The Joymakers • A Texas-Sized Band

Following up on the success of his previous CD Down Where The Bluebonnets Grow, Colin Hancock expands the size of the Joymakers on A Texas-Sized Band from eight pieces to ten. The original octet, with the versatile Hancock (cornet, alto sax, baritone sax, mellophone, and vocals plus kazoo and a clarinet mouthpiece), David Jellema (clarinet, C-melody sax, and cornet), Lauryn Gould (alto, tenor, soprano, and vocals), accordionist Dylan Blackthorn, pianist Shane Dickson, banjoist Westen Borghesi, bassist Ryan Gould, and drummer Ryan Neubauer are joined by trumpeter-singer Luke Allen and trombonist Freddie Mendoza.

As on the previous album, the arrangements, some of which are close to the early recordings while others are new ones by Hancock, capture the spirit and drive of the territory bands that were active in Texas in the late 1920s. With the exception of “Somebody Stole My Gal,” “Clap Hands! Here Comes Charley,” “Bye Bye Baby (Blues)” which is really “Careless Love,” and perhaps “Stomp Off, Let’s Go” (a feature for Hancock on alto), the dozen songs are obscure numbers. They were originally performed by such groups as those led by Louis Forbstein, Don Albert, Jimmie Joy, Phil Baxter, Fred Gardner, and the Harris Brothers Texans. One song apiece was recorded in the early days by singers Victoria Spivey and Julia Lee and are revived quite successfully by Lauryn Gould.

Except for the improved recording quality, the music on A Texas-Sized Band could certainly pass for a late 1920s territory band. All of the concise solos fit easily into that era as do the spirited ensembles, whether arranged or jammed. Colin Hancock’s detailed liner notes make it obvious that he did a great deal of research and listening to the often-forgotten Texas territory bands and the work certainly shows, as does the joy that these musicians clearly feel while playing this boisterous music.

A Texas-Sized Band
Turtle Bay TBR 26002
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.