For this gig in Nevada, trombonist
Turk Murphy
had a much smaller group than usual, just a quartet with clarinetist
Bob Helm
, pianist
Pete Clute
and drummer
Thad Vandon
. The musicians play quite well but, due to the thinness of the band, the music was unreleased until 1998. At that time,
Bill Carroll
on tuba and banjoist
John Gill
tastefully overdubbed rhythm parts to make the music sound more complete; one would not know that they were playing more than 30 years after the original performances. On most selections,
Helm
takes the melody (filling in for the absent trumpet) while
Murphy
provides boisterous harmonies. The repertoire was strong and even the seven vocals (four by
and three from the leader) work out well.
has a few ragtime features (a la
Wally Rose
) and other highlights include
"Doctor Jazz,"
"Railroad Blues,"
"Runnin' Wild,"
"Big Butter and Egg Man"
and
"Go Back Where You Stayed Last Night."
~ Scott Yanow