The UK, that relatively small country, has produced many fine traditional jazz musicians and bandleaders during the last century whose names will be familiar to most Americans interested in traditional jazz: Ken Colyer, Chris Barber, Acker Bilk, Kenny Ball, Max Collie, to name just a few. Missing from that list would undoubtedly be Norman Thatcher, and that would be a grave oversight.
Thatcher was a multi-instrumentalist, playing cornet and trumpet, tenor saxophone, trombone, string bass, and drums. On his recordings, he is featured frequently on cornet, although here it is trumpet we hear. Thatcher was always a devotee of the uptown New Orleans style as was Ken Colyer, whom he admired and whose style he was very adept at replicating as he did for so long while leading the Ken Colyer Trust Band. However, on this recording we get closer, perhaps, to what was actually Thatcher as for the most part he leaves the Colyer characteristics of vibrato and simplicity of line behind.
This quintet manages to sound like a larger combo, the others supplying solid support to Thatcher’s lead. The trombone is barely missed throughout, John Wurr supplying shifting backing on the saxes as well as the clarinet. The rhythm section, Steve Davis on tuba and Sarah Roote (who became Sarah Thatcher) on banjo, is so consistent and stable that the drums, usually part of a rhythm section, are barely misse
