Search - George Lewis, Jimmy Yancey :: Jazz at Perservation Hall / Pure Blues

One of the National Treasures of American Music

09/08/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Back in the 60s, I took off from high school Up North one winter to hitch-hike to New Orleans (beginning in the middle of a snow storm -- crazy kid) to see the Mardi Gras. At that point in my musical development I was a bass player in a garage band modeled after the electric blues heard on the first Paul Butterfield-Mike Bloomfield record, plus whatever other authentic Chicago Blues we could lay our hands on. With the fanaticism of youth, no other music existed for me. Little Walter was the king of harmonica players, Otis Rush was the ultimate guitar player, Freddy Bellow was the drummer of the generation.New Orleans changed all that forever. A few nights later, enjoying the balmy weather of the Deep South, I walked by a somehat decrepit looking bar in the French Quarter and walked into the delerious decibels of some of the hottest Dixieland Jazz I had ever heard. Upon closer inspection, the source of this ferocious instrumental ecstacy was the George Lewis Band, a half dozen Old Masters of Dixieland now in their 70s or 80s, playing their hearts and guts out. I never had heard such intensity before except from those Chicago cats. This was a musical revolution to me. Plus the New Orleans jazzers were able to express a wider and subtler range of feelings. Thus my youthful ears were opened forever to all great music, without ideological prejudice -- from Charlie Patton to Ravi Shankar to Andy Statman.But the credit for this education goes to George Lewis and company. I don't know if any record can do justice to the live experience of the original giants of jazz creating this stuff. But the George Lewis tracks on this record come pretty close! For this alone this CD is well worth buying.(BTW Jimmy Yancey is pretty amazing, too.)"

Two for one

Robert K. Furrer | Sempach, Switzerland | 12/19/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"You really get two CDs on one here; the first half bringing George Lewis and his clarinet at his very best, whereas the second half is devoted to the piano blues of Jimmy Yancey. I bought the record because of George Lewis, and the rating is meant for that part. The second half would only deserve about 3 stars in my opinion, particularly because I don't like the voice of Mamma Yancey, Jimmi's wife. But she only sings on the last five of the twelve gigs that make up the second part.
So, what makes this edition really stand out is the first half. It seems that the recording of this part is actually centered around George Lewis with his clarinet. And that is exactly why I like it so much. None of the other recordings of George Lewis that I know of put his clarinet that much in the center. It really gives me shivers to hear its sound emerging high above the rest of the band, sometimes joyfully, sometimes rather mournfully, but always played exquisitely by George Lewis. Get this record while it is still available!"