The legendary Crane River Jazz Band was one of the earliest bands in the Traditional Jazz Revival in the U.K. that began in the late 1940s. The band was formed in 1949 and lasted until about 1957, having undergone several changes in personnel in the meantime. In 1972 there was a reunion of the Crane River Jazz Band, and it is a recording of that occasion which is featured on this CD, the line up including a half dozen of the original personnel.
The contents of this CD were issued originally on Dine-a-Mite Jazz DJCD-004, same title as here. It is good to have it available again as it contains some stimulating jazz, as we might expect from such a stellar group of musicians. They do not try to recreate the sound of the original band, as far as I can determine, when all were comparative youngsters, but rather show in their playing the effects of maturity on both content and expression. As with the original Cranes, they place an emphasis on ensemble work, rather than solos.
Freed from the tyranny of the 78, they can all relax and take as much time as needed to say what they have to say. Thus we find three tracks exceeding ten minutes in duration. One of them in particular, “Canal Street Blues,” although taken at a slower than usual tempo, swings all the way through. It builds as it goes, and there is a gradual heightening of tension as the band moves into the coda—not increasing th
