Veteran clarinetist and saxophonist Bob Fanelli pays tribute to Louis Armstrong on a CD with the Dixie Boys. The performances are not strict re-creations and there is no attempt to copy the original recordings. While there are some similarities between Fanelli’s singing and Armstrong’s voice, Roger Morgan’s trumpet solos are in his own complementary style.
The group (which also includes trombonist H.L. Southall, pianist Mike Norris, banjoist Mike Byrne, bassist Bob Curl, and drummer John Rozzum) shows enthusiasm and spirit on a variety of standards. The expected hits (such as “Mack The Knife,” “Hello Dolly,” and “What A Wonderful World”) are here but so are a couple of songs not associated with Armstrong (“Caravan” and “Alabama Jubilee”).
A fine local group, the Dixie Boys are based in the Philadelphia area. Highlights of their set include “Struttin’ With Some Barbecue” (which does a good job of introducing the musicians), “Up A Lazy River,” and “Stardust.” This would be a fun group to see live.
The Legacy Of Louis Armstrong
(Consensus Music, 12 selections, TT = 43:04)
To order write: BobFanmejz@gmail.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.
