In 1951, clarinetist
George Lewis
was on the brink of gaining fame beyond his wildest dreams and becoming a symbol of the New Orleans revival movement; however, he had not yet settled on a regular trumpeter for his group.
Elmer Talbert
had departed,
Percy Humphrey
would join up later in the year, and by 1953,
Lewis
would finally settle on the erratic but spirited
Kid Howard
.
tended to adjust his style depending on who was the lead horn, so his playing on this particular CD is quite interesting. Ten songs find his group (which also includes trombonist
Bill Mathews
, pianist
Lester Santiago
, banjoist
Lawrence Marrero
, bassist
Alcide Pavageau
and guest drummer
Paul Barbarin
) sounding a bit like the
Kid Ory
band; this was due to the solid and occasionally exciting trumpeter
Alvin Alcorn
Alcorn
and
made for a fine team, making one wish that they had collaborated much more in the future (there would be a 1958
Verve
LP). Highlights include
"Dippermouth Blues,"
"Long Way to Tipperary,"
"Big Butter and Egg Man"
"Weary Blues."
However, the main reason to acquire this CD are for five performances in which the
/
Santiago
Marrero
Pavageau
Barbarin
group is joined by trombonist
Jim Robinson
and the great trumpeter
Henry "Red" Allen
Allen
had worked with
back in the 1920s and he was a very different player for the band.
's powerful solos, dominant ensemble playing and pure brilliance uplifted the whole group, and
rose to the occasion. There are two versions of
"St. James Infirmary"
(with
's vocals) but the high points are the rambunctious versions of
"Darktown Strutters' Ball,"
"Hindustan"
"Some of These Days."
Since all of the music on this disc are studio recordings rather than live performances, the recording quality of this
American Music
CD is on a higher level than many of their other releases. Trad fans will definitely want to hear the intriguing
band. ~ Scott Yanow