1. Just a Little While to Stay Here
2. Just a Closer Walk with Thee
3. Lord, Lord, Lord, You’ve Sure Been Good to Me
4. The Glory of Love
5. All the Whores Go Crazy ‘bout the Way I Ride
6. When I Move to the Sky
7. Take My Hand, Precious Lord, Lead Me On
8. The Old Rugged Cross
9. John Casimir’s Whoopin’ Blues
10. Gimme More of That Beer
11. Honky Tonk Harp
12. My Heart’s Still Aching
13. Doin’ the New Lowdown
14. Doctor Jazz
15. Gamblin’ Man
16. Tupelo Honey
Groups:
Lutz Eikelmann & His Swingin´ New Orleans Music – Tracks 1-6
Lutz Eikelmann & His Street Party Brass Band – Tracks 7-10
Lutz Eikelmann & His International Jazzband – Tracks 12-13
Sean Moyses, Haley Moyses, & Lutz Eikelmann – Track 14
Midnight Train Skiffle Band – Tracks 15 & 16
Personnel:
Lutz Eikelmann – Drums (tracks 1-6, 11-12), bass drum & tambourine (tracks 7-10), sousaphone (track 13), washboard (tracks 13-14), double bass (tracks
15-16)
Raimer Lösch – Trumpet (tracks 1-2)
Sonny Morris – Trumpet (tracks 3-10)
Jörg Drewing – Trumpet (tracks 7-10), trombone (tracks 12-13)
Henning Langhage – Cornet (tracks 7-10)
Michael Schneider – Trombone (track 1)
Sven Küpper – Trombone (tracks 3-10)
Patrick Mader – Trombone (tracks 7-10)
Karl-Heinz Haeseler – Trombone (tracks 7-10)
Ian Wheeler – Clarinet (tracks 3-11), bluesharp (track 11)
Helge Sachs – Alto saxophone (tracks 7, 9-10), clarinet (track 8)
William Garnett – Tenor saxophone (tracks 1-2)
David Schweikard – Tenor saxophone (tracks 7-10)
Reiner Regel – Tenor saxophone (track 12)
Sean Moyses – Guitar (tracks 1, 2, 12-14), banjo (tracks 1, 13-14), vocals (track 13-14)
Haley Moyses – Guitar (track 14), vocal (track 14)
Klaus Stachuletz – Guitar (tracks 15-16), kazoo (track 15) vocals (tracks 15-16)
Ulrich Spormann – Banjo (track 15), guitar (track 16)
Jörg Kuhfuss – Sousaphone (tracks 7-10)
Maximilian Schaaf – Double bass (tracks 1-2)
Gunter Barfuss – Double bass (tracks 3-6, 11)
Marike Ladrak – Double bass (track 12)
Ray Smith – Piano (tracks 3-6)
Götz Alsmann – Piano (track 13)
Thomas Guthoff – Organ (track 6, 12), piano (tracks 11-12)
Norbert Wicklein – Drums (track 13)
Axel Stephan – Snare drum (tracks 7-10)
Markus Passlick – Percussion (track 11)
Dirk Fegers – Washboard (track 15), percussion (track 16)
Olivia Detante – Vocals (tracks 1-2)
Dickie Bishop – Vocals (tracks 3-6)
Recording dates and locations in Germany:
Tracks 1 & 2 September 11, 1997 in Troisdorf
Tracks 3 - 6 July 25, 2000 in Essen
Tracks 7-11 July 26, 2000 in Essen
Tracks 12 & 13 February 24, 2000 in Essen
Track 14 January 2009 in Neustadt/Wied
Tracks 15 & 16 May 6, 2012 in Wülfrath
Note:
all of the above data is not included in the liner notes (which, by the way, are in German) but was provided to me by Lutz Eikelmann. Also, where it
appears that one person is playing two instruments simultaneously, overdubbing was in effect—as it undoubtedly was in the backup “choir” in track 1.
For some years, now, Lutz Eikelmann has been helping keep the traditional jazz flag flying in Europe. He began his musical journey at the tender age of
fourteen when he discovered Lonnie Donegan and Chris Barber in his father’s record collection. From there he went on to become acquainted with recordings
by 01iver, Armstrong, Morton, Lewis, and others and proceeded to form groups to perform their music.
The title of this album, Zeitreise, translates from the German as “A Journey Back in Time,” (or as multi-instrumentalist Eiklemann himself
translates it, “Time Travel”) and the CD is such a trip as it is a selection of performances from the musical career of Herr Eikelmann from 1997 to 2012.
Perhaps it could be seen as “The Best of . . .” during this period, the tracks having been selected by Eikelmann. Listening to them, one can discern the
influence of the Barber bands, both the small groups—including skiffle combos—and large aggregations.
Of the first eight tunes, seven are gospel, and of these renditions the first half dozen could almost be straight from the fifties, reminding one of George
Lewis or Chris Barber (Just a Closer Walk with Thee; Lord, Lord, Lord, You’ve Sure Been Good to Me), Bunk Johnson ( All the Whores Go Crazy ‘bout the Way I Ride) or Bunk and Sister Lottie Peavey (When I Move to the Sky). Even the personnel include a
number from the U.K. scene of that era. (I thought I was hearing an electric bass on the first two tracks, but apparently it was a double bass—although
sounding like an electric one, strangely enough.)
Following those are several numbers for a New Orleans style marching band, the first three tracks in the classic mode, the next, Gimme More of That Beer, in more of the contemporary one with its funk rhythms. It is a larger band than most, having six brass, which
augmentation leads to a powerful sound.
New Orleans R & B are conjured up with Ian Wheeler’s wailing harmonica on Honky Tonk Harp, and Eikelmann’s original composition My Heart’s Still Aching with its heavy backbeat, but spoiled a little (for me, at least) by the rather pointless repetition of laughter and snare
rim shots after the music ends, as if a needle were stuck in the groove.
Sean Moyses is featured on vocal and banjo in Doin’ the New Lowdown, a typical 20’s novelty song where he sounds as if he is delivering the vocal
with the aid of a megaphone, thus adding to the ambience. Doctor Jazz, and especially Gamblin’ Man, are each given a skiffle treatment,
Moyses and his sister Hayley Moyses sharing the vocal duties on Doctor Jazz which, taken at a slow tempo and with the harmonized vocal, is lent a
freshness that makes it come off very well.
The last track, Van Morrison’s Tupelo Honey, seems a somewhat strange item for inclusion here since it is a blend of country and soul music, but
since there have been many instances of jazz adaptations of country music—even albums of the same—it works quite well here.
All told this CD provides an enjoyable 64 minutes of musical entertainment, particularly for those who are of a certain age. Information on it can be had
from Lutz Eikelmann at www.Lutz-Eikelmann.de.
Bert Thompson
CD Reviews
Stahlbau Stadler (No number)
