting, Bobby Hackett played a stint here during the year 1970. What we have here is a li…
19 May
Jam Session Coast To Coast / Jammin At Condons by Eddie Condon
Monday, 19 May 2003
Published in
Traditional / New Orleans - CD Reviews
Though it’s not done these days as much as in the 50s (when these original albums made the scene), the Jam Session Album was a common way to get jazz fans to buy records. T…
15 May
Running Wild In Toronto - Vols. 1 & 2 by Darryl Adams
Thursday, 15 May 2003
Published in
Traditional / New Orleans - CD Reviews
In his first recorded appearance as a leader, reedman Darryl Adams stars on a pair of CDs for Jazz Crusade. For the past couple of decades, Adams confined his activities to…
17 Mar
Thought I Heard Buddy Bolden Play by Gota River Jazzmen
Monday, 17 March 2003
Published in
Traditional / New Orleans - CD Reviews
Here's something for jazz history fans. The Gota River Jazzmen have put together a new CD using songs that are known to have been played by Buddy Bolden, almost 100 years a…
13 Mar
The Garreth Broesche Trio by Garreth Broesche Trio
Thursday, 13 March 2003
Published in
Traditional / New Orleans - CD Reviews
Literary critic Harold Bloom’s contentious phrase - "the anxiety of influence" - sulks and stalks behind the majority of modern, young jazz musicians; simply meaning that m…
02 Mar
Jam Session In Connecticut by Big Bill Bissonnette
Sunday, 02 March 2003
Published in
Traditional / New Orleans - CD Reviews
Anyone who is into New Orleans traditional jazz is familiar with Big Bill Bissonnette. Bill's interest in the music began early and, like many others, he was influenced by …
27 Feb
With Special Guests - Jacques Gauthe & Malc Murphy by The Vintage Jazz Band
Thursday, 27 February 2003
Published in
Traditional / New Orleans - CD Reviews
Here's a new CD played by a band with enthusiasm PLUS. Jacques Gauthe and drummer Malc Murphy join Dan Vernhette's Vintage Jazzmen for a session in New Orleans. The French …
26 Feb
If We Never Meet Again This Side Of Heaven by Jack McLaughlin
Wednesday, 26 February 2003
Published in
Traditional / New Orleans - CD Reviews
Jack McLaughlin is an Australian jazz clarinetist steeped in the history of a bygone era. A jazz purist by nature, McLaughlin follows a less traveled path and, though influ…
10 Feb
Cliff Kid Bastien and George Berry by New Orleans Delight
Monday, 10 February 2003
Published in
Traditional / New Orleans - CD Reviews
The newest release from Music Mecca brings two old pals together for the last time as they join the fine Danish band, New Orleans Delight. Cliff 'Kid' Bastien and George Be…
06 Feb
Hymns & Spirituals - Sorgenfri Kirke - Volume 3 by Various Artists
Thursday, 06 February 2003
Published in
Traditional / New Orleans - CD Reviews
It seems that Music Mecca Records will continue their successful concerts at Sorgenfri Kirke (Free of Sorrow Church) near Copenhagen. Volume 3 sees the return of New Orlean…
29 Jan
Celebrating Bix by The Bix Centennial All Stars
Wednesday, 29 January 2003
Published in
Traditional / New Orleans - CD Reviews
Arbors Jazz has never neglected its homework. The Florida label prepared more than a year in advance for Bix Beiderbecke's centennial. April of 2002 found a g…
15 Jan
Cant We Be Friends? by Tony Pyke and Cuff Billett
Wednesday, 15 January 2003
Published in
Traditional / New Orleans - CD Reviews
Here's an album that defies the listener to place it in a neat pigeonhole. It just can't be done. The group of senior British jazzmen come from varied backgrounds and style…
10 Jan
Street Music by Tuba Fats' Chosen Few Brass Band
Friday, 10 January 2003
Published in
Traditional / New Orleans - CD Reviews
Anthony "Tuba Fats" Lacen has been a fixture in New Orleans' famed Jackson Square for a quarter of a century. Tuba Fats is probably one of the most recognized people in the…
09 Jan
DeParis In Europe by Wilbur DeParis
Thursday, 09 January 2003
Published in
Traditional / New Orleans - CD Reviews
Here's something that DeParis fans may not have heard. The content of this new issue was recorded in 1960 when the DeParis band was on a European tour. Sadly, Omer S…
