British trumpeter
Ken Colyer, one of the major New Orleans revival brassmen, had broken up his regular group in 1971 due to his erratic health but fortunately he continued playing on a part-time basis during the remaining 17 years of his life. This infectious set (which came out on CD in 1998) was performed at a church in 1972 before a live audience and although
Colyer and his septet play songs that could be thought of as hymns, there is nothing somber or overly reverent about the interpretations.
Colyer (who is in excellent form), clarinetist
Sammy Rimington, trombonist
Barry Palser, pianist
Ray Smith, banjoist
Pete Morcom, bassist
Alan Jones and drummer
Colin Bowden put lots of feeling into the music and there are plenty of stomps and ensemble-oriented jams. Among the ten selections (all of which are quite enjoyable) are
"Just A Little While To Stay Here," "Sing On," "Bye And Bye" and "Walking With The King." This is easily recommended to New Orleans jazz collectors. ~ Scott Yanow