Back during the Swing Era, music fans were trying to get back to the roots of jazz and search for some of the progenitors of what became known as “traditional jazz.” Finding and finally recording the likes of Bunk Johnson, people started paying attention to his sidemen and associates, mostly the slithering sounding and ectomorphically built clarinetist George Lewis. This sumptuous 8 cd set puts together material Lewis recorded between 1953 and 1959, both in studio and in various concert settings. What it reveals is a catholic approach to music that is more dedicated on showing the heart of jazz rather than the emotionless grey matter.
Lewis had a regular working team these years, usually consisting of Kid Howard/tp-v, Jim Robinson/tb, Alton Purnell/p, Lawrence Marrero/bjo, Alcide Pavageau/b and Joe Watkins, with a few changes and vocalists popping in and out, and a completely different team for the final 1959 session in Copenhagen. The first thing that grabs you as you take in this material is the eclectic mix of songs. Crescent City funeral marches (“Free As A Bird”) mix with classical European (“Over the Waves”), Christian Spirituals (“Just a Closer Walk With Thee”) and of course, the blues (“Careless Love”) along with a good story (“Old Man Mose”) and Delta Instrumentals (“Panama”). Purnell’s piano has a vintage leathery touch, while his vocals along with Howards’ and Watkins’ are full of earthy delight. The concerts range from jazz crossroads such as Bakersfield, CA to Columbus, Ohio. A series of shows in San Francisco features a ton of fun loving vocals by Lizzie Miles and the guys, while a studio session in Los Angeles’ Capitol Records serves as a time capsule of the genre with definitive takes of “Doctor Jazz” and a version of “Burgundy Street Blues” with vocals by Monette Moore that will never be forgotten.
This is music that was created by artists before there was such a thing as “standards” to play, as much as to create. An era and attitude, like the time of the Old Testament Prophets that should never be forgotten.
Storyville Records