Terry Waldo and the Gotham City Band • Treasury Vol. 3

Two previous Turtle Bay releases documented pianist Terry Waldo’s Gotham City Band from 2018 and 2022. Treasury Volume 3 has one selection (“Alice Blue Gown”) from Oct. 15, 2018 but is otherwise from May-June 2022. Waldo, who has been creating his brand of hot jazz since the 1970s is joined on various selections by trumpeters Mike Davis and Colin Hancock, trombonist-vocalist Jim Fryer, clarinetist Ricky Alexander, Jerron Paxton (who also sings), Nick Russo or Arnt Arntzen on banjo, bassist Brian Nalepka, and drummer Jay Lepley; “Alice Blue Gown” also has Evan Arntzen on clarinet.

The set begins a little odd with “Minnie The Mermaid” which has a silly vocal by Waldo, exaggerated wa-wa trumpet, honky-tonk piano, and some riotous ensembles that are a throwback to the cornier side of the 1950s. Things get more serious but no less joyful with “Canal Street Blues,” one of several King Oliver-associated pieces that include two trumpets. The mix is a little off with clarinetist Ricky Alexander (in excellent form) dominating the ensembles. “Alice Blue Gown,” taken at a relaxed medium-tempo, is quite delightful. “Take Me Back” is given a vintage country tinge with Paxton’s vocal.

Other performances include Jelly Roll Morton (“Frog-I-More Rag” in King Oliver’s style, an especially hot “Kansas City Stomp,” and a rousing “Black Bottom Stomp”), more King Oliver (“Mabel’s Dream” and “Buddy’s Habits”), the sweet song “Louisiana Fairy Tale” with Jay Lepley singing well, and a version of “Memphis Blues” with Fryer’s vocal and Alexander coming close to sounding like Johnny Dodds.

Terry Waldo, who takes occasional solos, is generous in featuring his sidemen and must have been pretty pleased with the exciting ensembles and the overall sound of his impressive group. All three volumes of Treasury are recommended for those who love hot jazz based in the 1920s.

Terry Waldo and the Gotham City Band • Treasury Vol. 3
Turtle Bay TBR2 6004
www.turtlebayrecords.com

Scott Yanow

Since 1975 Scott Yanow has been a regular reviewer of albums in many jazz styles. He has written for many jazz and arts magazines, including JazzTimes, Jazziz, Down Beat, Cadence, CODA, and the Los Angeles Jazz Scene, and was the jazz editor for Record Review. He has written an in-depth biography on Dizzy Gillespie for AllMusic.com. He has authored 11 books on jazz, over 900 liner notes for CDs and over 20,000 reviews of jazz recordings. Yanow was a contributor to and co-editor of the third edition of the All Music Guide to Jazz. He continues to write for Downbeat, Jazziz, the Los Angeles Jazz Scene, the Jazz Rag, the New York City Jazz Record and other publications.