This CD is surprisingly good. Trumpeter
Avery "Kid" Howard
, who sounded fine in his 1943 recordings with clarinetist
George Lewis
, in the '50s was frequently drunk and quite erratic in his playing, lowering the quality of many
Lewis
dates (except on rare occasions).
Howard
's own sessions as a leader from 1961-1965 were sometimes marred by the musicians being out-of-tune, but this 1963 date finds the players (members at one time or another of the
band) in top form.
is joined by trombonist
Jim Robinson
,
, banjoist
George Guesnon
, bassist
Alcide Pavageau
, and drummer
Cie Frazier
, and the result is ensemble-oriented
New Orleans jazz
. Two alternate takes augment the original program, which includes spirited versions of
"Bogalusa Strut,"
"Old Rugged Cross,"
"Sing On,"
and
"Shake It and Break It."
Recommended to fans of
New Orleans
revival jazz
. ~ Scott Yanow