Dixieland Music

This CD has all of Pete Fountain's great hits and his back-up combo is
fabulous! If you want to be in New Orleans, just listen to this; you will
never tire of it.....just the greatest music and musicians.

One of the best New Orleans Dixieland albums I have ever heard. Especially good is the final song, "Tin Roof Blues". Pete Fountain is one of the best performers around of this genre and this album is a real gem.

I have been a fan of Pete Fountain's for over 35 years. I enjoy the Dixieland Sound but feel in many recordings, the support instuments tend to clutter the listening effect. Pete Fountains New Orleans(1959) digitally reissued, is a real gem. Here we have a quartet with immense talent and feeling for jazz/blues. The balance between piano,bass,drums and clarinet in volume and timing is brilliant. Stereo separation is consistent and clean. Stan,Morty,Jack & Pete work brilliantly together to stamp their authority on 12 old standards. The change of tempo on many tracks adds a new dimension and interpretation("Ol' Man River" is a good example)
Tracks of note include: When It's Sleepy Time Down South,Ol' Man River,Sweethearts On Parade,Lazy River,Tin Roof Blues. My favourite is "Basin Street Blues"
This album is a must for any Pete Fountain Enthusiast.

A showcase for Fountain's clarinet, this album should appeal more to fans of Pete than of New Orleans' music. Pete's claim that his primary influence was BG, especially the Goodman of the trios and quartets, is fully demonstated on this session. The accompaniment is swinging, crisp, and rather lean, thanks in some measure to the absence of a piano, but none of the supporting musicians measures up to the capabilities of the leader during the solos. Wonder if Pete planned it that way.

Until I heard this cd, I never made the association of the similarities of playing and tone between Pete Fountain and Benny Goodman. I suppose this impression is further enhanced by some of the selections ("Oh, Lady Be Good", "Avalon", "Shine" and "Rosetta" for example) and the small group consisting of unidentified xylophone (reminding me of Red Norvo), guitar, bass and drums.

Except for two obvious selections , there is nothing to identify this with New Orleans but this is still a very enjoyable small group swing set.

As a Louis Armstrong RCA enthuiast, I am not a big fan of this compilation, 'Sugar.' Yes, the song is great, as are all of his RCA sides (well, his final 1970 recordings for the label were mediocre), but this just doesn't cut it for me and I'm sure many RCA fans.

Yes, 'St. John's Infirmary,' 'Sugar' and 'Jack-Armstrong Blues' are all here, but again, why stop at just 10 songs? They could include his 1933 RCA take on his classic cover W.C. Handy's 'St. Louis Blues.' That's just one. 'Basin Street Blues' was a classic, as was his take on country legend Jimmie Rogers' 'Blue Yodel No. 9 (T For Texas).'

This gets three stars for the genius of Louis Armstrong, but again, this is just not enough. Look elsewhere for a good Armstrong on RCA collection. I would suggest 'Greatest Hits' (1996 version), 'Platinum & Gold Collection,' 'More Greatest Hits' and 'Falling In Love With Louis Armstrong' for regular compilations, or if you want to dig way deep into Louis' RCA vault, obviously 'The Complete RCA Victor Recordings' is the way to go.

Recommended, but only for the very casual Armstrong fan. There's just not enough material.