Dixieland Music

It was in the Fall of 1956 that three New Orleans musicians journeyed to the West Coast for the annual Gene Norman-Frank Bull Jazz Festival. They were veteran trumpet-man Al Hirt; a fourteen-year-old phenomenon on trumpet, Warren Luning, Jr.; and another veteran from the New Orleans jazz scene, clarinetist Pete Fountain. Among those in the audience that proceeded to flip over the playing of the New Orleans visitors was young Lawrence Welk, Jr. Forthwith he goes to the old man and says, "Dad, this you've gotta hear!" (Or words of similar import.) So Larry, Sr. put down his accordion, turned off the bubble-machine, and made the trip to the auditorium where the jazz bash was being held; and that night an idea was born. To wit: why not build a dixieland contingent from the Welk Orchestra around Pete Fountain, and feature him regularly, both at the dance sessions and on the weekly television broadcasts?

Thus it was that Pete Fountain left Al Hirt's band a few months after their return to New Orleans to accept an offer from Lawrence Welk that was (in Pete's words) "too good to turn down."

Since joining the Lawrence Welk Orchestra as a featured soloist, Pete has taken advantage of the opportunity to study on the west coast - an opportunity which the mature Pete Fountain realized was a valuable one in keeping with his desire to grow musically. He is almost twenty-eight years old.

Although it is essentially the Welk Orchestra backing Pete in this album, the arrangements are not of the "Champagne Music" style. Neither is it a jazz album. Rather it is designed for dancing, with an easily identifiable beat, and tempos well-suited for dancing.

Two years later he returned to jazz and New Orleans. As he puts it, "champagne and bourbon just don't mix" - but in two years he had become one of the most familiar names in American music, so the time had been well spent, well spent indeed. The quality of the sound is excellent, you'll be toe tapping. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Whether you do or don't know the difference between the N.O. TRADITIONAL JAZZ sound with the music played as closely as it was when composed, as opposed to the BOURBON STREET sound (big & loud & touristy) this is the recording for you! This music is truly tradtional New Orleans Jazz. presented in the style of the Jelly Roll Morton era. The Louisiana Repertory Jazz Ensemble has performed world-wide including both Kennedy & Lincoln Centers in DC & NY. The sound is rich, smooth and takes the listener back to the days when New Orleans had dance halls all over the city. Even the instruments have that particular sound of the early 1900's. There isn't enough room here to sing the praises of this CD and the Band....but I bet you'll want to get up and dance to this one!!

The Amazon listing for this item is quite misleading. While these are tunes made famous by King Oliver and Kid Ory, the present versions are all performed by British "trad jazz" revivalists like Chris Barber and Rod Mason. It would be better to list this under "various artists" instead of under Ory and Oliver's names.

That said, these recordings are pretty good and convey the spirit of the British "trad" movement. It's recommended if you like traditional jazz but aren't looking for the authentic 1920s recordings. However, some purists might be turned off by the obvious use of electric bass on some tracks.

1. Back Home Again In IN./Put Your Arms Around Me Honey/Ida, Sweet As Apple Cider/Maple Leave Rag/Sw... 2. Poor Butterfly/St. Louis Blues 3. Bill Bailey/Give My Regards To Broadway/Anchors Aweigh/The Yellow Rose Of Texas/Tiger Rag 4. Shine On Harvest Moon/Come To Me My Melancholy Baby/Cuddle Up A Little Bit Closer/Oh, You Beauti... 5. Limehouse Blues/Yankee Doodle/Oh, Johnny/Pack Up Your Troubles/That's A Plenty 6. Alexander's Ragtime Band/American Patrol/Down By Teh Old Mill Stream/If You Were The Only Girl/Do... 7. When The Saints Go Marching In