Marty Grosz: Hooray For Bix!

Like one of his inspirations, Eddie Condon, Grosz works out on a guitar of the four-string variety and his main function here is of a rhythmic thrust, with two fine vocals thrown in to boot. In deference to Beiderbecke's horn of choice, co- leader Carl Halen opts for the use of a cornet, an instrument seldom used these days in jazz. The rest of the band is filled out with instruments representative of your normal Dixieland-type ensemble, and while none of the men have any major name recognition, they all play with skill and fervor. Frank Chace's robust baritone sax work is particularly lovely, as is his breathy clarinet stylings, which are very much akin to that of Pee Wee Russell.

A shrewd decision on the parts of Grosz and Halen was to go for material that was a bit left-of-center from the obvious, so don't expect to hear "Singin' the Blues" or "In a Mist." In fact, the only Beiderbecke original turns out to be "For No Reason At All." That's all just fine though, because this set proves to be a bit more poetic than similar sessions of this ilk. Even those with a bit of apprehension towards music of this genre will find something to like here, as solo space for all is copious and collective improvisation is kept at a minimum. As an added bonus, Dave Jones' beautiful early stereo manifests each instrument with clarity and warmth.

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