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BUY NOW Crotchet

DUTCH SWING COLLEGE BAND WE DOUBLE DARE YOU Timeless Records CDTTD655

 

1. We Double Dare You
2. Riverside Blues
3. Website Stomp
4. Black & Tan Fantasy
5. At A Georgia Camp Meeting
6. St Louis Blues
7. Ballin’ the Jack
8. Clarinet Marmalade
9. Blue Mystery
10. Cocktails for Two
11. Bugle Call Rag
12. Basin St Blues
13. Georgia Swing
14. The Grapes are Ready (Boogie Woogie)
15. A Song is Born
16. Buddy’s Habits

Bob Kaper-Clarinet, Alto Sax, Harmonica, Vocals
Frits Kaatee-Soprano & Baritone Saxes, Clarinet
Bert De Kort-Cornet, Vocals
George Kaatee-Trombone
Bob Agerbeek –Banjo, Guitar,
Adrie Braat-Double Bass
Bob Dekker-Drums

The album was recorded in January of this year to celebrate the return of the Banjo to the Swing College line up! That’s unusual itself in that most bands celebrate their departure! To be serious, this is a very nice tidy album in the great traditional jazz style, performed by a band of very competent and entertaining musicians. It is easy to see why they have been touring with those other stalwarts Barber, Bilk and Ball recently. All four bands consist of high calibre musicians who have been smart enough to realise that a jazz outfit has to broaden its appeal if it is to fill some of the largest UK concert halls.

The DSCB fill the bill very well, the band is very well rehearsed with nicely scored arrangements from George Katee and Bob Kaper, only St Louis Blues is a band arrangement. The ensemble work is clean and effective and this book of well-rehearsed arrangements ensures that the band’s live performances are always to a high standard, even when the odd bad night that every band occasionally has is encountered. The two reedmen fit into the line up very well, in a much earlier edition of the band I heard both played clarinet and one was always in the lower register. Bob Kaper has a nice Johnny Hodges sound on Alto and I particularly liked the Baritone playing of Fritz Kaatee. In some of the numbers the band reminds me of the Alex Welsh Band with Roy Williams on Trombone and Johnny Barnes on Clarinet and Saxes. At the time it was probably the best band of it’s type in the world.

If you like your music more to the traditional style, happy and played professionally by an enthusiastic group of musicians, then this is a CD you should have in your collection.

Don Mather

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