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Barbara Lea, vocals; Bob Dorough, piano,
vocals; Jim Ferguson, bass, vocals; Dick Sudhalter, trumpet, flugelhorn;
Dan Levinson, clarinet, C-melody and tenor saxophones; Tom Artin, trombone;
Ben Aronov, piano; Howard Alden, guitar; Joe Cocuzzo, drums;
Sy Johnson/Keith Nichols, arrangements
These beloved and rare songs of Hoagy Carmichael are not, of course, played
by the man himself. We are offered a stroll through a largely Jazz-inflected
selection of Hoagy's work, much of which will be unknown to most of us,
by a bunch of seasoned pros. There is a general honky-tonk, bar-Jazz period
feel, frankly sentimental and often enchanting. This is a CD for fans who
love the old songs and a lot of melody to take them back to when Garrison
Keillor was doing radio and the mail-order catalog gave folks out West a
reason to be. The musicians and singers involved here treat the material
with obvious affection, and the inimitable Bob Dorough remains as humorously
hip as ever. Dick Sudhalter is beautifully succinct on trumpet and flugelhorn
and writes exceedingly well in his liner notes. The rest romp, stomp wail
and chug in exemplary fashion. There is sufficient Jazz here to make this
selection worthwhile to any fan; but I would rate this as an essential item
on the racks because it was tunes like this that made the ongoing development
of Jazz possible. Take away those songwriters and there would be a gaping
hole in our collections. No need to fret, of course they do Star Dust. Very
highly recommended.
by Lawrence Brazier
More New Sounds
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Copyright Jazz Now, May2002 issue, all rights reserved
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