Search - Wilbur Deparis :: Wild Jazz Age/On the Riviera

The roaring twenties are back

JEAN-MARIE JUIF | BESANCON France | 05/05/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Neither Wilbur DeParis (1900-1973) or his brother Sidney (1905-1967) were born in New Orleans,but their band in the early sixties was one of the best performing the music of the Crescent City.Nashville-born Adolphus Doc Cheatham (1905-1997) and Garvin Bushell (1902-1991),born in Ohio,complete the band.This two cd set presents two Atlantic albums: "the wild jazz age" and "on the riviera",the last one being recorded in France,at Antibes Jazz Festival.Here is a rare opportunity to listen to Doc Cheatham playing pure New Orleans style (God!what a muted trumpet in Duke's "creole love call"!!!!); a rare opportunity also to discover the outstanding clarinet of Garvin Bushell,who belongs to the same family of musicians as Jerome Richardson and Buddy Collette; he played clarinet,bassoon,piccolo,saxophones;he recorded with Mamie Smith,Ethel Waters,Cab Calloway,Bessie Smith,Sam Wooding,Chick Webb,Ella,Bunk Johnson,Rex Stewart,Luckey Roberts,GIL EVANS AND JOHN COLTRANE; he was an admirer of Eric Dolphy's music, which was quite rare for a man born at the beginning of the century.Let's discover this wonderful reissue of two albums,the first one remembering the 20's ("runnin' wild","charleston","creole love call"),the second one dedicated to New Orleans (an exceptionnal version of "St Louis blues","South rampart street parade","fidgety feet"),and enjoy it as much as I do. Maybe for some of you,the masterpiece of this cd will be the version of "creole love call";I sure will agree with you."