Formed in 2003 in Grenada, Spain, the Potato Head Jazz Band has stayed somewhat under the radar—my radar, at least—until now, and that is unfortunate as it is a fine band. This is their third album, and there have been some personnel changes from the first two CDs, Antonio Fernández informed me in an email. However, the band’s aim has not changed from the onset: to play the jazz of the early 20th century faithfully but giving it their own signature.
This album impressed me on several counts. First, all of the musicians are extremely well-versed in both their instruments and the métier—traditional New Orleans-style jazz. They have obviously listened long and hard to the New Orleans masters. Second, they essay all forms of traditional jazz—blues, stomps, rags, marches, etc., most represented here. The result is a varied tune list and an entertaining program. And last they have some extremely interesting arrangements of these tunes, the author(s) of them not being credited, and this last is what differentiates them from many other bands.
All arrangements are very good, but I was particularly struck by several. “Maple Leaf Rag” is taken as a fairly leisurely habanera. All the instruments take solos, including drums, and on the latter Luis Landa plays tastefully, mainly on rims and cowbell, backed by stop time from the rest of the rhythm, as he does again on “Harlem
