A superior stride and classic jazz pianist since the 1970s, Ted des Plantes started his TdP Productions label a few years ago to put out previously unreleased and rare material from his career. The recent 1974-2021, Vol. 4 (which is subtitled Wanted For Playing Traditional Jazz Piano) adds 15 more selections to his discography.
It begins with a pair of selections from 1974 with Hal Smith’s rough and ready Down Home Jazz Band. Those numbers actually have Des Plantes playing tuba and Larry Wright takes an eccentric vocal on “Who Walks In When I Walk Out.” He is on piano in 1978 with Don Kinch’s Conductors Ragtime Band (a band inspired by Turk Murphy) on “Georgia Bo Bo” and “Sing You Sinners,” and sounds excellent on a duet with drummer Axel Tyle on “NE Sandy Scamper” although Tyle is a bit over recorded.
