These days we seem to be witnessing the sunset of traditional jazz. The number of traditional jazz clubs and festivals, along with that of their attendees, has been shrinking in recent years. In similar fashion, as demand has declined the output of CDs has diminished; in turn, so has the number of record companies and bands still issuing CDs. Many bands have turned to issuing digital downloads and streaming. So it was a very pleasant surprise to get this Mississippi Dreamboats CD in the mail recently.
Probably most The Syncopated Times readers will be, as I was, unfamiliar with this band, while a good number of our British counterparts will be acquainted with the band and its members. Spike (Mike) Kennedy, who sent me the disc, informed me that the band was organized by Liz and Paul Bacon in 2023. Of the personnel, I am only familiar with Sarah Thatcher and Spike, having met and heard them a few times while attending the Bude, Cornwall, festival on several occasions where they were playing with the Black Cat Jazz Band, which they formed and, Kennedy assures me, “are still running … although [it is] restricted to the local area due to band members’ reluctance to travel.” He goes on to say that they “also play in New Orleans Bump, a West Midlands band which gets out to quite a few of the surviving jazz clubs.” Before her late husband’s premature death, Sarah Thatcher also played banjo with Norman’s Ragtime Band.
As well as forming The Mississippi Dreamboats, Paul and Liz Bacon have played with, among others, the Rae Brothers New Orleans Jazz Band, the Delta Six New Orleans Jazz Band, and Dave Rae’s Levee Ramblers New Orleans Jazz Band. In addition, A Breeze From New Orleans, “a band organized by Sarah and Norman Thatcher which continued briefly with Steve Graham on trumpet after Norman’s untimely death,” Kennedy goes to say, was taken over by Liz Bacon and includes her husband, Paul, and Sarah Thatcher. Jim Blenkin has often accompanied the Bacons in some of these bands.
Before he moved to Sweden, ex-pat Gwyn Lewis led the Speakeasy Jazz Band. He also played cornet for the Icon Jazz Men, a Cardiff, Wales, institution during the 1970s and 1980s, and the Newport based Acme Band,” Kennedy tells us. Lewis has also appeared with the much-travelled band New Orleans Heat and his own group, Gwyn Lewis and his Jazziatrics.
These credentials attest to the musicians’ abilities, which are amply demonstrated on the two CDs that comprise this issue. The musicians all play for the band, not for their egos, so there are no long or frequent solos to be found. The emphasis is on the ensemble, and they play so well together in such, often exchanging the lead in lieu of soloing.
That is not to say there are no solos at all. The members of the front line tend to have the odd solo on some of the tracks. Liz Bacon is featured on clarinet in “Listen to the Mocking Bird” (2-6) where she demonstrates her facility in all of the clarinet registers with nary a squeak. Gwyn Lewis plays a fiery cornet lead, and judiciously includes flares à la Kid Thomas (“Kid Thomas Boogie,” 2-5) or buzzes and growls in his solo on “In the Good Old Summertime” (2-10). On trombone Jim Blenkin completes the front line with slurs and glisses, as appropriate, and provides a pleasing muted solo on “True” (2-7).
The back line takes the lead or solos less frequently than the front line. Notable among them is Spike Kennedy’s thoughtful 8-bar solo on bass on “A Fool Such as I” (1-7) and Sarah Thatcher’s guitar strummed solo prior to the ensemble ride-out on “Lead Me Saviour” (1-6). It should be added that Kennedy and Thatcher, along with Paul Bacon on drums, are rock solid in their rhythm—no rushing or dragging of tempos. Only Paul Bacon does not solo at all; instead he provides some excellent pressed rolls, rim shots, cowbell accents throughout. He is an unobtrusive member of the rhythm section, as are most of the better New Orleans-style drummers.
The Mississippi Dreamboats are, it almost goes without saying, a New Orleans-style band, meaning, of course, that the emphasis is on the ensemble, rather than the individual. One of the most difficult aspects of the style is to play the counterpoint that collective improvisation demands. It requires careful attention to what the others are playing and supplying harmonic countermelodies to that. This band excels in doing so and makes it seems easier than it really is. For me, the joy comes from hearing how well a band accomplishes such, and this one delivers much in that regard.
While most of the 23 tunes on this double CD set will be familiar, there are a half dozen or so that will not be in many traditional jazz bands’ books. These would include “Bright Star Blues”; “A Fool Such as I”; “You Broke Your Promise”; “True”; “Rose Room”; and “I’m Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover.” After hearing these renditions, however, some bands may want to add them to their repertoires.
The live recording was done by Stuart McLean of Practical Sound Systems, and the sound quality, like that of other recordings he has produced, is very good, especially considering it is a live rather than studio recording.
For information regarding acquiring this double CD set, contact [email protected].
A Breeze from the Water’s Edge
Mississippi Dreamboats
Self-released
Personnel: Jim Blenkin, trombone, vocal; Gwyn Lewis, cornet, vocal; Liz Bacon, clarinet; Mike Kennedy, string bass; Sarah Thatcher, banjo, tenor guitar; Paul Bacon, drums.
