Hot on the heels of the past weekend's Classic Jazz Party comes an album co-led by one of the big hitters from the party - cornetist Colin Hancock. It's a gem of its kind and, in many ways, typifies the ambiance of the CJP.
The chosen compositions are, in the main, blues, rags and stomps from jazz's early years referencing bands such as those led by King Oliver, Jelly Roll Morton, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings and more. Inspired by, without slavishly copying them, the nine piece ensemble present their own versions of the music of New Orleans. In that respect the Burgamy-Hancock New Originators are well-named so roll back the carpet and get ready to do some struttin'.
ODJB's Eddie Edwards is credited with Sensation Rag although it may go back further. Hancock's driving lead reimagines Nick LaRocca and then some. Nice clarinet from Litchman. Jelly Roll's Buffalo Blues shuffles along with both clarinets soloing in tandem, some plaintive wailing from Hancock and Rapuzzi emphasise the tunes' ragtime pedigree. Alex Hill and Thomas Waller - a.k.a. Fats - combined to compose Baby Brown. Kris Tokarski takes it in his stride with a two-fisted piano solo that sets the tone. Solos long and short abound with co-leader Colin doing some nifty scatting.
A tuba intro brings in Harry Warren's Crying For the Carolines. Hancock's muted cornet leads the line before Burgamy takes the vocal - his banjo pointing the way. Colin keeps the mute in and growls like an Ellingtonian seeking the truth. Down in Honky Tonk Town brings to mind a chorus line of beauties in a Busby Berkeley musical. The reality may be somewhat different - the beauty is in the music - I warrant that the Axeman would have taken the night off to hear this tune.
Mad ('Cause You Treat me This Way). The Jimmy McHugh tune was a fave with NORK and, on this showing, also with B-HNO. Question: Did Parnell's parents sense he would play ragtime when they christened him Joplin or was he named after a town in Missouri? King Oliver's Working Man Blues has a Spanier like blast by Hancock, bass sax from Saunders as well as piano, 'bone, clarinet and c-melody sax.
I Never Knew What a Girl Could Do. More NORK. A driving stomp that surely had the dancers out-shimmying Sister Kate. An intriguing title - I'd love to hear the (uncensored) lyric. Squeeze Me, the Waller, Williams tune as opposed to Ellington's Just Squeeze me - I like this one best and this version is as good as any and better than most.
Good Old New York, one of Jelly Roll's later compositions (1939) it may even have been his last. Burgamy banjos with Hancock again in Spanier mode - which isn't a bad place to be - all building up to a romping, stomping finale although the actual finale comes with I Can't Beat You Doin' What You're Doin' to me. The third piece on the album by Clarence Williams. Burgamy sings in his inimitable style and there's a polyphonic blast by the reeds and a stop chorus to give your dance partner that last twirl, Phew! This dancing sure is exhausting - a very entertaining album. Lance
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