Customer Reviews

Dixieland Usa

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This CD features the marvelous arranging talent of clarinetist Matty Matlock. Although the whole band is terrific, my personal favorites are trumpeter Dick Cathcart and the spectacular hot jazz trombone of the vastly underrated Abram "Abe" Lincoln. Dick Cathcart's Bix-influenced lead horn is immaculate and provides a solid foundation and time feel for the rest of the group to build upon. Trombonist Abe Lincoln takes no prisoners here. His hot, fiery, extroverted style is nothing short of breathtaking. In my humble opinion, Abe is the undisputed master of the hot jazz trombone. The overall sound quality of this CD is excellent. According to the liner notes, the analog to digital remastering of this 1950's-vintage recording was done with the original master tapes. The results are top notch.

If your love traditional jazz, this is a must for your collection. Matty Matlock is a great musician and arranger and many of the bands on the current jazz circuit use his arrangements. This is a fabuluos CD!

This CD represents some of the best of West Coast Dixieland, with arrangements by clarinetist Matty Matlock, and the nucleus mostly of the Bob Crosby Bobcats. Nick Fatool is absolutely superb on drums and Abe Lincoln, one of the finest studio musicians on the trombone. Eddie Miller on tenor is a Bobcat original jazzman from New Orleans and Phil Stephens on bass has a long history with Pete Daily and the Rampart Street Paraders, another of Matlock's recording groups, originally with Columbia. "Oh Didn't He Ramble" is a tune that one of Matlock's groups did on the movie soundtrack of "Pete Kelly's Blues", featuring Jack Webb. This should be a must for any collector!

HERE WE HAVE ONE OF THE GREAT GROUPS OF THE DIXIE REVIVAL OF THE 50'S. I BOUGHT THE ORIGINAL IN A GROGERY STORE FOR $.79 IN ABOUT 1957. MOST OF THESE PLAYERS MADE UP THE BACKBONE OF THE BOB CROSBY GROUP, BUT THEIR WORK HERE SURPASSES ANYTHING PRODUCED BY THAT RATHER TICKY-TACKY BAND. SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME GROUP MADE SEVERAL OTHER OFFERINGS, AT LEAST ONE WITH TRUMPETER CLYDE HURLEY. THE GROUP ALSO CALLED ITSELF THE RAMPART STREET PARADERS, AND DID THE MUSIC FOR THE FILM "PETE KELLY'S BLUES." OPERATIANG ON THE WEST COAST, SEVERAL OF THESE GUYS WERE ALSO NOTED STUDIO MUSICIANS, ALTHOUGH CLARINETIST MATTY MATLOCK WAS ORIGINALLY FROM NEW ORLEANS. I THINK COLUMBIA PRODUCED AN ALBUM CALLED SOMETHING LIKE "EAST COAST VS. WEST COAST" WITH THE PARADERS REPRESENTING THE WEST AND EDDIE CONDON'S BAND REPRESENTING THE EAST. THIS IS GREAT JAZZ. ALL THESE GUYS ARE FIRST-RATE PHRASE MAKERS AND THE SOLOS ARE WONDERFUL. "NAUGHTIE SWEETIE BLUES" IS MY FAVORITE.