Search - Duke Heitger :: Krazy Kapers

Duke Heitger is one of the best jazz trumpeters of all time

Robert E. Simanski | Sterling, VA United States | 08/30/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you think that traditional jazz is dead, think again. If you like Swing-era jazz or the small-group jazz of the 1930s, grab copies of Duke Heitger's Krazy Kapers and Rhythm Is Our Business CDs. He'll blow you away! This is the best jazz that I've heard in years.



I'm 66 years old and have been a jazz lover for more than 50 of those years. I particularly like the big bands and the small-group jazz of the Swing Era. Thus I'm very familiar with the work of Louis Armstrong, Red Allen, Bunny Berigan, Roy Eldridge, Harry James, and the great big-band trumpet players of the 1930s and 1940s.



I can say without hesitation that, with the exception of Louis Armstrong himself, Duke Heitger is at least as good as Berigan, Eldridge, and James, and better than the others.



That's high praise indeed, but his recordings bear this out. He has the power to drive an up-tempo big-band performance, coupled with the ability to perform beautifully on ballads and other slow numbers. His solos are imaginative and well-constructed, without the usual cliches of lesser trumpet players. Plain and simple, when it comes to knowing how to play Swing properly, Duke Heitger "gets it."



On this set, he's part of a nine-piece group, which qualifies as a small Swing band. All of the musicians are excellent, and everyone gets a chance to shine. Brian Ogilvie on tenor sax, in particular, does some wonderful work in the Coleman Hawkins tradition. The band members also "get it."



As for Duke's occasional singing, let's just say that it's adequate for his purpose, in the way that Bunny Berigan's and Jack Teagarten's singing was adequate for their purposes.



Duke divides his efforts between playing Swing-era music and preserving the New Orleans Dixieland tradition of the late 1920s. He does an excellent job with the latter as well. If you enjoy Dixieland, you'll want his Steamboat Stompers and Bob Havens CDs as well as the Swing Era-style discs."

Duke Heitger's Best

John C. Graham | toronto, ontario Canada | 08/24/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The listing indicates incorrect spelling of Duke Heitger's name. When searching for Heitger's recordings, this beauty doesn't show. I found it by punching in the "Krazy Kapers" title. Hopefully Amazon will correct this mistake so that Duke Heitger fans get a chance to order this disc-which may be his best to date.



Along with Heitger's trumpet, you get to hear the late Brian Ogilvie on clarinet and tenor, Evan Christopher on clarinet and alto, Steve Pistorious on piano, James Singleton on bass, John Parker on guitar, John Gill on guitar, banjo, and drums, and, on two numbers, John Fohl plays steel guitar.



The disc starts with a upbeat rendition of Ory's "Savoy Blues". Heitger then sings on a nice version of "She's Funny That Way". Everybody burns through Benny Carter's "Krazy Kapers" before John Gill sings the Elvis Presley hit, "Blue Hawaii". "Just A Gigilo","I Want To Be Happy","Solitude", and five more tunes are given special treatment by the players on this fine disc.



There are highlights from the musicians on every song. John Gill's drumming is choice, Pistorious sounds perfect in this band, Brian Ogilvie may have contributed the finest, certainly the most robust, tenor playing of his career, Evan Christopher shows that he is already a giant of the clarinet and Duke Heitger may have waxed some of his finest recorded moments on this disc.



There are thrills abound on "Krazy Kapers". It's one of the most energetic and surprising discs to come out of the crescent city in some time. It was recorded by(the best in the business)sound engineer Richard Bird at Audiophile Studios in New Orleans. "Krazy Kapers" is a terrific recording that will bring you much satisfaction for years to come. Recommended!

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