Of the fourteen tracks on this CD, ten have not been previously issued. The four tracks previously issued (on Southland LP 220: Mike Lala and His Dixie Six) are tracks 5-8: “You Tell Me Your Dreams” (1); “Bucket’s Got a Hole in It”; “Pagan Love Song”; and “Rose Room” (1). While several tunes, such as “City of a Million Dreams” and “You Tell Me Your Dreams,” appear twice in the CD play list, each version is a different take from the other.
Only two of the various personnel on these tracks appear on every track: Joe Capraro on guitar or banjo and, as we might expect, Raymond Burke on clarinet. Burke, as Paige Van Vorst points out in his liner notes, “never became a household name.” The same could be said of almost all of the others with the exception, perhaps, of Bob Havens, thanks to his appearing on the Lawrence Welk show from 1960-1982. The rest of the musicians listed will be familiar in some degree to most aficionados of classic New Orleans jazz. Many New Orleans musicians who achieved wide—even world-wide—recognition, such as King Oliver, George Lewis, Kid Ory, to mention but three, did not confine themselves to New Orleans; most of those on this disc, however, did not venture far, if at all, from New Orleans, including the one in the spotlight here, Burke, which undoubtedly accounted in large part for their obscurity.
The majority of the tunes will be familiar to most readers, exceptions being, perhaps, “City of a Million Dreams” and “Vieux Carré Parade.” However, since the bands favor the ensemble, the prevalent feature of classic New Orleans jazz, some of these tunes can sound quite “new,” especially when the lead playing melody also improvises, as is frequently the case here. In addition, each track is enhanced by instances of counterpoint and obbligatos, making for a treat for the ears. Burke is adept at providing such, as we hear in the opening track, “Apple Blossom Time,” where he provides clarinet counterpoint to Paul Crawford’s trombone; and Havens, on vibes, pays the same compliment to Burke, backing the clarinet with obbligatos—a most pleasing combination—here and again on the second version of “Rose Room” (track 11). Then on the second track, “A Long Way to Tipperary,” we hear Burke supplying rich chalumeau obbligatos to Crawford. Such instances are to be found in many other cuts. The low register is one in which Burke is very comfortable, as he demonstrates frequently: for example in both takes of “You Tell Me Your Dreams” and in his solo in the second take of “City of a Million Dreams” (track 13).
Orleans Jazz Museum/Louisiana Digital Library)
Each musician is given solo space, often backed by the ensemble, except two of the bass players and the drummers, who are given the spotlight on occasion. Bass players, Chink Martin and Sherwood Mangiapane do not solo, but Bob Coquile does once on “Bugle Call Rag.” The two drummers, however, fare a little better than the bassists. Monk Hazel has a four-bar drum tag in the coda of “A Long Way to Tipperary” and roll-offs before and after the vocal on “Vieux Carré Parade.” The track ends with a single-stroke drum cadence fade-out. The other drummer, Paul Edwards, opens “Bugle Call Rag” with a roll-off intro, and he is also given several drum breaks and drum tag opportunities elsewhere.
Other features enhance the performances. The arrangement of “Vieux Carré Parade” is an interesting one with its drum highlights. The attention paid dynamics is consistent: the various groups are all well aware that one does not play forte and double forte all the time! Finally, the rhythm sections—and indeed all players in each group—ensure tempos are well maintained: no runaway trains, even on the fastest tempo of the set, that of “Bugle Call Rag.”
All told the CD provides a varied and interesting setting for Raymond Burke to “strut his stuff.” Von Vorst notes that “He [Burke] got his first press notice in 1942, when Downbeat ran an article entitled ‘Raymond Burke, Jassist, Is Awaiting Recognition.’” It never did come. This CD, like others in the fairly impressive list of recordings on which Burke appeared, once again indicates he was a fine clarinetist who merited more notice than he ever got.
Library)
For any readers who are unfamiliar with Burke, this CD will provide a good introduction. For those who are already acquainted with him, it will provide a useful supplement with its many unissued tracks. Along with a good number of other CD’s having Burke among the personnel, it is available from GHB Records at www.jazzology.com and other mail order sources such as Louisiana Music Factory at www.louisianamusicfactory.com and Amazon on line.
Note: This CD does not come in the usual plastic jewel case; instead it is contained in a cardboard digipak, which means no cracked case, no broken hinges, and no missing teeth that hold the CD, when sent through the mail. It also has a pocket for Von Vorsts’s useful liner notes booklet. Finally, it is about half the depth of a plastic jewel case, so takes up less space on the shelf. These are all positives my book.
The Southland Recordings 1958-1960
Raymond Burke
GHB Records BCD-99
“Apple Blossom Time”; “A Long Way to Tipperary”; “City of a Million Dreams” (1); “Vieux Carré Parade”
Recorded at Cosmo Matassa’s Recording Studio, New Orleans, LA, Dec. 16, 1960.
Personnel: Thomas Jefferson, tpt /voc; Tommy Gonsoulin, tpt; Raymond Burke, clt; Paul Crawford, tbn; Armand Hug, pno; Joe Capraro, gtr/bjo; Chink Martin, sbs/mel; Monk Hazel, drs.
“You Tell Me Your Dreams” (1); “Bucket’s Got a Hole in It”; “Pagan Love Song” (1)
Recorded at Dan’s Pier, New Orleans, LA, July 20, 1958.
“Rose Room” (1)
Recorded at WDSU Studio, New Orleans, LA, May 5, 1958.
“You Tell Me Your Dreams” (2); “Pagan Love Song” (2)
Recorded at Dan’s Pier, New Orleans, LA, July 20, 1958.
“Rose Room” (2)
Recorded at WDSU Studio, New Orleans, LA, May 5, 1958.
Personnel: Mike Lala, tpt; Raymond Burke, clt; Bob Havens, tbn/vib; Jeff Riddick, pno; Joe Capraro, gtr; Sherwood Mangiapane, sbs/voc; Paul Edwards, drs.
“Back Home Again in Indiana”; “City of a Million Dreams” (2); “Bugle Call Rag”
Recorded at WDSU Studio, New Orleans, LA, May 5, 1958.
Personnel: Mike Lala, tpt; Raymond Burke, clt; John Reinger, ts/clt; Jack Delaney, tbn/voc; Bob Discon, pno/cel; Joe Capraro, gtr; Bob Coquile, sbs; Paul Edwards, drs.
Born in Dundee, Scotland, Bert Thompson came to the U.S. in 1956. After a two-year stint playing drums with the 101 st Airborne Division Band and making a number of parachute drops, he returned to civilian life in San Francisco, matriculating at San Francisco State University where he earned a B.A. and an M.A. He went on to matriculate at University of Oregon, where he earned a D.A. and a Ph.D., all of his degrees in English. Now retired, he is a professor emeritus of English at City College of San Francisco. He is also a retired traditional jazz drummer, having played with a number of San Francisco Bay Area bands, including And That’s Jazz, Professor Plum’s Jazz, the Jelly Roll Jazz Band, Mission Gold Jazz Band, and the Zenith New Orleans Parade band; he also played with some further afield, including Gremoli (Long Beach, CA) and the Phoenix Jazzers (Vancouver, B.C.) Today he reviews traditional jazz CDs and writes occasional articles for several publications.
