On the
Dixieland
circuit, bands don't necessarily breakup when members leave, retire from music, or pass away -- instead, they simply hire new members and keep plugging away year after year. That is true in the United States; it is true in Great Britain, where a
veteran like London bassist
Pete Corrigan
(just to give one example) has been leading different versions of his
Band of Hope
since the late '70s. In Ohio,
The Dixieland Rhythm Kings
have turned out to be a
institution; the band was founded by bassist/tuba player
Gene Mayl
in 1948 and was still active in the early 2000s. Of course, the
Kings
have had many different lineups over the years;
New Low Down
finds
Mayl
leading a mid-'60s septet that also includes cornetist
Dick Baars
, trombonist
Bill Coburn
, clarinetist
Pat Patterson
, pianist
Clarence Hall
, banjoist
Vic Tooker
, and drummer
Glenn Kimmel
. That lineup is in fine form on this CD, which was originally released on the
Blackbird
label as the vinyl LP
Trip to Waukesha
and focuses on a November 21, 1965, concert at
the Merrill Hills Country Club
in Waukesha, WI. Thanks to
Delmark
, the album is now at least 22 minutes longer;
Bob Koester
's label has added four previously unreleased performances that weren't on the old LP (
"Tin Roof Blues,"
"Tiny's Blues,"
"Someday Sweetheart,"
and
Fats Waller
's
"Black and Blue"
). Those additions aren't just filler; they're every bit as exciting as the material that was on the original LP, which includes
"Struttin' with Some Barbecue"
"Royal Garden Blues."
Arguably,
should have been more generous and made
a two-LP set, but thankfully,
gives listeners a chance to hear more of the Wisconsin gig -- a memorable show that
and his hard-swinging
Dixieland Rhythm Kings
have every reason to be proud of. ~ Alex Henderson