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This is the first Sidney Bechet CD I've purchased and it surely won't be the last. I've gone all these years knowing little of him, finally checking out his sound after seeing that he made Woody Allen's celebrity itunes list. The man was an absolute master with the soprano saxophone and clarinet. Moreover in this collection of songs ranging from 1939 to 1953 he plays in quintets and sextets featuring such excellent musicians as Art Hodges on piano and Wild Bill Davidson on the cornet. But it is Bechet who shines. His style variably evokes New Orleans Jazz, the Blues traditional jazz and a hint of swing. Like Ben Webster, Lester Young and other geniuses, Bechet creates a mood with his horn. It's hard to listen to while doing anything else because you'll want to sit back and enjoy -- and enjoy you will.

I love Sidney. He knew his instrument and did more with it than many "legends". Nothing on here is bad...how could it be? But somehow, it does not seem to do justice to him. A little too familiar, a little too predictable, a little too careful. Solid stuff, well-recorded, but this collection just doesn't knock your socks off.

This is an excellent batch of Bechet performances. "Summertime", "Muskrat Ramble" and "When the Saints Go Marching In" are the best tracks in an overall excellent disk.

As a younger listener I have tended to stay away from jazz in this period (20's) because alot of it seemed to have herky-jerky rythmns that reminded me of the 30's and 40's cartoons that had goofy, grinning barn animals playing various instruments, so hearing jazz from this time period became hard to listen to without laughing myself silly. For some reason this album does not remind me of the barn animals...and i really like it! The dixie-land blues is thick throughout and, man, this is where funk came from! I'm usually not a fan of too much vibrato, but with bechet it sounds tremendously soulful and the selections wouldn't be complete without it. One of the best blues tracks of all-time is "blue horizon" (the other might be "red house" by jimi) which is alone worth the $18 you would pay for a 10 track cd at the mall. But there are many other excellent tracks on here, like the superior version of "all of me." The other musicians, besides the excellent bechet, play tight and soulful as well. This album is solid through and through.

I love this Sidney Bechet cd. I bought it knowing nothing else by him except "Blue Horizon", but I was delighted with all of it. I love the way "Porto Rico" starts out dark and exotic and ends up light. Full of strong melodies, exquisitely played . . . If you like early New Orleans jazz in all it's smokey and warm magnificence, you won't be disappointed in this cd.

My father-in-law is trying to get hold of a Sidney Bechet track called Les Ognoins. Does anyone know on which album it can be found or is the album called Les Ognoins. Help please!