David Horniblow, clarinet, Andrew Oliver, piano, Nicholas D. Ball, percussion. If you've been reading my reviews for the last few months you'll know that this lineup is reason enough to give Steppin' on the Gas a listen. Add guest turns by Andy Schumm and Martin Wheatley and a vocal appearance by Dee Settlemier (all the way in from Portland) and you've got yet another Transatlantic masterpiece coming out of London.
Horniblow's Hot Three is a sub group of the Vitality Five, the larger group also features guitarist Wheatley and Michael McQuaid on trumpet. But nothing is lost with the tighter focus. The trio plays sprightly and authentic late 20s jazz with a stomping sound full as any five piece band.
As the leader of this unit Horniblow tears it up throughout, solidifying his ranking among the top clarinetists of today — we are blessed with many! (Several, including Horniblow, James Evans, and Ewan Bleach, are from the UK, why is that?)
Andrew Oliver, a well traveled gent originally from Portland, OR but now settled in the UK plays his role perfectly. He's a spectacularly capable pianist with the ability to fade into the background and lead simultaneously. He lifts Horniblow's clarinet line, working effortlessly with the percussion. The experience of the recent Horniblow/Oliver Complete Morton Project is evident. Two tracks are indeed from 1929 Morton trio recordings with B
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