Washington & Lee Swing
Wolverine Blues
Our Monday Date
Hear Me Talkin’ To Ya
That’s My Home
Cottontail
Riverside Blues
High Society
There’ll Be Some Changes Made
Perdido Street Blues
Mr. Sandman
Texas Moaner Blues
Christopher Columbus
I Surrender Dear
Cakewalkin’ Babies From Home
Royal Garden Blues
Panama.
The Lake Records All-Star Jazz Band was born in 1991
as its drummer Paul Adams – eminence grise of Lake, one of
the premier League saviours of the British mainstream and traditional
markets – relates in his wry booklet notes. The twenty-fifth anniversary
of the label gave him what he calls the perfect excuse to release
a concert by the band at the Rosehill Theatre, Moresby, in Cumbria
given in May 2008.
Plenty of players have appeared in the band over the
years – the trumpet or cornet chair alone has been occupied by variously
Pat Halcox, Sonny Morris and Alan Elsdon among many – so standards
are high. This time there was a special guest, Ohio-born trumpeter
Duke Heitger, who’s now strongly active in New Orleans and indeed
internationally.
Upholding Lake’s ‘two-for-the-price-of-one’ we have
the whole concert on two CDs, very well recorded (Adams is a recording
engineer and producer). The repertoire is broadly Standard-Classic,
the routines nicely worked out. There are a number of highlights from
this easy swinging set so let me draw your attention to just a few.
Firstly there’s the tailgate trombone of Ian Bateman, who sounds totally
inside Washington and Lee Swing where American pianist Jeff
Barnhart proves adept at supple and subtle support, and Barnhart’s
duo colleague John Hallam offers mellifluous clarinet. This sets a
fine start on the proceedings. Barnhart is known for his stomping,
striding James P. Johnson-Fats Waller playing and evidence is forthcoming
on Wolverine Blues where Hallam positively cooks and Bateman
is not far behind with his buzzy tone. It takes time for trumpeter
Gordon Whitworth to get into his stride. Riverside Blues gets
a more explicitly blusier colouration than is usual and that’s good
to hear – the two trumpet front line obviously replicates the Oliver-Armstrong
one and does so with good ensemble.
Perdido Street Blues is a fairly straight rendition
of the famous recording of it. Hallam shines, and there’s some down-home
trombone and an enticing (it’s true) banjo solo from the virtuosic
Keith Stephen. Heitger unleashes his stealthy Buck Clayton-like best
on Christopher Columbus whilst Barnhart broadens the stylistic
range with an intro reminiscent of Teddy Wilson on I Surrender
Dear where his duet with Hallam reminds one a little of the duets
Alex Welsh and Fred Hunt used to play. Royal Garden Blues is
a real swinger and there’s a very Armstrong-doffing encore to end
things on a high.
A most enjoyable concert then, and full of sprightly
pleasure.
Jonathan Woolf
CD Reviews
LAKE LACD270 [49:30 + 59:56]
