Out of the West Coast traditional jazz (often erroneously referred to as Dixieland) mold of
Lu Watters
,
Turk Murphy
, and
the Firehouse Five Plus Two
comes
the Hal Smith Rhythmakers
with guest, the undervalued but very talented singer
Rebecca Kilgore
. She also works a little on guitar. The regular
Rhythmakers
have also been expanded with the addition of three young musicians, to wit, trumpet player
Marc Caparone
, bass player
Clint Baker
, and pianist
Chris Dawson
. Together they have fashioned an album of
Fats Waller
melodies ranging from the infectious swinging material he was famous for as well as some very pretty melodies, most, but not all, penned with
Andy Razaf
. The album is by no means limited to oft-played Waller tunes. To their credit,
Smith
and
Kilgore
saw fit not to include
"Ain't Misbehavin"
"Honeysuckle Rose"
on the program. Instead, there is more than a smattering of
Waller
tunes that get a lot less play than these two warhorses. The very pretty
"Gone"
and the slow drag
"How Can I, With You in My Heart"
are just a few of the many gems that have been unearthed. There's plenty of hot jazz, too, to get the toe tapping.
"I'm More Than Satisfied"
features
Caparone
's burning muted trumpet and
"It's You"
once more with
's trumpet on top along with stride piano by
Dawson
and strong bass by
Baker
. The New Orleans-like clarinet of
Bobby Gordon
, rarely stirring from the middle register, adds to the authenticity of this session's traditional style, especially with his solo on
"I Hate to Leave You Now."
There's a risk with issuing an album of traditional jazz in that it can get humdrum after a while. That trap is avoided with the presence of
who has shown time and time again that no matter what she sings, she brings it to life. Moreover,
is quite familiar with this style of playing having recorded music in a similar vein with
Dan Barrett
Dave Frishberg
. A balanced play list performed by enthusiastic and talented musicians at home with
tunes pushes this album into the recommended category. ~ Dave Nathan