Les Rois Du Fox-Trot is a 10 piece French dance band. Once led by cornetist Jean-Pierre Morel, they are still a world class outfit worthy of your attention. Not surprisingly a few of the names have appeared at Whitley Bay. The one most familiar to me, cornetist Malo Mazurie, may not be a regular member, appearing on only five tracks of this album.
Other participants include Nicolas Montier (sax), Patrick Bacqueville (tb), Shona Taylor & Michel Bonnet (tp), Michel Bescont & Marc Bresdin (saxs), Jacques Schneck (pno), Gérard Gervois (tu), Francois Fournet (bjo), Deborah Tropez and Stan Leferriere (dr).
The album is a tribute to Duke Ellington, with all 15 tracks being his compositions. This is hot Duke, swinging Duke. If it is another Duke you are after you'll find him elsewhere. Duke contains multitudes. That isn't to say there isn't a pleasant mix of emotional tempos, only that the playing is limited to primarily the hot dance period.
Titles include the obvious but enjoyable "Caravan", "Jubilee Stomp", and "The Mooche", but also "Ducky Wucky" and "Wall Street Wail". The last featuring scat singing, the only vocalization on the album.
Notable is the instrumentation, which follows closely to Dukes bands, even his later bands. Swing bands, straight ahead groups, or big bands covering Duke compositions today are unlikely to feature a banjo let alone a tuba. Having b
Trumpeter James O’Donnell: The Motor City Jazz Maestro
Brian Sheridan
