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***
(3 out of 5 stars)
OLD SCHOOL, NEW STOMP
How about some old-fashioned New Orleans music by a guy from Milwaukee who
was born in England? While Norrie Coxs trad-jazz pedigree is geographically
suspect, his innate grasp of New Orleans music is anything but. Inspired by
now-legendary clarinetists from the Big Easy such as Johnny Dodds and George
Lewis, veteran Cox is a steadfast bandleader who keeps the rhythm rolling in
no uncertain terms. Along with Charlie DeVore playing cornet, trombonist Jim
Klippert and Mike Carrell on banjo and guitar, he presides over the Stompers
front line with festive enthusiasm and bold confidence. Drawing from an
exceedingly rich repertoire that was established more than a half-century
ago, Cox and his gang of elders breathe new life into compositions by Irving
Berlin, Guy Lombardo and Ellington altoist Johnny Hodges, as well as
revitalizing traditional tunes such as "Jerusalem Blues." Keeping the
song melodies right up front and their tempos within a danceable range, these
graybeards play obscure yet essential New Orleans music once associated with
Jelly Roll Morton, Wingy Manone and Kid Thomas. With their jazzbo vocabulary
down pat, Cox and his Stompers take those bygone Dance Hall Days and bring
them into the next century without missing a beat.
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