Jazz Jesters

at the Sherborn Inn, February 26, 2013

7-piece group, no trombone, 2 reeds
Jeff Hughes cornet/flugelhorn, John Clark and Craig Ball reeds, Jim Mazzy banjo, Ross Petot piano, Al Bernard tuba, Steve Taddeo drums

The Jazz Jesters have found their own sound, different than their former Jazz Jesters Novelty Orchestra.  On this Tuesday, they heard a preview of that sound and the Classic Jazz tunes they will be performing at the Hot Steamed Jazz Festival in Essex, Connecticut on June 21-23.  Jeff has been rummaging through an antique store and found some Classic charts, and assembled a repertoire of brand new tunes - for them.

They started with their theme song, Ray  Henderson's 1926 Lucky Day with a piano Intro and Jimmy scatting,

Jeff on cornet, Ross piano, Clark alto sax, Ball clarinet
The heart of the band
Ruby was one of the best known tunes. Benny Goodman's Three Little Words, the band traded fours with drummer Steve Taddeo, Jimmy vocal, Craig Ball clarinet hitting the stratosphere like Benny Goodman.

One very old Frat tune Sweetheart of Sigma Chi was not very romantic, but Jimmy's heartrending version restored it to a real torch song to that very first Sweetheart –

with John Clark on alto sax and Craig ball on gut-wrenching tenor sax, The Sweetheart of Sigma Chi, whoever she was,  would have swooned!
 

Craig on tenor, Ross reflected in piano lid

Taddeo drums, Mazzy singing, Albie on tuba

Clark, leader of Wolverine JB was featured on alto sax with a tune that proliferated in the 20’s, Walt Donaldson's Little White Lies.

John Clark on alto sax

Jeff Hughes sang Golden Gate a Hot tempo tune that was a sequel to Al Jolson's popular California Here I Come.

From a Dick Powell movie in the 1930’s Thanks a Million.

Al Bernard in suit and tie, white hat, long white beard, smiling at camera

We caught Mr. Bernard during the break,  sans tuba, for some interesting conversation about his various types of tuba and sousaphones.

Albie is Jeff's favorite bass player of all time. Jimmy and Albie did the intro to an early jazz tune recorded by the ODJB in 1917 - Wonderful World.

Jeff found a special song in the archives for Ms. Lynn, who is usually sitting by the piano, but tonight  Ms. Lynn was recuperating at home.  Lila was a  classic 20’s tune she introduced to Jeff.  Steve Taddeo was rim-tapping on drums, Ross's superb solo played in stride piano.

Clark's alto sax with piano accompaniment introduced It’s Wonderful a 1930 tune that Stuff Smith, virtuoso violinist, recorded. It was  often performed by Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald throughout their careers.  Jeff played masterful flügelhorn, Jimmy singing in his own unique Mazzy way, Taddeo placing emphasis on the brushes.  Beautiful!

Willow Weep For Me featured Jeff tender solo on flügelhorn.

In 1940, Tommy Dorsey made a hit out of a classical tune, Rimsky-Korsakov's Song of India. Taddeo used sticks on choke cymbal.  Perfect.

Craig took the great Tommy Dorsey solo on Running Wild, an upbeat tune that Bunny Berigan did near the end of his life.

There’s a Cabin in the Pines, a lovely ballad, 1933, featured Jimmy on vocal.  He is a treasure! From the same show The Broadway Melody, a 1929 American musical film and the first sound musical, and sound film to win an Academy Award for Best Picture.  It introduced Broadway Melody, played here with both Craig and John on clarinet.

That’s My Desire, 1931, Jimmy vocal. It was recorded by the Sammy Kaye orchestra in 1946, although a version of the song recorded by Frankie Laine became better known over the years.  But nobody sings it like Jimmy Mazzy, and nobody plays it better than the Jazz Jesters!

We're looking forward to hearing these tunes again at  the Hot Steamed Jazz Festival June 21-23.  See you there???

 

 

 

 

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By Marce, Updated March 2013