CD Review: Menno Daams' Unaccounted Four - Playground

Menno Daams (cornet/arr); David Lukacs (clt/ten); Martien Oster (gtr); Joep Lumeij (bs) + Harrie van de Voort (pianola final track).

(Review by Lance).

A delightful vignette that looks both forwards, backwards and maybe even sideways! Daams and his fellow Dutchmen have taken some Dixie standards a few gassers and some originals and given the tired old warhorses the kiss of life"!

Daams, who featured heavily at last weekend's Mike Durham's Whitley Bay Classic Jazz Party is heard here in perhaps a different setting. I say perhaps because it's difficult to pigeonhole this in any category other than brilliant!

In a sense, it has connotations with the original Gerry Mulligan Quartet whilst, at the same time, bringing to mind the Bechet/Spanier Big Four. Had Bix stayed off the booze and lived a bit longer he may have sounded like Daams. All conjecture of course. The arrangements are superb and far removed from the originals whilst not losing the feeling (Ravel may be turning in his grave when I refer to his composition Sleeping Beauty as 'a tune'! But, then again, he would probably enjoy it. He did have jazz leanings).

Lullaby of the Leaves would segue easily into the Mulligan Quartet version - Menno Baker/Chet Daams! All God's Chillun Got Rhythm (well maybe not all!) is cool and The Charleston even cooler - this could be the latest dance craze in 2016.

What the Fugue is a hoot! a contrapuntal stroll that incorporates quotes from various standards into Daam's theme.

Lukacs on tenor and clarinet is the Trumbauer/Freeman to Daams' Bix/Nichols with Oster the Eddie Lang but, don't get me wrong, this is no recreation of the glory days, this is those days of yore given modern harmonies and voicings.

An album that won't change the world but one that will help to make it a better place to live in.
Samples/buy.
Lance.