1. Jazz Lips
2. Froggy Moore
3. Some of These Days
4. Changes
5. Margie
6. Don't Forget to Mess Around
7. Shreveport Stomp
8. Tishomingo Blues
9. Papa De-Da-Da
10. Temptation Rag
11. 1919 Rag
12. My Honey's Lovin' Arms
13. Buddy's Habits
14. Beale Street Mama
15. Bugle Boy March
16. Oriental Strut
Ron Dewar - Clarinet, soprano sax, C-melody sax
Steve Jensen - Trumpet
Joel Helleny - Trombone
Mike Miller - Banjo, guitar
Dave Feinman - Bass sax
Bob Kornacher - Drums (tracks 4, 5, 12-16)
The Memphis Nighthawks was a band founded by Ron Dewar and Steve
Jensen, consisting mainly of students from the University of Illinois'
jazz programme. They took their name from a 1932 recording group featuring
Darnell Howard, although neither band actually came from Memphis.
These recordings were made in 1976 and 1977 in Chicago and are here
released on CD for the first time, with the last five tracks being
previously unissued.
Although the players were comparatively young when these recordings
were made, they capture perfectly the mood of Jelly Roll Morton's
era. They clearly had a deep feeling for the music of that time. The
tunes make that allegiance clear, using such composers as Morton,
Armstrong and Johnny St Cyr. I rather expected this to be a respectful
but perhaps amateurish attempt to recapture that old spirit but you
have to make no allowances for this band. They play not only with
skill but also with admirable clarity, polishing up old numbers until
they shine brightly. This is not one of those well-meaning but inferior
"trad" bands but a group of musicianly young men who appreciate
the music enough to perform it with care and love.
The music is given a lift by the use of Dave Feinman's bass saxophone
(instead of a tuba or sousaphone) as the basis for the rhythm. This
lightness is noticeable on the opening title-track, Jazz Lips,
where the traditional front line of trumpet, clarinet and trombone
is backed simply by banjo and bass sax. But this lightness of touch
doesn't prevent the boys from creating good-time music, as they do
on the following Froggy Moore, a Jelly Roll Morton piece
which can sound ponderous in other hands but here seems to float
along airily.
Some of These Days lasts for over six minutes, which lets
most of the players show their paces, with Ron Dewar's growling soprano
sax, Joel Helleny's tailgate trombone and the fluent trumpet of Steve
Jensen, as well as Dave Feinman's guttural bass sax. Drummer Bob Kornacher
comes in to propel Walter Donaldson's complex Changes, with
Ron Dewar's sinuous C-melody sax adding to the variety of sounds.
Don't Forget to Mess Around is a gutsy performance and contrasts
well with the almost ethereal Shreveport Stomp. Tishomingo
Blues has a buoyant bounce which makes me visualise Laurel &
Hardy doing some fancy dance steps. Saxophone and trombone blend unusually
on Temptation Rag, while 1919 Rag has an old-fashioned
feel which conjures up New Orleans in its early heyday. The drums
give some of the last five tracks a heavier feel than the feathery
lightness of the preceding numbers, although they give Oriental
Strut an appropriately Middle-Eastern atmosphere.
The sound quality of the transfer to CD is impeccable and captures
the band's clarity to perfection. Even though these recordings were
made more than 30 years ago, this album feels far from antique.
Tony Augarde
CD Reviews
Delmark DE 216
