Yellow Fire

by Franz Jackson

Overview

Not many of the Chicago jazzmen who were active in the 1920s and 1930s were still alive when the 21st century rolled around; Franz Jackson is among the few. Born in Rock Island, IL, in 1912, the veteran saxman/clarinetist was a teenager during Prohibition and a young man during the Great Depression -- and he was still playing pre-bebop jazz in the year 2000. Jackson's 88th birthday was less than three weeks away when, in October 2000, he recorded Yellow Fire for Chicago's Delmark label. This excellent CD finds him leading the Salty Dogs, a Dixieland/classic jazz combo that has been around since 1947. In fact, many of the participants have been with the band since the 1950s, including pianist John Cooper, cornetist Lew Green, clarinetist Kim Cusack, and tuba player Mike Walbridge. Jackson himself joined in 1956, while drummer Wayne Jones, trombonist Tom Bartlett, and banjo player Jack Kuncl came on board in the 1960s. But Yellow Fire doesn't sound like jazz from the 1950s or 1960s; from Jackson originals to familiar tunes like "Lulu's Back in Town" and "If I Had You," this excellent CD recalls the spirited Dixieland and classic jazz that reigned supreme in Chicago in the 1920s and early 1930s. Much of the material is instrumental, although Jackson (who is a talented clarinetist but sticks to the tenor and soprano saxophones on Yellow Fire) provides some good natured, Louis Armstrong-influenced vocals on "When You're Smiling," "Dinah," and W.C. Handy's "St. Louis Blues." Nothing groundbreaking occurs, but the performances are consistent, inspired, and highly swinging. Yellow Fire is enthusiastically recommended to anyone who appreciates Chicago-style Dixieland and classic jazz. ~ Alex Henderson

Product Details

Release Date:	03/27/2001
Label:	DELMARK
UPC:	0038153023720

Tracks

1. Dippermouth Blues
2. Lulu's Back in Town
3. Zuddan
4. Dinah
5. Sweet Georgia Brown
6. When You're Smiling
7. Bye and Bye
8. St. Louis Blues
9. If I Had You
10. Yellow Fire
11. I Can't Believe That You're in Love With Me
12. Southside
13. Bud Billiken

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Franz Jackson   Primary Artist,Vocals,Sax (Tenor),Sax (Soprano)
Franz Jackson & the Salty Dogs   Primary Artist
Wayne Jones   Drums
Mike Walbridge   Tuba
Kim Cusack   Clarinet,Sax (Alto)
Carol Leigh   Vocals
Tom Bartlett   Trombone
John Cooper   Piano
Bob Neighbor   Trumpet,Trombone
Lew Green   Cornet

Technical Credits

Robert G. Koester   Producer,Supervisor
Reginald Connelly   Composer
Harry Akst   Composer
Jimmy McHugh   Composer
Traditional   Composer
Ted Shapiro   Composer
Paul Serrano   Engineer
Bob Koester   Producer
King Oliver   Composer
Joe Goodwin   Composer
Clarence Gaskill   Composer
Larry Shay   Composer
Franz Jackson   Composer
Edgar Battle   Composer
W.C. Handy   Composer
Joe Young   Composer
Maceo Pinkard   Composer
Kenneth Casey   Composer
Al Dubin   Composer
Ben Bernie   Composer
Harry Warren   Composer
P.D. Scots Pipe Band   Composer
Jimmy Campbell   Composer
Paige Van Vorst   Liner Notes
Peter Amft   Photography
Mark Fisher   Composer
Sam M. Lewis   Composer