The High Society New Orleans Jazz Band was founded and is co-led by pianist Conal Fowkes and trumpeter Simon Wettenhall. Long-time musical friends, they were both part of Woody Allen’s band for several decades. Fowkes and Wettenhall have worked with many New York trad groups and recorded with singer Barbara Rosene (although not together). Their current group, which plays each Thursday night at Birdland, features trombonist Harvey Tibbs, clarinetist Tom Abbott, Josh Dunn doubling on guitar and banjo, bassist Brian Nalepka, and drummer Kevin Dorn. Fowkes, Wettenhall and Nalepka also take vocals on the group’s debut album, Live At Birdland.
While the singing, heard on six of the eight selections, is okay, Live At Birdland is most notable for the enthusiastic ensembles, colorful solos, and the general group spirit. It all begins with a depiction of a typical New Orleans funeral, but does not stay somber for long. After a brief “Flee As A Bird” with the usual “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust” statement, the band launches into a swinging “Oh Didn’t He Ramble” that serves as a fine introduction to the group. They follow it up with a hot rendition of “Here Comes The Hot Tamale Man” that is a bit inspired by cornetist Freddie Keppard’s 1926 version with Cookie’s Gingersnaps. “Dallas Blues” is primarily a Wettenhall vocal while “Ace In The Hole” recalls Clancy Hayes a bit.
The second half of the CD is particularly memorable. “Shreveport Stomp,” which is usually played as a clarinet feature due to Omer Simeon’s classic version with Jelly Roll Morton, is transformed into a romp for the full band. “Say Si Si” may have been a hit for the Andrews Sisters in the swing era but this version is closer to how Wingy Manone might have played it. “High Society” is treated well except that the famous Alphonse Picou solo (which is an integral part of the piece) is absent, an unfortunate omission. However the set concludes with what may be the hottest version ever recorded of Irving Berlin’s “When I Leave The World Behind.”
I would bet that the High Society New Orleans Jazz Band would be great fun to see live. Their heartily recommended Live At Birdland CD will have to suffice for those of us not in New York City.
The High Society New Orleans Jazz Band • Live At Birdland
Turtle Bay TBR 25006
www.turtlebayrecords.com
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.
