[Dixielandjazz] Traditional Jazz in Britain - what can be achieved

[john petters]

Here is a review of  my Kid Ory salute CD Tailgate Ramble, which appeared in
the February issue of Just Jazz Magazine. The Reviewer is John Griffith.

"Do what Ory Say/Mama's Baby Boy, Peoria, Ory's Creole Trombone, Farewell to
Storyville, Lady Love, Ballin' The Jack, Sppanish Shawl, Song of the
Wanderer, My Gal Sal, Toot Toot Tootsie, Don Home Rag, Tailgate Ramble, San.
John Petters (drums) Cuff Billett (trumpet, vocal) Mike Pointon(trombone),
James Evans (clarinet , tenor sax),Martin Litton (piano), Tim Phillips
(guitar), Keith Donald (bass).
This disc is very unusual in that it consists of seven British players who
sound positively American.
Lately there has been a plethora of tribute bands - a questionable exercise
in itself as it suggests we are unable to be creatively original as a nation
as far as Traditional jazz is concerned.  But this line-up, not copying
Ory's bands ('bands', because it features tunes that, in the main, span
Ory's bandleading years from the forties with Mutt Carey to the Granz-
produced Verve recordings with Red Allen) manages to produce something
different.  Wilhelm Furtwangler, the famed German mystic amongst the great
conductors, used to argue that he endeavoured to get behind the printed
score and try to reach back to the creation of the composition to energise
that moment again. There is a hint of that here.

Careful study of the records left to us from the greats can help to show us
the way and lead to some degree towards understanding the integration and
interplay of men of ideas.  We've all overdosed on what Rudi Blesh and
others have to say about the subject, but in this case, what this group has
achieved is perfectly natural to them - nothing is forced or drilled as
befits the practice of some twenties-style bands in Britain who end up
something like a watered down version of their favourite 78s.

This album has a very positive musical inevitability to it due to the
intentions and abilities of the players, or, to put it another way, they
have taken the same journey of development as their pioneering originals. I
urge you to buy this very optimistic CD."

Naturally I'm very happy with the above. For the curious, three tracks from
the CD are Still on the BBC Ulster Website from my interview for Walter
Love's Jazz Club until tomorrow evening. at

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/jazz.shtml?jazzclub

John Petters
Amateur Radio Station G3YPZ
www.traditional-jazz.com