03 Oct
Ladies and Gentlemen ... Mr. Johnny Pennino by Johnny Pennino
Thursday, 03 October 2002
Published in
Traditional / New Orleans - CD Reviews
From the beginning to the ever lovin' end, 'Ladies and Gentlemen ... Mr. Johnny Pennino', is a pure joy to listen to. Man, what a sax player Mr. Johnny Pen…
27 Aug
Hot Club Quartette by Hot Club Quartette
Tuesday, 27 August 2002
Published in
Traditional / New Orleans - CD Reviews
The Hot Club Quartette comprised of four musiciansfrom the Los Angeles area, performing what they refer to as 30s swing music. The group covers many somewhat obscure…
22 Aug
When Youre Smiling by Palm Beach Society Orchestra
Thursday, 22 August 2002
Published in
Traditional / New Orleans - CD Reviews
Arbors Records presents yet another fine CD in the traditional jazz idiom. The Palm Beach Society Orchestra is the house band for the Grand Floridian Hotel at Walt D…
08 Aug
Music of Bob Haggart by Randy Sandke
Thursday, 08 August 2002
Published in
Traditional / New Orleans - CD Reviews
The CD ends with Bob Haggart commenting on "Big Noise from Winnetka" as we listen to his 1995 rendition. This will bring you smiles and memories. But there's a lot more to …
07 Jul
New Orleans Gospel - Live by Tori Robinson & The Vintage Jazzmen
Sunday, 07 July 2002
Published in
Traditional / New Orleans - CD Reviews
Not since the pairing of Clara Ward with a New Orleans band in the fifties, has the music been this good. The four sessions on this recording span the years of 1999 to 2002…
01 Jul
Echoes Of The Crescent City by Taff Lloyd's New Orleans Stompers
Monday, 01 July 2002
Published in
Traditional / New Orleans - CD Reviews
Should you form a band on Monday and make your first recording on Tuesday? Experts would reply with an emphatic ‘No.’ Taff Lloyd and his gang will prove the experts wrong w…
04 Jun
The Piano Giants – Bob Haggart’s 80th Birthday Party by Dick Hyman / Ralph Sutton / Derek Smith
Tuesday, 04 June 2002
Published in
Traditional / New Orleans - CD Reviews
Every once in a while a CD takes your breath away. This one does it for me! The Piano Giants at Bob Haggart’s 80th birthday party marks the 11th volume of the…
03 Jun
Time To Dance - Some More by Sweet Mary Cat & Their North American Friends
Monday, 03 June 2002
Published in
Traditional / New Orleans - CD Reviews
Hot on the heels of their first Jazz Crusade release, Time To Dance, the band from Lyon, France now offers Time To Dance - Some More. The makeup…
31 May
In Storyville Nightclub by Ken Colyer's Jazzmen
Friday, 31 May 2002
Published in
Traditional / New Orleans - CD Reviews
Perhaps North American jazz lovers are less in awe of Ken Colyer than our counterparts in the UK and Europe. To a generation of fans, Colyer was the essence of jazz heard o…
18 May
Time To Dance by Sweet Mary Cat & Their North American Friends
Saturday, 18 May 2002
Published in
Traditional / New Orleans - CD Reviews
Unless you live in France or are a frequent visitor to New Orleans, you may not know of this fine unit. Sweet Mary Cat is one of the best traditional jazz bands in France a…
28 Apr
The All Stars At Bob Haggarts 80th Birthday Party by Bob Haggart
Sunday, 28 April 2002
Published in
Traditional / New Orleans - CD Reviews
Arbors Records has finally released a live recording made in March 1994 at the first annual "March of Jazz" festival in St. Petersburg, Florida. "The All Stars at…
26 Apr
The Game Has Just Begun by Henry Butler
Friday, 26 April 2002
Published in
Traditional / New Orleans - CD Reviews
Henry Butler has changed labels, this time to Basin Street Records, and with the change, he has ventured a little further than he has in the past to encompass even more mus…
25 Apr
Big Easy by Kermit Ruffins
Thursday, 25 April 2002
Published in
Traditional / New Orleans - CD Reviews
I’m embarrassed to admit that I sought out Kermit Ruffins’s St. Philip Street Jazz And Blues Club when I was in New Orleans last year. I had already heard Astral Project an…